MINERAL SUPPLIES — BLISS. 261 



about nine-tenths of the world's coal and zinc; four-fifths of the 

 world's iron ore; two-thirds of the copper; and over half the lead 

 output of the world. A glance at the columns showing control of 

 raw materials indicates that the world's industrial market of copper 

 and zinc, and nine-tenths of the market of coal, copper, and lead, is 

 in the hands of these countries. The balance of industrial power 

 before the war lay between the United States and Germany. 



Coal arid iron. — In the case of France nature has dealt hardly 

 with her in the matter of mineral resources and as long as she re- 

 mains deficient in coal she will never become an industrial factor. 

 Before the war the balance of fuel was too much upon the German 

 side of the scale. Much of Europe's chance for a stable and endur- 

 ing peace lies in an equitable redistribution of her coal and iron 

 supplies. Various official suggestions from the governments of 

 France and Great Britain appear to favor the restitution of the Lor- 

 raine basin to France, thereby transferring almost three-fourths of 

 Germany's total of iron ore output. The necessary coke to handle 

 this amount of ore is to be found partly by annexing the Saare 

 district and partly by drawing on the high grade coal fields of 

 Westphalia. In case the Rhenish Westphalian syndicate should re- 

 fuse to export coal to Lorraine it is proposed that France should 

 establish a reciprocity treaty with England whereby she can draw 

 British coal in exchange for French iron ore. It is urged at the 

 same time that iron ore exports to Germany should be restricted 

 in order to prevent possibility of future war. These ideas meet with 

 favor in various British journals. 



Some German notions of a post-war distribution of coal and iron 

 have come to us through French sources. It seems probable that they 

 are a fair representation of prevalent opinion in the German com- 

 mercial world. A memoir addressed to the Imperial Government in 

 December, 1917, by the Association of German Iron and Steel In- 

 dustries and by the Association of Metallurgists is in favor of peace 

 without annexation except for the acquisition of Briey which they 

 claim would assure to Germany in the next war considerable re- 

 sources in domestic ore. The Wirtschaftszeitung of the Central- 

 machte calls attention to the fact that the annexation of Briey 

 would cause unfortunate competition with the German blast furnaces 

 already in operation. It might be better to allow France to retain 

 possession of Briey and to send her ore to Germany. It appears 

 that Germany has contemplated the possibility of exceeding the 

 American iron and steel production by means of the resources of 

 the Briey basin and by the further development of German interests 

 in Normandy. 



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