Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-03

in the world, its exports to the United
States alone amounting to 500, 900 a month.
1t has 1000 men in its chemical works, 1,400
workmen in it's comb and doll factories and
other thousands making wood pulp, which,
strange to say, it exports to the United
States. 1t also sends us patent leather
to the value of something like $1,O 0 900 a
year, and at the same time buys q few
American shoes. 1t uses American tobacco
and makes millions of cigars every week,
which are shipped to all parts of Germany.
These Rhine towns are among the newest
of the German cities. This statement
seems strange when one remembers that
they thrived in the days OF the crusaders.
Cologne was founded about the time that
Caesar overran Gaul. 1t was so rich dur
ing the middle ages that instead of saying
'as rich as Croesus" they said "as rich as
a cloth merchant Of Cologne and it has
been an important town from that time
until now.
And still 1t is a new town! Since the
Franco-Prussian war 1t has been almost
rebuilt. The old wall has been torn away.
and a wide street, paved with asphalt,
with trees in the center and rideway and
driveways on each side, has taken its
place. New houses have been erected
along this street, and, indeed, the whole
city looks as though it we're put up for
show. 1t is only in the older sections that
you find antique structures, and the cathe-
dral, although begun centuries ago, was
only completed along in the sos. It is
now the finest cathedral in Europe, and
cost, all told, a little less than IS, OOO, 900.
Dusseldorf is also a new town, and there
are new buildings all along the Rhine. in
Gliding the villas ~ the rioh ,,kl.L I-.-
grown up under the shadows OF medieval
castles.
The Rhine cities are new in their systems
of government. Municipal ownership is
coming to the front along the old river.
There is much city pride, and but little
ooodling. Dusseldorf owns its own gas and
electric light plants. 1t has public bath
houses, where you can get at cost a Turk
ism or Russian bath, first, second or third
class. 1t has its own slaughter houses and
market houses, and its own ice plants and
cold storage establishments. The munich
patty acts also as a wine merchant. SELL
ing wine by Wholesale, and making a proft
on OF 1t. 1t has a municipal savings hank.
with a pawnbroking attachment, and also
MONIES for the aged and those who are too
Feeble to earn their own living.
dusseldorf owns its street cars and so
uOes Nolosne' ana the fares in both cities
are Just about half what they are in the
United States and the accommodation
equally good. My car fares cost me about
70 a month, or $50 a year, while at boma
in Washington. In Dusseldorf l could have
the same for just half and save $50.
Here In Cologne one can buy a YEARLY
pass good on all lines for $50. monthly
passes are sold for $2.SS and the ordinary
rare for the longest distance is 81 cents.
while the shortest distance costs less than
21e cents. Children under 10 years pay less
than 2 cents, and Students attending edu-
cational institutions have communication
tickets for l 1-5 cents. The chief ADVANTAGE
that the railroads here have over those az
home is in the lower wages for motormen
and other employees; for coal, steel rails
ana car equipments must cost about the
AS to wages, motormen receive "a
cents and conductors about 70 cents for a
DAY OF ten hours, and other employees ara
proportionately cheap.
II is wonderful how the Rhine valley ia
cultivated. For the greater part of the
distance between Cologne and Mainz it ia
very billy. but every inch Of available
space is used. The mountains are terraced
In places. the earth being held in with walls
OF stones, and some of it, am told, car
ried up from the lowlands on the backs Of
women and men. Some OF the patches are
no larger than q bed quilt, and a field a
lContinuad q IN Sixtoon.L p.-