GERMAN TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1921, Page 5

GERMAN TRADE.

DOMINANCE OF TRUSTS.

FILLING THE WAR GAP.

By Telegraph.—Press Assn —Copyright

London, April 27. Mr. Renwick, the Daily Chronicle’s Berlin correspondent, toured the whole of the industrial areas in western Ger many and tells an amazing story of the organisation of trust control of industry and plans for the industrial Napoleons to run Germany and Europe by electricity. German industry is now largely controlled by a dozen great trusts which deal with coal, iron and other minerals, and produce an enormous variety of manufacturers. The Stinnes trust already employs 250,000 men, apart from .controlling 42 other companies, also big interests in Sweden and Austria. The Ruthenans General Electricity Company, during ten months, increased its capital from 155 million marks to 850 million. Owing to trust operations it controls at least another 750 ‘million marks of capital. As she has lost great coal and iron supplies, Germany is harvesting her supplies carefully, using all sorts of coal by utilising saving devices. The war cost her 40 per cent, of her iron ore, but the gap is being quickly filled up. One magnate told me that Germany was first going to electrify her and then run all her great industries from power stations. Other countries will have to follow suit, but Germany will have the best organisations and the highest productive capacity. Trade magnates are also relying on the fact that Germany is now protected in triple fashion by her exchange, which is equivalent to a high protective tariff, by Customs and by the import license system, which prevents anything being brought into the country which would injure Germany’s economic position.

DEVELOPMENTS IN DYES.

Berlin, April 27.

Seven chemical dyes and nitre companies comprising the analine combine, are increasing their capital to 11,915 million marks. They are the largest industrial concerns in Germany. ,A thousand million,marks have been already expended on the combine’s nitre works at Merseburg and Oppau, and a further thousand million is required.