The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF

Serbia let us only mention the chief ones: coal and iron as raw material will be required in great quantities. It is true that the Balkans possess some rich coalfields, but they are as yet insufficiently exploited, and their coal being of inferior quality the output could not satisfy the requirements of the home market. Much coal was imported from German and Austrian Silesia. But with free access to the Adriatic and the Aigean Seas the British coal will easily conquer the market. The same may be said of iron, although Bosnia produces some iron of good quality the output is too small to satisfy the demands of the home market. Cotton is already imported exclusively from Manchester, but the quantity would be increased greatly.

As Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia, together with all other Southern Slav provinces that will make up the future Southern Slav State, have no manufacturing industries, they would be the natural customer of Great Britain in exchange for their agricultural and mining products. The leading place might easily be taken by British metallurgical industries. Of course, many industries will be created in New Serbia, especially those connected with agriculture and the exploitation of mines and forests. But all the machinery, tools and agricultural implements must be imported from abroad, and it depends wholly upon British initiative and enterprise to be first in the market for the import of those

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