THE GERMAN PEACE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 204, 17 May 1918, Page 6

THE GERMAN PEACE

AS GERMAN IRONMASTERS WOULD HAVE IT. ' At a festival conference of the com. bined iron and steel industries of the German Empire, held in Berlin, and attended by the leading representatives of the mining and smelting concerns in Westphalia, Lorraine, and Silesia, Dr. Reiohert, chairman of the various industries, addressed the gathering oh "Ore and Iron in Germany's Future."

"In our struggle for existence, ore and iron are our most indispensable war materials, and therefore their production constitutes the most important task of our war economics and of the policy of the State." Dr. Eeichert went on to say that the German iron industry had freed itself completely from its British teacli. ere, and .in many respect' had surpassed the British industry. With respect to the working up and refinement and hardening of iron and stee 1 , the British had been left far behind. "Not only have we beat«n the' British technically, but also economically. Even before the war wo wore able to rhow a production double that of England's smelting ovens. "Since the outbreak of war we have known how to appreciate the fact that in time of Deace we were able to conquer the world's markets. The iron industrialists of England, Prance, Italy, and Russia combined have Deen unable in this war to produce more iron than Germnn alono. At first we thought it a danger that our greatest iron region lay so close to the frontier. Hnd Lorraine been lost to us, the German ore land, we would not have been able to produce more than a quarter of the ;iron and steel produced in peace, or have been able to supply, our army and navy." Dr. Heichart added that in the heavy Flanders battles more ■ iron was used in a few hours than in the entire Franco-German War,

"An industry which employs 2,000,000 and gives bread to 8,000,000 of the German population must be placed in a secure position, and have a foundation on which it can build a future. The extension of .mr frontier, necessary for securing our industrial future, must not be spoken of ns annexation; only narrow strips of frontier are in question, and these may be won in the shape of rectifications of frontier.

"Just as German Lorraine was our salvation in the present war, French LorTaine will, in our hands, savo lis from future destruction. Our Chancellor has said that an 'enduring and general peace is impossible as long as the integrity of ■the German Empire is not secured and the life interests and dignity of our Fatherland conrirsn3tl. Wo do not doubt that our highest army command will understand that among the life interests of Germany is included the annexation of those narrow French-Lorraine districts which include Briev and Longwy."