. NMT06-T0218
Volume VI · Page 218
| [out...] lines about the economic development
of your enterprises from this point, from 1913, the beginning of your entrance
into the Charlottenhuette, until the time when you as liaison man of the Weimar
Republic dealt with government orders in Upper Silesia. From my last words, the relevancy of this question becomes evident. A. My entry into the Charlottenhuette was in April 1915. Charlottenhuette, when I entered the firm, was the largest plant of the Siegerland industry district. If I now say that it was the largest plant, I do not want to say that it was a particularly large plant at all. Charlottenhuette was similar in its structure, that is, in its inner organization, to the large concerns in the Ruhr in as far as it dealt with all stages of manufacturing of a so-called mixed mining enterprise. It was based on its own ore base and also contained all stages of steel manufacturing, starting with the pit, then furnaces which manufacture crude iron, then rolling mills for rolling products, and also the finishing works. For this reason, one also called it a mixed enterprise, on a small basis. In order to describe my activity, I have to explain the structure at that time of the Siegerland industrial district. The Siegerland was a closed district. It was in the south of Westphalia, had no immediate connection with the Ruhr country, and by its geographical position it had always been in difficulties. The worries, as it were, of the industry of the Siegerland devolved mainly from its geographical position. No connection, no transport by water, bad position for export, high costs of freight for coal from the Ruhr area, another disadvantage, far scattered properties, though my own company exteriorly had the character of a mixed enterprise as far as structure went, but not in volume. On the other hand, in my native Sieger country, there were also pure rolling mills. By that we mean such rolling mills which had only one manufacturing process. That means they bought raw steel and also coal, had only one manufacturing process, and sold the end product on the market. |
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| During the First World War the Ruhr industry had started to influence the large Siegerland enterprises through various purchases, and I also suffered from that. A large, well-known Ruhr concern, through buying on the stock exchange, had gained influence on me and my firm. My attitude to this fact was this — to maintain the independence of my company, and this was the most important point of view, at least for me. And the following negotiations which I had with the Ruhr concern in order to get out |
