FACING AFTER-WAR PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 206, 20 May 1918, Page 7

FACING AFTER-WAR PROBLEMS

MT GERMANY IS DOING

SCHEMES FOB RESTORING

TRADE

A charge brought recently against tho Imperial Government was to the effect that it had failed to regard watchfully the schemes for after-war trade reconstruction that are being developed in, ■Germany. This suggestion must have been made in ignorance of the meaeures that are being takeu by the Imperial Board of Trade and tho various organisations that are allied with it. The. JiTitish "Board of Trade Journal," which is now published weekly in an enlarged .form, records widespread activities,' and shows that the Imperial authorities ai'o not ■ merely alivo to tho efforts of the Germans, biitjifts taking practical, steps to ensure success in tho trade war. Investigation, preparation, and organisation are proceeding in every branch of ■British industry.

The plane of the, Germans for trade reconstruction are explained in soma do- > tail in an article published in a recent number of the "Board of Trade. Jbunwl." Reconstruction, in all its social and industrial ramifications, has engaged tiio nttention'of German statesmen sinco the early months of 1016. Now Ministries have been created, some legislation has been passed, and the States of the German Empire have been honeycombed with, committees appointed to investigate and report on tho future of their respective industries or territories. An Imperial Ministry of Economics has taken charge of tho reconstruction policy. It has very wide powers, and its special task is to place Germany in the most advantageous position attainable for the resumption of trade after tho declaration of peace. The German Finance Minister has explained that the return to a peace economy will tako place under State direction. The -principal tasks of tho Ministry will bo to bring back soldiers to civil life; to care for the and provide tho necesenry work for them; to eliminate women and children from

the labour market; and to bring into / forco again the protective labour laws that have been partially repealed. In regard to. capital, tlio Ministry of Ecolioniics will "utilise and extend production to the utmost; lay up reserves of capital for the peace period; create credit on the security of real arid personal properly; offer credit to urban property-own-ers and shipping companies; revive trade, improve the currency and make liquid the capital locked'up iit. war loans." The

services of experts in all branches of industry are being used in connection with the work of the \ Ministry. Advisory bodies of specialists are reviewing tho problems of currency, shipping, finance, trade and industry. The authorities have taken the view that the main problems of reconstruction, as, far as Germany is (ioncerned, are the settlement of labour questions, the creation of credit and the provision of raw materials. One of the features of the German organisation is a councilof over 250 members; which is described as tho "Transi-

tion Economy Parliament." This is di-

vided into twenty-ontf sub-committees, ' dealing with questions of- finance, transport, food supply and raw materials. The* members of these committees included the leading business men of Germany. The Finance Committee, for.example, is composed of fifteen of Germany's greatest bankets, Merchants and Manufacturers; exporters, and importers are pooling their knowledge and experi.ence in order that Germany may make a groat bid for the recovery after the war of the trade that she has lost einco August, 1914. The German preparations for the trade war are on a formidable scale. But , there is no reason to believe thnt the [United Kingdom is going td be caught napping. Organisation of a similar kind ds proceeding- in Great Britain. The foremost financial, commercial, and in'riustrial men of the country are working on the committees and organisations that have been brought into existence with the assistance of v tho British Board of Trade. They know what Germany is 'doing and they are planning to protect British and Allied trade at every point.