98 THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE PEACE ch.

called on to surrender 5000 locomotives and 150,000waggons, " in good working order, with all necessary-spare parts and fittings/ 7 Under the Treaty Germanyis required to confirm this surrender and to recognisethe title of the Allies to the material. 1 She is furtherrequired, in the case of railway systems in cededterritory, to hand over these systems complete withtheir full complement of rolling-stock "in a normalstate of upkeep " as shown in the last inventory beforeNovember 11, 1918. 2 That is to say, ceded railwaysystems are not to bear any share in the generaldepletion and deterioration of the German rolling-stock as a whole.

This is a loss which in course of time can doubtlessbe made good. But lack of lubricating oils and theprodigious wear and tear of the war, not compensatedby normal repairs, had already reduced the Germanrailway system to a low state of efficiency. Thefurther heavy losses under the Treaty will confirmthis state of affairs for some time to come, and are asubstantial aggravation of the difficulties of the coalproblem and of export industry generally.

(iii.) There remain the clauses relating to the riversystem of Germany . These are largely unnecessaryand are so little related to the supposed aims of theAllies that their purport is generally unknown. Yet

1 Art. 250.

2 Art. 371. This provision is even applied "to the lines of former RussianPoland converted by Germany to the German gauge, such lines beingregarded as detached from the Prussian State System."