The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1915. THE PRESSURE OF THE NAVAL BLOCKADE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2618, 13 November 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1915. THE PRESSURE OF THE NAVAL BLOCKADE

The German Chancellor's claim that his country, by the ingenuity and inventiveness of her scientists, has become independent of all outside supplies of nitrates, has attracted widespread attention. French and British men of science in particular, as well as the Allied war authorities, have been speculating on tho elusive problem of how. much truth may bo contained in- the statement, and that with results no doubt both curious and interesting. The military chiefs are probably in possession of the hard facts bearing on the Chancellor's declaration; but, as is customary with them, they elect to keep the information to themselves. Men of science, on the oontrary, have been discussing the question openly, and placing their knowledge, their theories, and their deductions freely before the world. Nitrates, to that convenient personage designated as the "man in the street," probably seem of no great importance to anybody; but to nations at war, to armies in the field, nitrates rank as a first essential. Without nitrates Germany's big guns would be without explosives: tho manufacture of her poisonous gas might even be rendered impossible. Just as war on far-off seas and in foreign lands is said to be an effective teacher of geography, so war nowadays, as waged by the Teutons, inevitably directs the attention of everyone to the mysteries and profundities of For the present is mainly a conflict of giant mechanical and chemical forces, harnessed and guided for the moment by man. To the experts, the authorities in these immense", far-reach-ing branches of knowledge, the general public must, therefore, have resource. Dr Bethmann-Hollweg is not usually accepted as a pattern of rectitude in matters of speech, and his claim of Germany _ possessing abundant supplies of nitrates need not be considered _ as any striking departure from his normal habits. British scientists are, at all events, sceptical with respect to this unexpected abundance, and they have published facts which provide ade- . quate grounds for scepticism. Great Britain's principal scientific journal, Nature, as far back as December, 1914, pointed out that Germany's ability to continue the war depended upon her power to maintain her supplies of oil of vitriol, or sulphuric acid, this product being absolutely indispensable in_ the manufacture of ■ the nitric acjd, necessary for high'explosives. Germany's internal supplies of the materials needed for the production of oil of vitriol were, known to be quite negligible in view of tho vast quantities required alike for her peaceful and her warlike industries. Dr. Reusch, writing in the GhcmiJcer Zeitung this year, revealed the important circumstance that within a fow months of the 'outbreak" of the war Germany was perturbed owing to the; possibility of a shortage. At that time, Italy being still neutral, imports of sulphur were available' from Spain and Portugal, and from Italy, itself, chiefly from Sicily. Nitrates from Chile were not altogether out off for a time; indeed, several cargoes of saltpetre from South America intended for Germany were seized by British warships. When Italy joined the Allies all suppliejs from that diifection. ceased, and the blockade by the British Fleet, becoming gradually more effective., has for soma time practically isolated Germany. Just when the British grip was tightening came the Chancellor's statement concerning Germany's independent sources of tho all-important nitrates. The Chancellor was discreetly indifferent about copper. He-seems to have not even denied the stripping of churches, or justified the raids upon _ household utensils, all with the view of obtaining copper. Nor did ho enter upon a probable solution of Germany's cotton problem, which by this time must appear to him moro insoluble than everNitrates formed apparently his one theme of exultation, real .or makebelieve. Nature, dealing with tho Chancellor's pretended mystery and secrecy, observes that all tho manufacturing processes employed in producing nitrates arc, in the main, just as well known in France and in Great Britain i'„; in Germany. German chemists and engineers have simply been commanded to carry out, and if possible perfcct, tho processes! f«' making ammonifi, wesescs jo* MYG Jee?U

quite familiar in France, Italy, and Great Britain. This is by what is known as the synthetic process |>f, first, transforming atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, and then of converting the ammonia into nitric acid. The high jubilation of the Chancellor that such means existed of preventing au immediate catastrophe to the Empire, through lack of material for her guns, would seem to suggest that before the process became fully known to the War Lords, the danger to Germany was recognised as both real and paramount. It has been calculated, writes one scientific authority, that the air over a dozen acres contains as much potential nitric acid as, before tho war, was annually exported in the form of Chile saltpetre. Great Britain suffered from no shortage of nitrates or nitric acid, and w»3 not likely to do so while her heM command of the seas. But the position was altogether different in Germany, with her borders blockaded and her wonderful Navy huddling for safety within the Kiel Canal. 1 Necessity is the mother of energy as well as of invention; hence the new activity for the feeding of Germany's guns. Works for tho winning of nitrogen from the air had been established in Norway, Franco, Canada, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the United States, Switzerland and Japan, so that there'is nothing that is mysterious or typically _ Germanic about tho process. British scientists,' with their characteristically open minds, have refrained from passing final judgment on the synthetic method of securing nitrates. But they seem to be far from_ sanguine of its success. Commercially, the undertakings have been hopeless failures; but questions of cost will not greatly trouble Germany so long as the requisite mafcarials are forthcoming for her artillery. This question of Germany's nitrates,. it will be seen, while of high scientific interest, is of first importance also in considering the duration and outcome 1 of. the warIt is another of the handicaps under which Germany must npw suffer.