MINERAL SUPPLIES BLISS. 263 



German Lorraine France would have at her disposal 40,500,000 tons 

 of ore, as opposed to 11,500,000 which she smelted in 1913. For the 

 additional ore almost 31,000,000 tons of coal would be required, if 

 5,000,000 tons of ore were exported to Belgium and Holland. The 

 1913 production of France in coal was 41,000,000 metric tons and her 

 consumption, according to De Launay, was 62,000,000 tons, leaving a 

 deficit of 21,000,000 tons. The requirements of the numerous blast 

 furnaces already in operation in German Lorraine would bring this 

 deficit up to 52,000,000 or 53,000,000 tons. The annexation of 17,- 

 500,000 tons of coal in the Saare basin would still leave about 36,- 

 000,000 to be supplied. Out of 21,000,000 tons imported in 1913, 

 10,000,000 came from Great Britain and 4,000,000 from Belgium, the 

 remaining 7,000,000 chiefly from Germany. 



De Launay contends that neither Great Britain nor Belgium could 

 furnish much more than her pre-war quota because of the insufficient 

 supply of Belgium and the difficulties attendant upon the long haul 

 from England to the Lorraine furnaces. It would be necessary then 

 to purchase about 22,000,000 tons of coal from Germany and he in- 

 sists that the elimination of commercial relations with Germany is 

 out of the question. 



France is face to face with the problem of either exporting ore 

 from inability to smelt or of buying coal and coke from Germany 

 and maintaining her furnaces at the risk of overproduction or else of 

 closing her mines. In other words, France would then be contend- 

 ing with the problem that beset Germany during the years of her 

 phenomenal industrial rise, only with this difference, that whereas 

 Germany had a great temptation to overproduction with her richness 

 of combustibles, France has to go abroad to search for the means of 

 maintaining her furnace output. De Launay does not take kindly 

 to the idea of restricting mine output, for, although he acknowledges 

 that there are advantages in holding reserves, he also maintains that 

 the progress of metallurgy may, in a comparatively short time, dis- 

 place these phosphorus ores of Lorraine for some other type such 

 as siliceous or arsenical iron ore. He advocates the exportation of 

 ore on a reciprocity basis to Great Britain. But he acknowledges 

 that this would not dispose of the large stocks of iron ore that France 

 would have to offer. 



France must sell iron ore to Germany, provided that she receives 

 in exchange for it the coal that she requires. This exchange should 

 be made under favorable conditions such as those assured to Germany 

 by the treaty of Frankfort in connection with the textile industries 

 of Alsace. The peaceful interchange of commodities should not 

 begin until after a period during which Germany should furnish 

 France with coal without compensation and during which the exports 

 of French iron ore should be completely closed to Germany in order 



