Miltitz near Leipzig, October 1915. 
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Unfortunately our present Report still labours under the restrictions which 
we had to impose upon it since the beginning of the war. In our last Report 
(October 1914/April 1915) we fully explained the reasons for our action, and once 
again we have to ask our readers to be Satisfied in the main with a scientific review 
covering the last six months, as, with a few exceptions, we must refrain from publishing 
the usual particulars concerning the trade in our products until the re-establishment 
of peace. Statistical material will then be brought up to date as far as possible or 
necessary. 
In a general way we may say our industry has also succeeded, as others have 
done, in adapting itself rapidly to the exceptionai circumstances created by the war, 
and in spite of many difficulties, chief amongst which was the procuring of certain 
raw materials, our works were as fully occupied as was possible in view of the scarcity 
of labour which resulted from the fact that numerous members of our staff were called 
to the colours. At the same time it affords us a grim’sort of satisfaction to observe how 
severely the absence of certain supplies of German manufacture has been felt abroad, 
in neutral as well as in alien enemy countries, and to realize that, in spite of German 
competition having been shut out during the 14 months the war had lasted at the 
time of penning these lines, our enemy competitors have evidently failed to perfect 
their methods sufficiently to jeopardize the future prospects of German goods in the 
markets which are closed to us for the present. 
Numerous proofs could be adduced for this, f.i. from the pages of the English 
technical press, and a simple juxtaposition of the prices of German and foreign markets 
since war broke out would show how, apart from many essential oils, more especially 
artificial floral oils and certain other preparations have reached prices in the markets 
of our enemies which put everything into the shade. We do not, however, judge it 
wise to draw the special attention of our opponents to the range of articles we have 
in mind by enumerating the various products. Needless to say, our enemies, and 
more especially England, are trying through the intermediary of neutral foreign countries 
to procure articles of German manufacture which they cannot produce nearly as well 
as we can here in Germany, and the limits which are sanctioned, and even offered, 
shew as clearly as need be that they are compelled to accept even offers the prices 
of which are out of all proportion to the values still current in Germany in spite of 
the war and all it implies. The threat so frequently uttered in our alien enemies’ 
press, that Germany would be completely cut off from its foreign markets until the 
re-establishment of peace, need not, therefore, be taken too tragically, at all events 
not as far as our articles are concefned. 
