The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-04-20
OLD COUNTRY NEWS
BRIEF SUMMARY OF HAPPENINGS
FROM LAND OF THE
KAISER.
NOTES FROM GERMAN EMPIRE
Items About People and Affairs From
Across the Sea That viii Prove of
Great Interest to Many of Our Read.
ers.

| quLSU 10 clOSS DIT one, Out ldl0 ulSnL
suburban trains and electric owl"
cars are to be abolished At one fell
swooL the Berliner has lost his famous
night life, as well as the means of
| getting home should be tarry in town
in search of some trace of it, for in
addition to reduced train and bus
service the use of taxicabs has been
ordered curtailed by two-thirds, so
that tires, fuel and oil may be saved.
The recently announced order for all
private cars to cease running has
caused a flood of requests from indi-
viduals and firms asking for special
permission to operate their cars, &C
companied by detailed reasons why
they should be given their permits.
Under the law, however, the requests
can be recognized only in case the
motor cars are to be used exclusively
in the service of the empire, one of the
states or an official; for protection
against fire, for the transportation Of
the sick or rescue purposes, or for the
general public welfare-by physicians,
veterinarians and the like. Though
permits may be issued for the automo-
bile buses, Berlin anticipates that
these soon will vanish from the
streets. Already all but three lines
have been abolished, the withdrawn
vehicles being used for military pur-
poses.
April 1, the centenary of the birth
of Bismarck, Prussia's famous states
man, was celebrated with the utmost
enthusiasm in the German capital
Most of the houses were lavishly
draped with the national colors. The
Bismarck memorial in front of the
reichstag was mecca for the cele-
brants, and high officials of the en-
pire and the federal states participant
ed in the ceremonies there The kai-
ser was represented by his grandson,
Prince Wilhelm, the nine-year-old son
of Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm.
Prince Otto, Bismarck's grandson, was
a prominent figure at the gathering
Doctor Won Bethmann Hollweg, the i'm
perial chancellor, who spoke at the Big
marck centenary celebration in the
reichstag said: What Bismarck Gre
ated NO German will allow to be de-
stroyed. Our enemies are raging
around the empire, but we will beat
them. He taught US to fear only God
to wage war against the enemy and to
believe in our people, Thus we will
| fight and conquer and live for the en-
peror and the empire"
The tenth Zeppelin airship to be
constructed at Friedrichshafen had a
successful preliminary trial above
Lake Constance. This latest type of
dirigible balloon seemed to be longer
and narrower than the previous mod
els and possessed of greater speed
Apparently there is less space for the
crew and for the carrying of bombs
aboard the new craft
Answering the English criticism
against the conduct of German subma-
rines, the Norddeutsche AIgemeine
Zeitung states that the behavior of the
submarines is caused by the attempts
of English merchant ships to ram and
destroy them. The paper asks wheth-
er English merchant ships that boast
of having destroyed German subma-
rines invited the crews to leave the
underwater boats and save their lives
The bundesrath to prevent a fur
Their increase in the prices of fodder.
has ordered persons having more than
| dc in
port the same to the Farmers Supply
association, through which all fodder
sales must be made.
Efforts of the United States govern
ment to obtain concessions from Ger
many which would permit the impor-
tation of German potash for fertilizer
failed, it became known here, when
American officials were advised that
Germany would make no alteration of
her embargo. Negotiations had been
in progress since the outbreak of the
European war.
Hang Won Tirpitz and other respon-
sible German officers at the close of
the war;" was the suggestion of the
London Daily Chronicle in a fresh
outburst of indignation at the torpedo
ing of three English fishing vessels.
The other London newspapers, though
more conservative in their sugges-
tons, were equally bitter in charging
Germany with reverting to barbarous
warfare.
The war has placed almost half of
the manufacturing industries of France
temporarily in the hands of the Ger
mans Not less than 43 per cent of
the steam power in France is in the
districts occupied by the Germans.
The highest percentage is in the tex
tile industries, where nearly SO per
cent of the power is now in German
hands.
II Up TO the present time 5000. OOO. 900
has been paid in cash on the second
German war loan, although the first
installment is not due until April IA.
A member of the British parliament
recently said: America is now helping
England and France to an extent