Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-06-04
WAR IS MAKING
BERLIN A CITY
Of BIG SPENDERS
Cafes, Art Shops, JeweIy
Stores and Theatres Are
Crowded by Owners Of
NewIy-made Fortunes,

Associated Press Correspondence.)
Berlin. MAY ID Airs besetzt
tan rum said gorgeously-uniform.
cd individual standing before the
street door Of the big Friedrich
etrasse cnfe. The man to whom he
smoke had no intention OF going In,
hut he happened to look toward the
daOr as ne passed and the uniformed
one had parfoied forth his one phase
- many times that the simple glance
in his direction sufflced 70 evoke It
aRain
The passerby. however, grew curl
aus. ana made trip through the
better parts Of the city. This IL
what he found
Three better-class cafes with from
ten TO thirty persons standing out
side or in the entrance-wny, waiting
for tnblc TO become vacant
Al other wine or beer restaurants
visited were so fun that only IN one
could u FREQ table for two persons
be found. Two others whore the
doorkeepcr announced In advance;
allies Besctzt,
"tllcs Iicsetzt."
The observer had for months en-
couniered difficulty In finding a tn
HE in leading restaurant having
more than 500 tables. In some OF
the places, Inter der Linden. the
head waiter had been graciously
pleased 10 let him dine on his prone
iac not to retain the table longer
than one hour In another Inter
der Linden restaurant he had found
that II was all but impossible 10 eat
without rescrving table In advance
And these two places are the most
expensive ones in all Berlin.
Tho condition Is symptomatic.
War, which brings poverty and mis-
cry to 80 many, brings wealth to
others Many persons who had been
struggling along with barely more
than the necessarics Of life for years
have grown wealthy almost over
night And they are spending, spend
ing lavishly, spending carelessly.
Berlin has become the city of SPEND
erS.
Champagne Popular
The crowds that fil the better class
places 70 there 10 spite Of the fact
That everything costs more than be-
fore the war. Beer Is dcaror Even
coffee has increased in price The
ftill considerable stocks of the high
esl grade French chamDagnes are
finding a bigger sale than ever before,
IN The face Of price increase OF -four
10 five marks a bottle prominent
German champagne firm recently de-
olared dividend thrice greater than
that Of the preceding Hear II was
only one dividend contributed by the
apendera.
Caviar cost from to "a marks n
po.nd ln peace times IN Berlin. tn-
til the recent prohibition Of the fur
ther import of non-indispcnsable arr
ticles put an end 60 the business. vast
quantities Of Astrachan caviar we're
being sold for prices upward Of a.
MARKS. similar conditions existed az
10 other mNurles
Iuxurics flourish.
Dealers IN fine porcelains, oriental
rugs, bfonges and antiques generally
urc doing a Furnishing business.
There are almost no really fine rugs
loft among the stocks of the Berlin
dealers, None can be secured by inn
port, ana the spenders hnve bought
up all that were on hand. A Berlin
resident went recently to one of the
leading auction houses In the hope
81 securing an old Turkish rug at a
reasonable price II sold for 30 per
cent more than would have been real
lied in peace times. The same was
true OF other rugs. OF jewclrs. IN fact
OF nearly everything offered.
The most fashionable 1eweler in
Berlin said to the Associated Press
representative.
we are having great difficulty IN
Keeping abreast OF orders. This is
OF course, due In part to lack of
Workmen. but II Is due also to an
Of business which--apart from
the tourist trade. which Is naturally
lacldng~-is probably high
or than IL was before the war peo-
pie Of class who never came here
before are now buying. and buying
good and expensive articles. have
In mind a typical case"
No Morr laughing.
Before the war certain y.oung
woman used % come IN once or twice
a year and buy some trfling article !
rarely paving more than hundred
marks. She bargained inveterateK. /
always striving to have the price re- (
iuced, and none Of us liked TO wait |
on her, She came IN last week and I,
asked TO DO shown some pearl neck I.
aces She selected one for thirty /
houfand marks and paid for 1t In
ash without bargaining Her husband /
q a leather dealer
Another woman Of a similar type
las made several large purchases