New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-05
Would Keep
Prices Up

"As regards the more general problem
of world trade, the German press up to
quite a few weeks ago was eagerly discuss
ing the question of the late of exchange of
the mark with the currency of other coun-
tries. Some writers were inclined to advocate
keeping the value of the mark low, or, in
other words, keeping prices high, in order
that the burden of the interest Of the in
ternal debt upon the German people might
be lessened because each mark paid in in
terest would represent less labor and fewer
commodities. Others, more concerned with
prospective profits in international trade,
were eager to take steps to restore the
mark to something like its pre-war ratio
to the American dollar and the English
sovereign. How completely the Germans still
lmagine-er at any rate till recently have
imagined-that they will be free to act in
their own interest may be inferred from
the suggestion made from the second point
of view in one German newspaper that after
the war Germany should strengthen her
economic position throughout the world
by forcing up the price Of those of her ex-
ports which were in great demand or of
which she had almost monopoly. Coal
comes in the former category; potash in
the second. At the time this suggestion was
made the Germans had not realized that
they going to lose Alsace and Lor-
rane, and consequently to lose their mo-
nopoly of potash, for the Alsatian supplies
of potash are probably at least as impor-
tant as those Of Saxony. In addition, we may
guess that the French will want to recover
the coal basin that lies to the north of the
frontier of Lorraine, but was included in
Lorraine as recently as 1918. The coal from
this area was largely used for the develop
ment Of the French iron industry, and the
control which the Germans were thus able
to exercise over a most important French
industry was extremely advantageous to
them and disadvantageous to the French
Even if this coal basin is annexed to France
the Germans will still have very large sup
plies of coal in Westphalia; but they will
be less in position than before to dictate
terms to their French neighbors.
"The reason for laying stress on these
two points is that they contain suggestion
which the Allied powers may proftably
utilize. Assuming that it had been posi-
BILE for the Germans on their pre-armstice
calculations to win profit for themselves
by selling their coal and potash at high
price, it must equally be possible for the
Allied powers when they come to dictate
terms of peace to insist that these elements
OF natural wealth in Germany shall be used
for the purpose of partly paying the bill
which Germany owes to the nations against
which she has waged war. If, as seems
probable we shall have to put an army of
occupation into Germany In order to compel
her to pay full reparation for all the
damage she has directly done or indirectly
caused, then one OF the principal points to
which attention should be directed ia the
control Of German coal mines and potash
mines, 30 as to secure all profits beyond
working expenses as a contribution toward
the payment of Germany's war bill. Again,
it may be possible for the Allied powers to
use their control of essential raw materials
in order to extract from Germany a higher
price for the materials she requires so as
TO get another contribution from that
source. We may safely assume that the
nettie craze which took possession of the
German mind while the war was in progress
is not likely long to outlast the estab-
1ishment Of peace. Whatever mcrts nettles
may have, the German people will probably
prefer cotton AZ soon as they are able to
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