90 THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE PEACE CH.

detailed attention, though their effects are destructive.They require less attention, because they are in largemeasure inevitable. Almost exactly 75 per cent ofthe iron-ore raised in Germany in 1913 came fromAlsace-Lorraine. 1 In this the chief importance ofthe stolen provinces lay.

There is no question but that Germany must losethese ore-fields. The only question is how far she isto be allowed facilities for purchasing their produce.The German Delegation made strong efforts to secure

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the inclusion of a provision by which coal and coketo be furnished by them to France should be givenin exchange for minette from Lorraine. But theysecured no auch stipulation, and the matter remainsat France' s option.

The motives which will govern France's eventualpolicy are not entirely concordant. While Lorrainecomprised 75 per cent of Germany' s iron-ore, only25 per cent of the blast furnaces lay within Lorraineand the Saar basin together, a large proportion ofthe ore being carried into Germany proper. Approxi-mately the same proportion of Germany' s iron andsteel foundries, namely 25 per cent, were situatedin Alsace-Lorraine. For the moment, therefore, themost economical and profitable course would certainly

1 21,136,265 tons out of a total of 28,607,903 tons. The loss of iron-orein respect of Upper Silesia is insignificant. The exclusion of the iron andsteel of Luxemburg from the German Customs Union is, however, important,especially when this loss is added to that of Alsace-Lorraine. It may beadded in passing that Upper Silesia includes 75 per cent of the zincproduction of Germany.