A correspondent who was at Jassy for years and left there only a few
days before the peace treaty was signed thus writes of Rumania's hard
fate:
"What is the balance sheet of Rumania after eighteen months' hard
struggle? Before August, 1916, she had absolute economic freedom and
could sell her harvests to any one she pleased at any price she wanted.
In 1915 and 1916 the Rumanian exporters sold wheat to Germany and
Austria at from 10s. to 12s. a bushel. The Austro-German importers had
to pay, besides, a heavy export tax in gold to the Rumanian Government.
Now Germany has secured for herself and her allies practically the
whole Rumanian harvest for years to come, at a price which she is going
to fix, and in such conditions that 'no diplomatic intervention should
be necessary in the future for securing the grain necessary for the
allied Central Powers.'
"Rumania had in Europe, after Russia, the richest oil fields and the
greatest production of oil. The fields were in American, German, and
English hands, but the Rumanian Government had full control of the
production and drew very large benefits. When the war broke out in
1914 the Rumanian Government at once prohibited the export of petrol
and heavy oils to Germany. The German companies tried hard to send the
much-needed petrol to their countries, but succeeded in smuggling only
a small quantity through at enormous cost. After a year the production
of petrol increased so much that the Government was compelled to allow
the export of a small quantity, asking Germany in exchange to agree
that Rumania should receive a certain quantity of goods the export of
which was prohibited in Germany. The Germans will not forget that they
had to pay for the petrol at the rate of about $200 a ton."