Evening star., 1921-04-05
PREPARATIONS STIR
ECONOM||GBATTLE
T.
Powerful Interests Declared
to Be Struggling for Inter-
national Supremacy.
ny PAUL SCOTT MowRER-

By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1871.
PARIS. France. April 5.-How the
great French, British and German in
dustrial groups are endeavoring to
turn the reparations muddle into a
gigantic struggle for international
economic supremacy. IS told in the
current number of the Progress CT
yiaue. by Francis Delaisi, the French
economist. who recently won fame by
his remarkable book entitled "Petro-
leum," in which the meaning ana ex-
tent of the worldwide Angio-Amerf-
can oil duel was revealed to the pub
lie for the first time
The principal characters in the OBJ
scure. but ardent reparations drama
are Hugo SHINES. the German mag
nate; Louis Loucheur, the French mag
nate and politician. and Lord u Aoer-
non, the British diplomat and imam
cier. SHINES, according to NJ. Delalsi.
is practically the uncrowned kaiser of
the new Germany.
Extensive Control.
After forming one trust of the Ger
furnaces and another of all the Ger
man electrical enterprises. SHINES
has combined the two into the present
electro mining trust, which employs
more than 100000 workmen. In ad
dition. SHINES controls shipyards. mu-
nitions works. fishing industries.
chemical. cellulose and lumber indus
tries. paper factories. print shops and
sixty-f1ve newspapers and magazines
throughout Germany, including the
Lokal Anzeiger, Die Woche and the
kolnische Zeitung.
As to NJ. Loucheur, he is to France.
though on a much smaller scale, what
q IN Ia n n
ed around his general enterprise
company" divers French industries
and has an interest in the leading
newspapers Petit Journal and Paris
Midi.
Finally, Lord D'Abernon. according
to Delaisi. is practically the official
representative of that powerful group
of British banks formed in 1920 for
the economic reconstruction of central
Europe. which includes the Roths-
childs, Lloyds Bank. London Joint City
and Midland Bank. Goschens and Cum
life. Morgan Grenfell & Co.. and
others.
Collaboration Plan.
The peace treaty by restoring A1sace
and Lorraine to France deprived Ger
man industries of their chief supplies
of iron ore. Thus at the present time
France has iron. but lacks coal and
coke Germany has coal and coke,
but lacks iron. SHINES therefore con-
eeived the idea of the collaboration
OF German and French industries for
the restoration of the devastated re-
gions. dividing orders between them.
the Germans furnishing the machin-
cry, materials and labor but only to
the extent that French industry would
permit. He came to Paris in 1920 and
made this proposition, which was so
well received by French business men
that Charles Laurent, president of the
Union of Mining and Metallurgical
Industries and of the committee for
the resumption of industrial activity
in the devastated regions, was imme-
diately named as French ambassador
to Berlin.
cial struggle had begun between the
French and Germans. Austria, at NJ.
LoucheuFs demand, had consented TO
place her finances under allied con-
frol. 'rHenceforth," says Delaisi, all
German competition in concessions
and public works is brushed aside.
Etinnes Is punished" But SHINES and
Germany with him. instead of giving
/! in to the allies, seems now more than
ever determined to resist the allies
reparations demands.
Seek to ~Punish. stinnes.
Is In February NJ. Loucheur present.
ed before the Paris conference a plan
for an industrial company with a
capital of z00.000.00o francs (normal-
ly $4,000, ,000) equally divided be-
tween Britain, France, Italy and the
United States for the reconstruction
Of Austria.
Here the plot thickens. SHINES. see