v REPARA TION 181
not welcome a great stimulation of the German exports of this material.
An examination of the import list shows that63*6 per cent are raw materials and food. Thechief items of the former class, namely, cotton,wool, copper, hides, iron-ore, furs, silk, rubber, andtin, could not be much reduced without reacting onthe export trade, and might have to be increasedif the export trade was to be increased. Importsof food, namely, wheat, barley, coffee, eggs, rice,maize, and the like, present a different problem. Itis unlikely that, apart from certain comforts, theconsumption of food by the German labouringclasses before the war was in excess of what wasrequired for maximum efficiency; indeed, it probablyfell short of that amount. Any substantial decreasein the imports of food would therefore react on theefficiency of the industrial population, and con-sequently on the volume of surplus exports whichthey could be forced to produce. It is hardlypossible to insist on a greatly increased productivityof German industry if the workmen are to be underfed.But this may not be equally true of barley, coffee,eggs, and tobacco. If it were possible to enforcea regime in which for the future no German drankbeer or coffee, or smoked any tobacco, a substantialsaving could be effected. Otherwise there seemslittle room for any significant reduction.