The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-05-16
IN THE FATHERLAND
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHAT'S DOING In OLD HOME
Summary OF the Most Important Hap
penings in the Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the German
Readers.

Mindful of the experience following
the Franco-Prussian war in 1901,
the Royal Academy of Arts and the
Royal Academy of Agriculture have
Jointly issued a warning to Germany
at large, cautioning against extrava-
CANT memorials for the fallen, and
urging that the greatest conservatism
be used in fittingly honoring the dead.
The war of 1870, says the appeal, was
followed by veritable flood of
statues and monuments to William |,
and by countless Germanias, hardly
any of which have withstood the test
of art or time. The members of the
two academies profess to see the dan
of taste in connection with the pres
ent war. The danger is impending,
the academicians believe, that every
German city, big and little, will try
to Guido every other city in immortal
izing it's fallen sons, whereas it is
highly desirable that efforts in this
direction be combined rather than
working in competition. The academy
members suggest rather one national
memorial which in solemn form shall
express gratitude to God and patriot
ic inspiration. Toward such an end,
they declare, the art of the sculptor
in its highest form would be called
into requisition to honor suitably in
stone and metal all those men who by
word and deed have helped to make
Germany unbeatable
Detailed figures of the business done
by the Greater Berlin Street railway
during 1915 show that 437,00O,000 pas
sengers were carried, against 1885, AGO.
900 in the preceding year, and that
the companys receipts rose from 49,
371,149 marks to 43,478.144, while its
expenditures increased from 26,004,-
956 marks to 26.200,029 "a mark
equals 23.S cents at the normal rate
of eXchange) The dividend for the
current year was fixed at per cent,
the same rate as for 1915. In 1914
the rate was 8 per cent. During 1915
the street cars killed So persons and
injured LAP. In noting the increase
of nearly 100000 passengers carried,
the Berliner Tageblatt ascribes it to
the fact that the war has greatly re-
duced the use of automobiles and taxi
cabs. The paper directs attention to
the falling off in the service, the num-
Der of car-kilometers operated during
the year being 91,70O,O00, against &c.
100000 in 1914, and attributes this to
the lack of male personnel, both on
the cars and in the shops. The in
crease in revenue is cited by the
Tageblatt as full justification for the
city's refusal to allow the company
to raise it's fares last year.
So many women and girls have gone
to work in factories and stores that
Viennese housewives are in despair
over the problem of finding domestic
help-wages have risen to double and
treble the former rates, but still it is
impossible to find servants. The sup
ply from the country districts has
ceased almost entirely as the women
are required at home to work on the
land. Ordinary woman cooks in mid
die class families, earning in ordinary
times from So to $40 a month, now
demand $50, and even more. And
quite often they refuse to wash dishes,
so that a "Bedienerin," or outside
charwoman, must be engaged too
Chambermaids and mattresses now
ask $12 a month, where formerly they
were glad to work for So or IS. Lady's
maids expect from $16 to $40 when
before they were content with So
And "Maedchen fuer Alles,'' or quite
young and unframed girls for general
work, unable to cook potatoes, even
ask for Sc a month instead of So.
DR.. August Lentze, Prussian minis
ter of finance, emphasized in a state
ment to the Lokal Anzeiger the neces-
sity of strengthening the finances of
the state. He pointed out that each
of the federal states has it's historic
individuality and it's particular tasks,
as for instance, public instruction.
The financial problems of these states
after the war will be difficult but they
will be equal to them if their former
source of revenue-direct taxation is
left untouched by the federal govern
ment. Up to the time Of the war it
was an unwritten law that the imposi-
ton of direct taxation should be re-
served to the state. DR.. Lentze de-
clared the present organization of in
dustry and finance would enable Ger
many to stand the strain of war for
an indefinite period, as virtually no
payments for war purposes are made
to foreign countries.
AS an act Of reprisal for i'll treat
ment of German war prisoners in
northern Africa. who are cut off from
all communication with Germany, the
German government has suspended all
intercourse with the French prisoners
in the camps at Ohrdruff and Holz-
minden.
Professor Bruno Schmitz, Germany's
best known architect, is dead. Pro-
lessor Schmitz built the monument
"The battle of the nations" at Leip-
sic and many other famous monu-
ments.
The British government is prepar-
ing bill to vary the conditions Of the |
T1I, 1ID IL