I have had the opportunity of seeing a brochure published officially by the German Imperial Government in 1917, when the mea round the Kaiser were anxious 0; induce their troops to subscribe to that year's war loan, writes the Paris correspondent of the "Morning Post." It is entitled "Germany's future in case of a favourable peace, and in the event of an unfavourable one," and it sets forth in cold print the financial and economic penalties Germany intended to impose on France in the event of being victorious. It reads:
In the event of a favourable peace the enemy will have to pay us: i (a) The cost of the war, including the expendi.
ture of the confederate ed States and the municipalities, about—120,000,000,009 {b) Pensions, ' allowances, and cost of armament, payable for 40 years or there-abouts, at the rate of—2,000,000,000 nae capital value of about 45,000,000,000 annum,—with
8 can colonies say _§,000,000,000 ages caused to the
(1) Losses suffered by Germany in connexion with peat a 30,000,000,009
Total Marks 200,000,000,099 which would correspond to an annual fond, of about, 13,000,000,00 marks (say, ment, including interest and sinking 15,000,000,000 francs).
Amounts so enormous could not be paid immediately and in one sum, and it would not be desirable, moreover, that they should be.
As compensation for our losses we shall exploit the conquered countries in the first place by taking possession of all private property and of all property belonging to the State that can be ex-plaited for the benefit of the public. The payment of indemnities to the owners of private property thus taken over for exploitation by Germany will be a matter for the enemy to look after.
The first things that will be exploited for our benefit will be the railways, the rivers and canals, the ports, the warehouses, the con! mines, the salt mines, the iron mines, the oil wells, the forests, the State properties, and the whole of the land which is suitable for the establishment thereon of German peasants and farmers.
In the event of a peace favourable to Germany, the enemy will only have him. self to thank for whatever happens to him. His fate will be far happier than that which will befall Germany in the case of her defeat.
Germany, it will be seen, fully intended, had she been victorious, to make the Allies recoup her for the cost of her war of aggression. The Allies, on the contrary, have made Germany a present of all the thousands of millions of pounds the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.