SAVING THEIR SKINS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 97, 17 January 1918, Page 5

SAVING THEIR SKINS

GERMAN INDUSTRIAL MAGNATES PREPARING FOR THE CRASH A NEW OLIGARCHY (Published by Authority of tho War '' Office, per favour of the Royal Coloninl Institute.) The industrial magnates of Germany are making their preparations for saving their own skins in the coming crash. Before tho war they were going to offeefc the economic conquest of the world, and, as regards largo slices of tho yorld, they were not far from achieving- their aims. Baron you Kuhlmaun, the new German Foreign Minister, said in August, 1914: "If we had had ten more years of peace, we should havo been masters of the world Without having to shed one drop of blood"; and many peoplo believe that another generation, at any rate, would havo seen this result achioved. But the industrial leaders would not, or perhaps could not, wait; they joined bauds with the military party to take a short cut to the goal, and it has landed them, and Germany with them, in a morass. A sheep has been known to get out of a bog by climbing on the back of a companion in misfortune, and sending its fellow to the bottom in its strugglos; and the big industrialists are now proposing to get out, if they can, on the shoulders of the German people, sending them deeper into their quagmire. There are, of course, several different views in Germany as to what will happen after tho war. . One very jnfluential school looks forward to doing the whole thing again, but doing it better; to a fresh attempt at economic World-conquest by an intensification of nil the old methods, combined with preparations, which Herr Rathenau nnd many others have kindly sketched for Us, of a second war—preparations which arc to be better mado this t;me. But we do not imagine that' many of the big industrialists want a second war. They havo learned that it is easier to invoke tho aid of militarism than to got quit of it again._ There is an old story of a man who discovered tho formula for raising the devil; but 'the devil came to him in tho c-hape of a hugo wolf, who could do nothing but 6lay. The wolf rid him of his enemies; but when the man no "longer required the creature's services, he realised that he neglected to discover the formula for laying him again; and the wolf, who enjoyed displaying bis solitary accomplishment, first killed the mail's friends and then the man himself. Something of the sort seems to be happening in Germany. Hindenburg, indeed, has not exactly rid the industrialists of their enemies; but ho has damaged the industrialists themselves pretty considerably, and they cannot "lay" him. They are complaining that his national servico law deprives them of'labour; and "Vorwaorts," on August 25, rather gleefully rubbed in the point: "The National Service Law,' , it said, "is a thorn in the flesh of the capitalists, and they see in its carrying out a serious danger to German, industry." Much more serious, however, is Hindenburg's unrestricted submarine war. Both before and during the war some of the leaders of industry have been acquiring an interest in shipping; and t!..ey understand how terribly tho submarine war adds to their troubles. They may agree with the theoretical writers that tho first desirability for Germany after the war is greatly to increase her oierseas trade; but they see tho detailed difficulties better than tho theorists. They knew that for tho twenty years boforo the war, fast as Germany was going ahead of Britain in exports to Continental markets that coalii be reached from Germany by rail, BrJtaiii was going ahead of Germany very much faster in exports to all markets tbat could only be reached by bea; ami, as if this permanent factor were not handicap enough, militarism must needs destroy German work in tho great overseas markets, sink tho mitral shipping which alone could aid the Badly diminished mercantile ilcft of Germany to bring the German .iudustries those raw materials without which they can hardly even got a start made, and so antagonise by its brutalities tho seamen of the wholo we rid that a comprehensive boycott of Qerman sailors and German shipping becomes increasingly probable. We do not imagine that tho big capitalists are much in love with militarism at Iho moment; and some of them, we know, realise the fearful problems ahead.

Of course, some Germans i'-ill bclievo in the good German sword as a trade weapon; and the wildest pians bavc been formulated. Submarines are to force favourable commercial treaties from enemies and neutrals; an indemnity in raw materials is to be paid before negotiations begin; the enemy is to he forced to receive German exports, but forbidden to export; to Germany; Germany is to receive, but not give, most-favoufed-nation treatment; imports by sea ore everywhere to be burdened with higher duties than imports by hind, so as to checkmate the hated English. The futility of such talk has been exposed in Germany itself. . The more noderate pin their hopes to a peace without economic.enmity, an "Ausgleich," or give-and-take-business peace, with prohibition of boycotting. When the time approaches, this section will proceed to "organise sympathy" among , pacifists, and so forth; the lino to be taken'is that all men aro brothers, so that raw materials must bo pooled and all countries supplied in proportion to their needs. Germany's need being the greatest, her people must receive the lion's share, otherwise you starve the innocent' German a second time ovor. But the "Ausgleieh" is still far away, and the British are horribly stubborn; few in Germany really share Professor Jnstrow's easy confident's that the dreaded Paris resolutions will not be put into practice after all. And even if the good German sword should force tho Allied Governments to renounce any form of boycott, it does not Cjiiito appear how any Government is to force individuals, or trade unions, for* that matter, to have anything to do with Germans or their belongings if they do not wish to. These things nro vot hidden from tho German capitalist; and whilst lie undoubtedly hopes for tho best —a business peace and the resumption of the old methods (;f economic world-connnest —ho is (|uietly hedging all the timo, and preparing "second-best" plans for his own salvation at the expense of his country.