92 TIMBER REQUIREMENTS 



or even to take command of the European timber 

 markets, which they are of course aware are thor- 

 oughly disorganized, at the peace, and keep prices 

 inordinately high. German organization is almost 

 certain to have foreseen this state of affairs to 

 some extent, and she must not be allowed to take 

 advantage of a position she has herself deliberately 

 created. 



But for ourselves, any indemnity in timber or any 

 arrangement come to on the subject of enforced 

 export of timber from Germany to the Allies after 

 the war would go primarily to Belgium, N. France, 

 and presumably Poland, which would require all 

 they could get. It would not help us, since Belgium, 

 for instance, was self-supporting in timber before 

 the war, and even exported to us. 



France. The chief timber material sent to us by 

 France before the war was pit wood, with small 

 amounts of sawn soft timber and timber manu- 

 factures. In how far we shall be able to depend 

 upon them after the war is a doubtful problem.. 

 If we can obtain the pit wood, it should satisfy us. 

 In any event, France will become an importer of 

 forestry materials to a far greater degree than she 

 was before the war, as she has had to make heavy 

 fellings in her forests. We shall meet her as a com- 

 petitor in these North European markets. In how 

 far this will be so will depend on what arrangements 

 we can make with her. For France can more easily 

 draw upon the Mediterranean timber markets ! 



Belgium. Belgium must necessarily after the war 

 be an importer of timber, and will thus be a new 



