The Peace Treaty and Mineral Fields

Abstract

THE Treaty of Peace has taken into account the economic relations of the contracting parties and the effect upon these of the peace conditions to a degree that has never been approached in any previous document of the kind. It is not too much to say that, whereas all previous peace treaties have been essentially diplomatic, the present one is essentially industrial in its outlook. The only mineral rights specifically referred to are those involved in the cession of the coal basin of the Sarre to France; it is difficult to understand, by the way, why, in the published English version of the treaty, the German spelling of the name has been used instead of the French. This cession bulks very large in the Treaty, but is of far less importance than would appear at first sight. It is estimated that the total quantity of coal contained in the Sarre basin is only 5.7 per cent, of the total quantity owned by Germany, so that the loss to Germany in respect of coal reserves is insignificant. From the point of view of annual output, it is somewhat more important; Germany produced in 1913 about 1911/2 million tons of bituminous coal, out of which the Sarre district produced about 14 millions, or rather more than 7 per cent. On the other hand, the possession of this coal-field means a great deal to France.