New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-03
Balm FOresav
Germany Would Be
Loser i'm the War
Even if Great Britain We're
Defeated, He Predicted
Hostility of Empire Would
Ruin Foreign Commerce

SYDNEY, Australia, Nov % Cor
Iespondence of The Associated Press).
Albert Balm general director of
the Hamburg American Steamship
company, who is reported to have
committed suicide Just before the
signing of the armistice, had predicted
disaster for the German overseas trade
as an outcome Of the war. This is dis
closed by the publication here of a
letter which Herr Balm had written
IN December, 1917, apparently to DIR.
kothenau, prlvy councillor at Berlin
"A copy OF TINS letter was made public
here by j. NJ. Paxton. a resident Of
oyoney' who received 1t from friend
IN London. In it Balm declared that
whether Germany or England was vic
torlous in the war, the consequences
10 German foreign trade would be
disastrous. The letter reads. in part
Most OF what we read in the news
papers as to our preparedness for en-
barking on brisk trade and manu-
lactures as soon as peace has been
concluded is, | fear. written with the
manifest intention of heartening our
people, who are VIGOROUSLY ignorant
OF our actual economic conditions and
all that threatens them"
he said that the German mercantile
marine was IN "a perilous condition"
and that the bill to reestablish and
strengthen it. which at the time of
writing was before the Reichstag, would
show no results for at least five years.
IN that time Germany's great maritime
competitors, Britain, the United States
and Japan, and the neutrals. Norway
Denmark and Holland, would profit
enormously.
BALM reminded his friend that he
Ballln) vainly begged Berlin authori-
TIES not to engage in unrestricted sub
marine warfare; and he continued:
You and | know that the Americans
are probably the most idealistic nation
on the earths surface. In antagoniz-
ing America we have done a disastrous
thing, thing which will throw cold
shadow on our economic life for a
generation" The latter part of Ballin's
letter ran:
But if | am concerned about our
relations with the United States.
am still more anxious about our rela-
tons with Britain. | realize as never
before that all the increase in our
wealth, all the success which attended
our enterprises in the years before the
war, were owing to our intercourse
with the British Empire. Her hsme
ports. her dominions and colonies.
were freely opened to our shippers and
traders. Sometimes | wondered at this
generosity and even called it folly. Is
it to be imagined for moment that
those old relations viii return?
u am not to be supposed, dear Herr
Genelmrat (Privy Councillor) as say
ing one word in favor Of Britain's pol
icy in this war. ! believe that she en-
tered it from some base motives.
"Consider what we are riskng We
look forward to resuming our sea trade.
We build our proudest expectations on
this. How are we to resume it in face
Of an Anglo Saxondom which loathes
and must loathe our presence among
them?
But we must beat England, you say,
no matter what the consequence.
agree. All | say is that whether we
beat her or she beats US the conse-
quence viii be the same disaster to
our oversee trade if Britain so wills it,
We may, in. the event of victory, inn
pose all sorts Of conditions securing
us favored nation treatment, Sc
curing us free entry into British ports
everywhere. No sane man believes that
these conditions viii help us.
With hostile British empire, CALLED
and fretted with our military success.
raging at IT'S losses, hopeleSsly alien
ated, how are VIC to procure the raw
material which this empire alone can
supply? That great empire is Self
contained and We are not, and all the
military victories and all the wild will
o'-the-wisps about Hamburg to Bag
dag viii not help us."
Herr Balm died suddenly in Berlin
ON November 9. The cause Of his death
has not been officially stated, but it
has been reported that he had been
summoned to the German Army
Headquarters and criticised By Cen
eral Ludendorf for opposing plans Of
the military party and that BALM
1hen appealed to the then German En-.
pefor' who sustained LudendorT's
statements and suggested that Balm
s,ither adopt them or retire from pub
nc life. Thereafter, according to re.
ports, balm appeared 10 be greatly
Impressed in spirit. Some reports re
ceived IN London stated that he had