South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-20
German Housewife
Works With CITY
Streets Are Kept as Clean as
Kitchen Floor; Dirt Is
Against the Law.


There is no dust blowing in at the
| windows in Berlin faster than all the
maids can sweep il out and wipe it
up. There is even no dust outside
The dainty Powered cloths on the cafe
| tables everywhere set along the side
walks are speckless. There is even
no dust in the underground, the Bel
lin subway system where the tiled
walls are washed every morning, and
you can run a white glOved hand
along a holding anywhere as conf
IDENTIFY, more confidently, than you
could in my parlor, because dirt, any
where in Berlin, is simply against the
low.
Frau Rosika Won Hoffman, walks
this morning under the golden shade
of the linden trees along streets that
were washed and secured last night.
After scru bling machines came the
sprinkling machines to scatter in a
fine shower a chemical disinfectant
over the pavement that shines now
like a housewives kitchen floor. All
day, white uniformed street cleaners
will keep it tidy, patrOlling with
small carts and brooms Immediately
to remove any debris from street
traffic This will not be swept into
piles beside the curb to be scattered
by the wind, as here in New York, in
TO your house and mine. Every half
block are stationed metal boxes into
which the street refuse is deposited
as neatly as a letter might be dropped
in a mail-bOX. There at the corner,
the department OF highways is max
ing some minor repairs and over the
opening in the pavement a small
Widowed tent is erected to cOnfine
any dust that may arise. Here along
this block an old building is being
torn down to make way for new
one. and the contractor Is required TO
conduct his operations behind a dust
proof enclosure. Some of his scat
folding overhangs the sidewalk, for
the use Of which he is paying the city
so many pfennige the square foot per
day. Consequently, the work is pro-
ceeding with an alacrity that prom
iseS not long to obstruct thorough
fare and inconvenience pedestrians.
on the sidewalks which are the
city's property, clean swept and even
clean washed by each householder,
no passing pedestrian even though
Philistine and not a German, could
think of throwing so much as scrap
of paper. You, an American, couldn't
You will carry your unused street
car transfer rolled in q little ball in
the palm of your hand all day, uh-
less YOU happen to notice there is a
municipal waste basket set against
nearby tree for your convenience.
For you probably have not failed TO
observe the municipal guardian or
public order in the shining helmet
who stands at the next street corner.
Any littering O.: the streets is yer
boten," and what is forbidden" you.
or any one else, do not do in Ger
many Literally not a rose petal is
allowed TO be scattered on the side
walk Each flower vender by the
curb in the Potsdamerplatz, has be-
side her a bucket, in which must be
carefully collected every fragment of
a discarded flower Not a dead leaf
may be permitted 10 disfigure the
velvety greensward of the public
parks. where women with brushwoOd
brooms sweep all day. Even each
pansy in the beds that border the
gravel paths. must be picked as it
fades. before il falls to the ground.
The government has even regulated
the landlord and tanned the Janitor
for the housewife. This is how it has
been done: There is a very excellent
system of political economy which,
by the way, was formulated by an
American. Only of course we can't
have it here in this land of private
interests But Germany has taken
Henry Georges ground rent theory,
and seen that it was good. The
reichstag in 1911 passed the unearn-
ed increment tax law for the empire
II is the tax that prevents the holder
Of vacant lot from putting into his
private pocket the increment or in
creasing value that accrues to that
lot because of surrounding improve
ments in other lots. II is a value
that he personally has done nothing
to earn. And this ''unearned incre-
ment" the government will therefore
take TO itself
It is done by raising the taxes on
the vacant, unimprOved lot. And the
owner promptly finds that it doesn't
pay to hold his vacant lot for real
estate speculation. He must get it
Immediately into action. in order to
meet those rising taxes. Why, the
man with a large apartment house on
the lot next door is paying no more
taxes than he, So the vacant lot. too,
gets an apartment house just about
as quickly as the owner can build it.
In some Of the suburbs, as in Steg-
litz. the tax rate for improved
property with buildings on it. is SO
per 1000 and for unimproved prop
erty the vacant lot. it is actually
twice as much. Sc per $1,000.
The result is of the most immedi-
ate interest TO the housewife. So
many owners Of vacant lots have
rushed into bullolng operations, that
last year in Berlin there were 10, 200
vacant apartments for which the
landlords were humbly suing for ten
ants Rents have dropped. and the
landlord will do almost anything TO
oblige. if you will only move in You
can have your rent for nothing for
months. If you will bring your family
and set your furniture in and hang
up your curtains and start your piano
going in a new apartment house The
landlord calls you his dry renter"
but he's very glad TO have you there. |
Your presence proclaims TO the pass (
erby who may be looking for a fat. |
why. this is a very nice place. other |
people live here. we might too" II |
they decide 10. they can have any
little thing they like put into the
lease, even 10 the number OF degrees J
OF heat for their apartment.