Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-03-15
On Way To Wonderful
Prosperity, Says
BrOnner
BY MILTON BRONNER,


the booming German cannon echoes
in the ears Of the allied troops TAX
ing positions on the Rhine to enforce
reparations demands.
German industries are on tne way
! to wonderful prosperity while the
| German government insists, "We
are broke and cannot pay"
The government is broke, but Ger
man which must support
the >government-is far from flnan-
cially strained.
Great private companies and
trusts are making huge profits in
German markets, but the govern.
ment shows balances all on the
wrong side Of the budget.
French critics say this is because
the state machine maintains on the
payroll an army of needless func-
tionaries, and that pay for employees
of the railway, posts and telegraph
has been recklessly raises.
!, Public Treausry.
At the end of last October Ger
many's floating and funded debt
was 288, 100000 marks, OF
which only 91,000,000,O0O marks
was funded. The total debt was es-
timated for January l as 318,O0O,-
| 100000 marks.
| These sums are exclusive of what
Germany will have to pay Germans
for deliveries of ships, agricultural
machinery, horses and war material
| to the allies, estimated at 13l ,000,-
100000 marks; also of reparatiOns.
The government is faced with a
deficit of 0,000,000.000 marks FOR
the present financial year on cur.
rent obligations in paying for the
allied armies of occupation, COM
missions and requisition, on run
ming her own postal and railway aG
ministration, and on the govern,
mental budget.
The total years expenses are es-
timated at 114,000,000,000 marks;
total returns from taxation, $4,000,
100000 marks; total national in
come, 100,000,0O0,00O marks. So
the German people are taxed to the
extent of 43 percent.
Coal Situation.
Herr Hue, the German miners
leader, has claimed Germany was
far less able to satisfy its needs for
coal than either Great Britain or
| France.
But last August the output of coal
in Germany, excluding the Saar and
Palatinate, was 10,788,096 tons,
Added to this were increased pro-
duction of Ignite from German pits
/ h.,
In the same month Germany ex-
ported 2,422,979 tons, of which ).
100000 tons went to the allies. This
left 10,654,679 tons for Germany's
use.
German requirements in August
1913, were 13,000,000 tons, so thai
last August Germany actually had
50 percent Of her pre-war require
ments.e In September Germany left
fer her own use 80 percent of her
pre-War requirements.
| Iron and Steel.
! Germany has been rapidly recov-
ering from the blow struck by the
peace treaty, which took away from
it many of it's iron ore mines.
German is working more inten
sievly the iron ore fields that still
remain, is importing greater quanti-
ties of Swedish and Spanish ores,
and is negotiating for purchases
from French firms.
| This has considerably changed the
character of Germany's business
From being All exporter of semi-fin-
ished products like pig iron, blooms
and billets, she now imports these.
Germany will work this iron up to
the highest stages of manufacture
possible Great trusts are being
| formed for this purpose, one of
them, the Rhine ElDe Union, having
| capital of 500,000,000 marks and
employing 100000 men.
The blast furnaces and steel
| works of Germany are probably all
ready producing so percent of ca.
pacity.
The coal strike and high prices
| in England enabled German firms tc
get large orders for locomotives
rolling mills and electrical plants.
Dividends for the year 19i9-20 in
variably show an increase over 1913
Chemical Industry.
Few figures have been printed
anywhere on the status of the Ger,
man dye industry. -.
AS in other lines of business, the
tendency has been to form huge
combinations controlling far, ben.
zol, ammonia, nitrogen and other
products. Over $40,000,000 worth
of dyes We're sold to England alone
during 1920.
The great potash combine has