The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-03-03
GERMANY KEEPS GOING
UNDER CRUSHING BURDENS
Economists Unable to Solve Myssc~y
Of Nations Ability to Function
Rutledge Rutherford, an American
resident in Germany, in The Dear
ho1,,, ToIonn,,I.,,{

resident in Germany, in The Dear
born Independent
In spite Of thc Selling o3l' @}a~ue
md the enormous losses p. .. r..'. -
s2ite of the reparato"s nalm>a.s,
he sanctions, The trade barriers end
he chaotic exchange, German con
onues to wabble along somehow and
even shows signs of industrial
strength. The future looks gloomy, i,
rue; imports have d&ind!ed alarm
'Nassgly, and It is difficult 10 see how,
tn the demonetized currency, men
upplies OF raw materials are to be
5tained. Feverish activity prevails
some lines of business, while others
/ ave been visited with stagnat;on and
threatened ruin. The disastrous spec
a.ation in foreign bills has been re-
sumed. Two big banks recently falL-
ed, and many factories have had to
,ay off their employees because Of the
shortage of coal and raw materials.
Few will dare hazard guess as to
the future, especially after the fail
ure of the Cannes conference mater
ALLY to tighten the reparations bur-
dens. W!thal, many industries, as
textiles, for instance, are still goinG
at high pressure. Textile firms have
in many instances increased their
working hours. Most of them are
still on full seven days week. Some
employ shifts.
The how and the why of it is not
easily explained. Predictions of the
worlds most famous economists have
been set at naught. Italian and Swe-
dish financial publications declare it
utterly inexplicable how Germany
keeps up at all under present condi-
tions. By many she is being held up
as "the mystery nation The Man
chester Commercial says:
Great surprise is expressed at Ger
many's continuing to operate extern
sively in the face of the greatly de
preciated value of the mark, The po-
sition seems beyond the power of the
average Englishman to understand.
Indeed, it is beyond the power oil
the average American or other aver
age person to understand. 1t is not
alone .'the depreaciated value of the
mark" that Germany must Operate
in the face Of" This is but one effect
of the underlying causes which entail
the burdens she must carry. The
handicaps under which Germany Ia
bors must be realized to obtain any
thing like clear understanding OF
her industrial status. Her present
plight is condign punishment for her
sins. no doubt. But if the victim
writhes in agony under the torture,
becomes fiighty on occasions and
seems to lose her balance, as at pres
ent, the world should not be s'.rprls-
ed. Greek mythology knew of no
more terrible punishment than that Of
the Denaiads who had to pour water
continually into a barre! which Id
large hole in the bottom. The same
sort of punishment appears 10 have
been meted out to Germany. Her
oeople are laboring hard. American
Visitors declare that Germany IS the
only European nation that has return
q to work. But the work is Of little
wall. Nearly all the awards go for
~eperations. There's hole in the
5ottcm Of the barrel.
Has But Few Natural Resources
First, let it be borne in mind that
even before the Versailles conference
fixed the price Germany must pay,
she was not so large as Texas, but
with nearly 7O,OOO,0OO months to
feed and backs to clothe. Her soil
was infertile, for the most part. Her
principal crops were potatoes and
beets. About the only other natural
resources were coal and iron. o.
these, before the war, there was ar
abundance But the people could
not eat nor wear coal and iron. and
where would they obtain materials
for clothing? Germany produces no
cotton at all. only about six per cent
of her wool requirements and 20 per
cent of her flax consumption. Before
the war, as now, Germany was de-
pendent for her very existence on
the free intercourse between nations.
Then, as now, her main concern was
cotton and wool. That is by far the
most threatening aspect Of the pres
ent situation in Germany-the grow
ing shortage of cotton and wool and
n with tho do