The New York herald., 1921-03-07

two years ago. Not man knows
how many workmen receive enough
calories Of nourishment TO keep up
permanently a normal standard OF
health (and production). Not a Ger
man knows what Swedish iron ore or
American cotton will cost him three
months hence.
1t may be that Germany is on the
way 10 recovering remarkably quickly
Many irrefutable and profound indi
cations surely point to 1t. But 1t
recovery is not shown by its paying
arithmetically high dividends. nor L.
Il 10 be explained by sublime ma
tional egotism deliberately concocttnr
a world hoax. / do not mean that
the Germans are not at all deceitful
or have no secrets md no ambitions
But j do mean that one of the most
astonishing things about Germany II
how little the Germans themselves
really know about their own situa-
ton. And | am aware that the Ger
mans are broken up into pickering.
hostile cliques and hateful parties as
much as n nation conceivably could
he SO that when in Berlin am oc-
casionally accused OF being anti-Ger-
man | can retort that live among
race of anti-Germans.
Is Economically Secure.
To he sure. fundamentally, Ger
many Is economically secure, and the
\ lot Of any group Of ten million indus
! trial workers and Of nine million ag-
I ricultura workers, technically
skilled and highly organized industry
and OF an UP 10 date agriculture,
must eventually be a good one. Ger
manys national wealth may have
been $50. 900 100000 gold marks be-
fore the war, or 800 100000 900
\ (both estimates include all state prop
erty. such as public buildings and
even city streetS). and the great
part of this wealth is still there. Al
Of what i left after the loss Of a.
sace-T T.orralne. West Prussia, Pose
the colonies and merchant marine ai&
navy, a large sum is realizable wealt1
What the reaiizable wealth hap
pens 10 be worth can only be est
mated. Ii may or may not be over
hundred billion gold marks tn
point r. that this realizable wealth Y
necessary 20 capitalize Germany's ~.
ture existence. and unless the reali3
able wealth - destroyed or climi
mated this future existence. whatevef
the political boundaries prove TO be-
Is. according 70 oil human calculation.
assured.
These underlying truths, however.
arc obscured by pressing and imme-
diate consideration resulting from the
war. For the truths 10 assert them
selves may require decades. The
costs of the war have first 70 be met,
and Germany. having lost the war. i
- pay a portion Of the victors' losses
a. well as It's own. Possibly this is
the glib calculation which one is ac-
customed 10 consider Il, the Germans
cross their own war expenses from
their books as dead loss and work for
term Of years to replace what they
destroyed iu France and Belgium
But Il Is IN this very calculation
that the question Of Gcrmany's re-
c0yery becomes uppcrmost Are the
Germans able to food rho world with
goods? Then they can my rcpara.
tions. r. German industry stagnantl
Then reparations cannot yet be ex-
pected II they are not now flooding
the world. how soon can they7 Ger
many will never nay much IN repara-
tion from the profits of its own con.
sumption. No industrial nation adj
iusted IN 1913 TO an export of TO-
100. 900, 900 gold marks can in 1924
IN