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Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16274, 26 July 1918, Page 6

A gloomy picture of German agriculture after the war was sketched by the Bavarian Privy Councillor, Dr. Heim, at a "war meeting" of the "Christian Farmers' Federation." He said that the stock of cattle had been* decimated, fields entirely neglected, and agricultural machinery worn out. Recou-s-traction would last "not for years tut for decados." They would be obliged to restrict constructive work both ot home and abroad and limit imports, especially of luxuries. No more caviare and liqueurs, and fashions from London and Paris. I'he road to salvation lay midway between free commercial intercourse and compulsory State management.

Dr. Heim does not believe any more than the president of the Canterbury Farmers' Union in compulsory production. The motto of the county of Sussex, or rather of its bucolics, is said to be, "We wun't be druv," and that seems to be characteristic of farmers all over the world. Dr. Heim thinks ''compulsory production would be fatal." Nevertheless he does not see how it is to be entirely avoided. The difficulty, he considers, will lie in fitting people out. They will receive uniform and standard clothing. Compulsion may come for sheep-breeding and flax-growing, for the cultivation far oil-bearing plants, and for the restriction of sugar cultivation. He goes on to say: Wo must .not hope ever again to be able to resume the ways of living we had in peace time. People will have to eat vegetarian food morq than before—less meat, more cheese, and more milk products. Milk rather than meat production will be the task of agriculture, with, moreover, the , most conscientious utilisation of ground and soil. In addition thero will be the securing of labour. Machinery and electricity must take the place of the human' hand in agriculture. The exhausted resources of the soil must be made good. To this end the production of nitrogen has trebled itself during the war. The effect of the centralisation caused by the war will be most detrimental for agriculture, for hand in hand with centralisation goes concentration of capital. . Another Teat • danger is the monopolisation of ground and soil, which alienates the peasant and presses a beggar's staff into 'the hand of his posterity. •

The picture drawn by Dr. Heim is jn striking contrast with that called up by recent cable messages from England, -which indicate that this year the harvest will be the largest ever recorded in its history, and that for the first time it will be about, if not quite, independent of foreign supplies. Nevertheless there is a good deal of sound common-sense in the advice given by tho Bavarian Privy Councillor, and 'soiijo of it might be followed with advantage both by the peopJe of the Mother Country and by ourselves.

Hamburg, one of the most flourishing seaports in the world before the war, has been ruined by the mad adventure of the German militarists, and can see no hope for the future, unless huge booty can bo exacted from the Entente. The Hamburg Corporation cannot, therefore, even pj etend to believe in the policy of "no annexations and no indemnities," no matter how liberally such a formula may be interpreted. At a meeting held in May last the corporation passed by "a great majority, the (Socialists alone dissenting, a resolution urging the Senate to request the Federal Council to press at "the forthcoming conclusion of peace" that the following points shall be conceded, in addition to satisfactory guarantees:— (1) A sufficient war indemnity from our enemies, for which the guaranteed delivery of raw materials may eventually be substituted; (2) The formation of great colonial possessions entirely corresponding to Germany's neeas; (3) An effective guarantee of the just German claims on foreign countries and the restoration of all rights stipulated by contracts relating to landed property, concessions, etc., appropriated during the war in enemy foreign countries; (4) -The restoration of German trade by tho defeat of all possiblo efforts of the enomy to boycott Germany ; (5) An adequate guarantee for the free and unrestricted traffic of Gorman ships on all seas, and particularly the granting of full equality to these ships in all enemy ports. That the Corporation is impressed with a sense of its own moderation is evident from the. fact that the resolution concluded with a pious expression of opinion to the effect that, "having regard to the gigantic and irreparable losses, both of blood and treasure, which every further day of war involves, efforts must be made that on our side war should not be prolonged owing to demands the fulfilment of which is not an absolutely necessary | condition for our existence or for our complete freedom of development." A correspondent of "Tho Times" gives an interesting account of the way in which the Tflngliah troops welcomed ;

the citizen soldiers of tho United States and gave the newcomers the fruits of their own experience in the trenches. Here are some of the tips given:—. "You must never leave off the bloomin gas mask," ho heard on© say. "It'll save you the wooden cross." "Take my word, laddie, and stick by the old rifle," said another. ''I see you has the same as ours. "We has p'enty of ammo' for you." "Wnen .Fritz calls 'Kamerad' just you watch out," admonished a third. "E's up to tricks, and we has to watch out or get clicked." $ A little later, when a number of visitors, including two British generals and two bishops, were being entertained at tea by the American general, the correspondent heard some interesting details as to the composition of the American forces: — "How many different races have you in your unit?" asked one of the British generals. "Eleven different races, but all good Americans and loyal to our common cause," replied the American general. "I might add, for tho benefit of the Bishops present, that wo havo 42 creeds represented." "My word," said one of the Bishops, "you do come from a strangely great country." "Besides, two of our soldiers are Chinese-Americans and out-and-out pagans," chipped _in an American coloncl, with a grin. "Bless me/' said the other Bishop. "How very extraordinary." "When the General came to give the percentages, tho visitors found equal cause for astonishment. Roughly speaking, only 45 per cent, wore AngloSaxons, including those of Scotch and Irish descent, as well as English. About 35 per cent, were Slavonic. 10 per cent. Germanic, and 10 per cent. Latin, which includes men of Italian, French, and Spanish ancestry. Included in the Slavonic classification were a largo number of Jews, either born in Russia or children of parents born there. The fact that so large a proportion of Germanic peoples are ready to fight for tho Allies' ideas of civilisation and justice, and evidently can be trusted to do so, is in itself a most telling condemnation of German militarism and "kultur." ♦ There is an air of sweet reasonableness about the interview which the Hon. G. W. Russell gave to our reporter yesterday in reference to tho Orthopaedic Hospital, which was hardly apparent in the correspondence which he sent to tho Hospital Board. The main point is that h& has given his consent to the proposals of the Defence Department, and there is ground for believing that the work of providing' for our disabled soldiers in the Chalmers Ward will go on satisfactorily. This being so, we foel sure that the Board will agree with us that further discussion of what is past is neither necessary nor desirable.