ONE CAUSE OF THE WAR

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 185, 23 June 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

ONE CAUSE OF THE WAR

DESIRE OF GERMANY TO CONTROL STEEL. "MIST HAVE THE IRON ORE OE THE LORRAINE MINES." By Fernand Engerand, in the "New York Herald.'' Mr Eernand Engerand, who wrote the accompanying article on Germany and the iron industry, was born at Caen on April 25th, 18t57. He is the representative ironi Calvados, which district his father also represented in the Chamber of Deputies lor several years. Coming from a family which :s a strong supporter of the Bonapartist ideas, he belongs to the group of tht Liberal Unionists. Very widely known as a lawyer, he has become a respected author in economics, and he is a highly esteemed member of the Musee Social, the Geographical Society, _ and many other scientific bodies. Mr Engerand is an energetic orator and a very prolific writer. His works are always based upon the most minute researches and upon a very profound learning, coupled with one of the brightest intellects of the day. "Humanity is investigating, and will for a long time continue to investigate the causes of this unparalleled war, to appreciate the havoc of which it will be necessary to fall back upon the geological revolutions to the gliding of the continents into the sea. Never has the extreme poverty of the human reason been more manifest. and it never was clearer than at present that a superhuman factor dominates and disconcerts all political plans. Tlk> stupidity of what has been called "European'politics" always was in my eves the most peremptory proof of the existence of God. This formidable drama, which the Pope has justly qualified as the "suicide of Europe," brings to this view of mine its most lucid confirmation. How on earth could Europe precipitate herself into such an abyss, all ol a sudden, so to speak, and without any of her look-ou tmen seeing the terrible rock, and without any of her leaders having the daring to hold back the hand of Fate? ,

Tlie one positively responsible factor is, perhaps more than the German Emperor himself, the pan-Gor-manist element recruited among the great manufacturers and the military classes. The men in the army were looking for the opportunities and the quick promotions afforded by war, but the others, the great financiers, what is it that they wanted, since they already had everything according to the opinion of people who knew them well ? They had all except one thing which was the element of their strength —the soul of their power, the very frame of their colossal economic struc"metalltjrgical hegemony. Germany, whose domin on over Europe is due to her metallurgy, steel industry, did not have all the iron she needed to feed her continuous overproduction. Whether she wanted it or not—and we know that she did— Germany was aiming towards the world metallurgical hegemony. Everyone is acquainted with the prodigious hounds of her progress. 1,400,(0) tons of castings in 1870; 4.000,01X1 in IS<JO; s 000,000 in 1900, and 19,000,000 in 1913. It is easy to imagine the tremendous quantities of iron ore required for so enormous a production. In 1000 Germany had mined sixteen tons and imported nine millions; ,\\ 1013 she dug out 28 millions, and took in from abroad, Luxemburg included. 21 millions. And upon the sum total of 28 million tons of iron ore which the German soil had yielded, more than 21 millions came from Lorraine alone, and from a very narrow sector situated between the frontiers of France, Luxemburg and the Orne river. The frontier nd' 1871 crossed the iron region of Lorraine, and Germany had seized that part ot it which she considered the richest, but which, however, Was not. This >s as much as to say that if, at the beginning of the war, "France had invaded and held this section, Jo kilometres wide and seven ki'omotres deep, the \v;u would nave ended then and there. NEEDED IKON. Germany needed Hon. She looked for iron everywhere, She had what she wanted on the other side of her frontier, Hi the inexhaustible reserves of the Briey has n, and she held it with the energy of despair, because, if she lost it, she would have lost her gain and would be made practically impotent. The formal admission oi this fact is to be found in the confidential report sent on -May 20, 11)13, by the six great industrial and agricultural groups of Germany, to Chancellor BothnianiiHollweg upon the conditions of peace: "Without the inm ore of Lorraine the war would be lost ''

incoutc-stably for the steel potentates and we arc all acquainted with their influence upon German opinion—the end and perhaps the cause of the war is the seizure of the Briey basin, and of the Belgian and French coal mine-. This aim is clearly stated in the abovementioned document, the authors of which demand the annexation of th s great wealth to the German nation, together with 'he (.listing of the actual tenants.

And it would not be wise to consider this plan as a mere pan-German vagary; behind tin's madno-s there is method, and where is the individual who feels ready to affirm that behind France, b is the American steel industry they are aiming at? German metallu'urgy had snatched away from England a'l her possessions as regard-, iron commerce, and now she was coming face to lace with American metallurgy with all its superiority of coal and iron. In the conditions prevailing before the war. the struggle was not possible. The in nes oi Belgium and ol Northern France, added to the iiingndiconi coal deposits of Germany, would enable the Teutons to produce more than Kit) million tons of coal, while the production of the I'nited States is 3(33 millions. The actual production of the Briey Basin—of winch three-fourths of the mining concessions have not yet been exploit' d—coupled with that of Germany in l'.U.'l, would allow her a yearly extract'on of at least ")(l milium ten-, while the production of the Fiuted State- in It'll' wan 32 millions. If we make ilie same calculations for ci'stiii'/s. we -hall litlll iii.il the joint production of Germany and of the Belgian and French invad d tei i itorw s. reach the grand total ol 2ii millions, thus almost catching up «ilh the production of the I'll ted Stati s. i\ hi'li in 101.'! w as ;il millions. He who I'el'iM - to -ee thai uu i' -ii, h eruditions German meh.lluri'.v would be perledlv ibl ■ to si lit th s ■tru-'-de with Anieri,-,. end el! the as-urnl of hi r chancer of • ue. e-s, mam.eeii a-. ..wing to hj, r dominion m Ihe ee -he would have the k- : m i.il exports \ i,-| 1,.,,, :,l; lhal 1 have ah'ea Iv ■ aid. il -eems umh nlahlv clear lha| it i. i! -I simp!\ for th • liberl'i - ol' l',ri.pe alolle, led in Ihe inter. -! of ihe < ill if.-« world, that Knuce ami her All , - are fighting alt lie pi- -enl time.