New-York tribune., 1906-11-17
THE GERMAN CAPITAL.
Hosc Social Questions 4re SolUed
Without Public OscnerShip.
Berlin, November 2.

without nuzzling II. BY making ministers re-
eponsibe TO the crown and not TO Parliament,
and by leaving parties to break up into unman-
ageable groups he created an electorate that
would be powerless 10 enforce its will. The
Social Democrats cast over 100000 votes at the
last general election-a most formidable demon
stration OF public opinion: but their eighty dep
uties have only the empty privileges Of a debat-
ing society In England. when 100000 votes
were poIled for Liberal and Labor candidates,
the order Of administration and the course Of
legislation determined: but in Germany
there was agrarian coalition. and ministers
got their money votes by playing with It. That
coalition is out Of gear. and the Chancellor
has insisted upon having the Official head Of
the Minister OF Agriculture a charger before
attempting TO effect a compromise; but
whatsoever may be done about serious
question as the rise of meat, the Socialists Will
not have the legislation they want When he
was managing parties and pitting one against
another Bismarck used TO say. with acrid cyni-
cisIn, that any stick was good enough for beating
dog So long that method Of conducting
legislation prevails ministers viii not be fright
ened by socialist agitators nor driven into com
pliance with revolutionary demands.
Prosperity, however is an fnfexible martinez
In politics Il brings out the reserves Of surplus
population and mobiIizes them in capitals and
upon the attention Of municipal authorities be-
fore they ara prepared to take them up The
population Of the German capital is nearly three
times what Il was when the victorious army
returned from Paris; and scores Of Prussian
cities have doubled theirs during the same
period How are these fresh reserves of workers
10 be housed and kept in constant employment?
How the old cities 10 be renade and public
activities enlarged and varied so as to minister
70 workers wants and 10 induce contentrent
with their lot? How is the growth Of paurcrism
TO be prevented and the cost Of local admins
tration kept within reasonable bounds? These
are questions which have 70 be taken up what
soever demagoEues may he saying at the street
corners or whatsoever may be the prevailing tint
of the newspapers: and this has been done more
effectively in Germany than IN England Brit
fish provincial towns warned by the census re
turns that their population was increasing 20
per cent every decade. began with futile attempts
10 solve the housing question, and then allowed
themselves 70 be diverted 10 the ownership Of
public utilities such as gas. electric supplies and
tramways The problem Of dealing with the
unemployed was neglected altogether and the
poor law was administered so unscientifcaIly
that paUpertsm became an unmanag geable nuf-
sance and source Of intolera bic expense In Ger
many there were few experiments in municipal
ownership, although ample precautions were
taken 70 keep corporations receiving vaIua bic
franchises under effective regulation and control
The housing and employment questions were not
however, neglected. nor was pauperism allowed
TO increase through lax administration, and
many social questions were worked out with
practical skill and marked originality.
The natural relief measure for the overcrowd-
ed capital was the opening Of the wooded tracts
which encompassed Il within five miles Of the
populOus centre The environs have been com
pletely transformed during the last thirty years
by the construction OF the two circular railway
systems, The Ringbahn and the Stadtbahn and
the multiplication Of surface electric RAILWAYS
With the Improvement in transit facilities villa
suburbs. manufacturing villages and working
mems homes have been multiplied. The Grune-
wald pine belt has been opened and built I'd
continuously 10 the Havel lakes and the borders
OF Potsdam CharlotJenburg has expanded into
a wealthy y Of nearly 100000 population: the
JungfernheiCe and spandauer woods have been
dotted over with settlements and pierced with
yoadways- and the adjacent districts have been
filed with Industrial works and workmen's
houses. So wonderful are the changes wrought
during the last decade in this broad area that
one does not marvel when ne hears the conf
dent Berliners boast that the German capital
will have population Of ten millions before the
century closes YET with all the admirable ar
rangements for rapid transit and the unexampled
Hctvity q building associations housing re
FORM remains The most urgent and difficult work
Tor the municipality and for practical reforners
Rents are 50 high that from a fifth to a quarter
Of workman's wages is used in paying them
and even then there are Inadequate accommo-
0alons Tor families. L has seemed irnprac+f-
able 70 supply small houses in the city and in the
suburbs as rapidly as the demand for them has
arisen and the prices Of sites for working peo-
pies dwellings have been raised by land specu-
laton on an expansive scale. Inspections Of
dwellings have increased in sevRri+v and ra
construction Of old houses is constantly on
forced; and various expedients have baan
adopted for financing building oDers-fons with
insurance funds and municipal credit. h,+ no+
even the cheeriest optimist can con+en6 tbs-
the working population is either properly ~.
economically housed. Il is the phenornenaI
growth Of the capital that renders tbe 6f44o,,1-
ties Of the housing problem almost iusunera ,la
The question Of dealing with the 11neror1o,,ea
has been taken UP in Berlin in a most sv-rone
thetic and practical spirit There are r7lInioina1
shelters where penniless applicants are received
provided with soup bed and bath and assisted
in finding employment; and 10 these are ed5ed
q rumber Of refuCes m -ged by benevolent
societies. There is even d municipal ss,-1,,,,
where working families eyicted for arreare oe
rent can find accommodation for a week or e,,ar
longer without being broken up. There are
labor registry Offices IN connection with +basa
shelters. and systematic efforts are made 10
provide v all IN -