Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-15
GERMANY DETERMINED
TO HAVE BUSINESS co ON
This Is Responsible for Vast Ex-
penditures for Municipal
improvements.
BERLIN SPENDING $4,000, 600
City's Mayor Tells What Is Being
Done With Money-Subways, Parks
and Fairgrounds Being Built and
Schools Established.
ny GUSTAV sCrrwEppEyn,cx

ny GUSTAV SCHwEppESDIcte
BERLIN. August 1.-THE city fathers
OF Berlin have just passed a resolu-
ZION to Issue bonds for $4,000, 900, tho
proceeds to be spent for public i'm
prorements. such as new underground
railroads. parks new schools and play
grounds. wonder how it could be
possible that the capital city Of
country engaged In the most terrible
Oh all wars should think Of public i'm
proVements at this time. To answer
inns question no ono could be found
oetter qualified than His Excenency
Adolf Wermuth, Chief Magistrate OF
Lord Mayor OF Berlin.
some years ago Excellenz Wer-
muth was secretary OF the Kaiser's
treasury. and to-day he is regarded
as one OF the giants of Germany's
financial organization. He has facts
and figures at his fingers ends.
We must go on" he declared to
me. The wheels OF industry. COM
merce and every day life must be kept
in motion" This was and Is the slogan
OF tho Berlin city government.
You must have observed that the
upward aspect of Berlin is still the
same az in former times. we are
take pride in keeping all our under
takings. new and old. in full swing
as far as possible. believe I may
say that we have succeeded 10 an
astonishing degree.
Confusion mt First.
AT the beginning o: August, Inn
mediate!y after the outbreak OF war.
things looked quite different. 1t was
as II the whole business organization.
SO TO speak, held its breath. But that
was merely a morentary pause. Then
all at once we got our bearings and
adapted ourselves to the new condi-
lions. And in few weeks the social
organism public and private. was again
in fun working order. In the frst few
days the number Of unemployed rose
from 10000 10 100000. a fact that clear
~ indicates the confusion that at first
prevailed.
However we then came to grip. with
the situation. Our motto was TO act In
every way precisely AS before the war.
What We had intended TO und
was undertaken. as IL there were no
war and what had already been begun
was pushed forward to completion.
Thus We have the astonishing fact
tina, so far from being faced with an
unemployment problem. there is ac-
tually scarcity OF worknen Berlin
has no longer 10000 unemployed. as in
the first days of August. but literally
only 1900. made up for the most part OF
professional loafeEs or unemployables
These figures seem almost fantastic.
but we must remember the great num-
her of men called to the colors.
You cannot study these favorable
conditions better than at our Refuge
FOR the Homeless. Here. is we'll
toregather and receive a nights food
and lodging. In normal times the
Refuge Is used by 5000 persons day.
tina, is half million per year. Now
We have only one-tenth OF that num-
Der. that is 500 persons daily.
Building Going On.
remarked that there seemed to
be as much building going on in Ber-
lin as ever. and that in spite of the
war the big excavations in the main
streets were being carried on as en-
erget!cally as ever.
ENcellenz Wermuth said
That is where you see the prac-
teal working out OF our principle
10 ke.p on working at everything as
in time OF peace. We are building
two large underground lines which
are TO be under municipal control
One crosses the city from north to
south under the main artery OF traf-
fic. the Friedrichstrasse Its course
is from the suburb OF Togal to Neuko-
lin. our expanding neiEhboring city.
The other line runs from Moab!t
10 Treptow. 1t is also of great i'm
portance and is specially noteworthy
for the fact that II embodies a brill
liant solution OF several difficult
technical problems. The third great
building enterprise concerns Inter
den Linden. Here. in the midst of
wartime, We are carrying out the
project which was formulated years
ago.
The tramway lines are to run un-
foreground: In the tirst place they will
travel faster. and in the second place.
the panorama of our beautiful street
will no longer be defaced.
,5r n heS
erations within the town. there are
others on which l do not lay so much
stress. because they lie beyond the
real area OF the city itself The new
western harbor OF Berlin is a gigantic
undertaking OF this nature II Is now
almost complete.
Completed During War.
The greater half OF the support for
this project, which has cost 100000
marks has been completed since the
war. This harbor is intended TO take
up the immense traffic created by the
Berlin-Stettin Canal. That is the So
called Great Ship Canal which. allow
ing the largest ships to complete the
voyage from the Baltic to Berlin. will
make the city Of Berlin. as it were. a
Baltic port.
"A not less important building Is
the great market hall in the north
west quarter, which will be the largest
nan III tHe "OTlQ, ana VIII cost Soo,-
100000 marks"
The talk passed to the manner in
which the wounds of the war will be
healed. In the first place there Is the
care Of the families of soldiers at the
front. On this point Excellenz Wer-
muth spoke as follows:
THE outlay for this purpose is
enormous, as YOU may see from the
fact that we give out each month a
round sum OF 100000 marks The
women and children left behind do not
want for anything. They receive a