Germany's Weakness.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16213, 16 May 1918, Page 6

Germany's Weakness.

In referring yesterday to the preparations being made by Germany for carrying on an aggressive trade war after peace has been signed, we mentioned that the difficulty she had to face was the fact that'so much of the raw material essential to industry was in the hands of tho Allies. The London "Spectator" just to hand points out some of tho commodities which Germany will find most difficult to secure if the Allies choose to pursue a policy of economic defence. Of course xne collapse of ltussia has made a great difference to the position. Many commodities of which the Germans were seriously in need before they made peac3 with Russia will now become accessible., although certain grave difficulties have to be faced in the shape of the reorganisation of industry and restoration of transport facilities—no easy task considering the general state of chaos which prevails.

The fact that she is now in a position to overrun Russia has undoubtedly enabled Germany to prolong the war. But, the "Spectator" points out, there remain a considerable number of commodities which Germany cannot obtain from Russia, and some of these are absolutely essential to the kind of industrial life which she had organised before the war. The most important of these is cotton, nearly all of which used by Germany before the war came from the United States, Egypt, and India. It is interesting to be reminded that as far back as 1838, Cobden described ho\V in a tour through Germany he had seen English mechanics engaged in teaching Germans how to make cotton machinery, and he warned his countrymen against helping to build up great industries which were destined to compete'with those of England. The cotton-manufacture was being rapidly extended in Germany before tho war, but if Great Britain and the United States refused to sell raw cotton directly or indirectly to German buyers they coul'? destroy the German cotton-manu-facturing industry.

Other articles which Germany hoped to get, in time, from her own colonies, but which meanwhile came to her from 6ome part of the British .Empire, wero rubber, oil seeds, and jute. She also had to import a large quantity of saltpetre, iron ore. and pig-iron, tin, wheat, tobacco, wool, and silk. Some of theso things—for example, wheat and wool —she may be able to procure from Russia. In lieu of cotton sh» may induce her own people to produce linen, and this might be used as a substitute for cotton and even for wool. Economic pressure alone will not end the war, although it may help to bring about a conclusion. There seems a good deal of sense in the "Spectator'"" suggestion that we should inform Germany that the longer she makes war the moro will be the economic pressure upon her. This may help to bring the Germans into a thinking frame of mind, but it still remains as true as ever that it is the stricken field alone that victory will be won.