Germany's Economic Position A remarkable account of Germany's economic position
by Dr. Brinckmann, till recently Dr. Funk's assistant at the Reichsbank, was published last week by the Agence Econo- mique et Financiere, which guarantees its authenticity. In a recent speech to party officials at Cologne, Dr. Brinck- mann said that, despite the acute shortage of foreign ex- change, wages had to be paid in foreign currency to 300,000 imported workers, owing to the scarcity of agricultural labour. German steel production cannot be maintained ; yet last year it was 1,500,000 tons below consumption. The difference was made up by imports, paid for out of Austria's gold reserves, which are now exhausted. At present, Ger- many's chances of imports are completely blocked. Manu- facturing costs have risen ; quality has deteriorated. Prices are four limes higher than normal, and the State now pays for one gun what it used to pay for ten, and the quality is worse. The State takes 55,000,000,000 marks out of a national income of o8,000,000,000 marks ; this proportion cannot be maintained. The Reich Budget is 6,000,000,000 marks short, and capital is disappearing. These figures throw a valuable light on the causes of Germany's invasion of Czecho-Slovakia ; they make further aggression more rather than less likely. Dr. Brinckmann himself is now under constant medical supervision, after a nervous break- down: * * * *
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