WAS NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 102, 23 September 1914, Page 7

WAS NOTES.

Till-: FIRM OF KRUIT3. ' With it> colleries, its iron -mines, and its steel factories, its workshops of Essen and Mudgebiirg, its naval dockyards of Kiel with their f>o<)o engineevr, (X), 000 workmen, and the 2j0,(X)0 pers-'ns who owe their livelihood to it, theiaiu"ous firm of Krupp represents the most, powerful -ami modern industry in tue service of destruction. instead of great banks—which, by the way, have saved it more than once from disaster — it, boasts a sleeping partner and pro- ' lector, no oUier than the ICmperot of Germany. llow does it happen that the head of the most, aggressive military nation of the world snould at the same time be a shareholder in the largest gunfactory? It happened in ISG7. Bismarck, having defeated Ihe Austrians at Satlowa, thought of making war on Fmnce.. For that be needed a formidable artillery, and Knipp only could iiii]*ply it. ' Unfortunately, the workshops at listen were not filled, up oil a scale big enough to permit of their carrying out in two or three years the programme, mapped out by Mo! Ike; ihey would have to const nut new machines, increase the size of ihe buildinns, and capital was lacking. In those days tho German banks had not the enormous credit they now possess, and the secret designs of Prussia could not io confided to foreign financiers. Then King William 1. came to the rescue. He realised on his persona) fortune 5,000,000 thalers about 20,000,01)0 'francs, of tsO.OO')—which lie lent to Krupp, whose partner tie thus became. The transaction was advantageous to both parties; I~Hm'c years Inter King William was crowned, at Ycfvaill.'S, Gorman Fiuperor. The Prussian victory was til? jnost marvellous advertisement for steel guns, 'flic whole world came to Essen for anus. The house of Krupp became (he mo-t powerful irfclxlhirj'o firm in the world, and Emperor William 1., its sleeping partner, saw his 20.000,000 francs triple their value.