The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-06-13
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.

Through it's internal discussions,
eliminating in the secession of the Is
members led by Haase, the Social
Democratic party in the reichstag has
lost its standing as the strongest par
ty OF the house, a place now occupied
by the Center, with 81 members. The
Socialists follow with SO, and the Ma
tioQal Liberals and Radicals are tied
for third place with As members each.
The Conservatives, with A members,
are fifth and the new German fac
tion," coalition of Free Conserya-
tives and few so-called wild" or
partyless members, has q. The Poles
and the new Socialist Working ALI
ance,'' the Haase-Bernstein seceders,
have IS members each. The smaller
parties-Alsatians, Danes, Poles, ETC.
attach themselves to various groups.
Four members Of the reichstag owe no
party allegiance and have no commit
knecht and Ruehle, Socialists, and two
members of the right, Schultz of Brom-
berg and Baron Heyl zu Hernsheim.
The Socialist party, which had ITO
seats at the opening Of the reichstag,
is, temporarily at least, more badly dis
rupted than its apparent voting
strength indicates. Four distinct
groups can be counted within the
party. These are I'D the Radicals,
Liebknecht and Ruehle, whose connec-
ton with the party is only nominal;
CD the recent seceders, led by Haase;
90 the Hoch-Simon group, including
70 members, who are opposed to fur
Their war credits, but, submissive to
the will of the party caucus, leave the
reichstag chamber to avoid voting; (4)
the majority, about 70 men, who are
still, as formerly, in favor of further
war credits and stand so far on the
right of their party that the radical
members accuse them of having aban-
doned ancient socialist principles.
The heavy hand of increased prices
probably has fallen nowhere with
greater weight than upon the hundreds
Of washerwomen of Greater Berlin,
who do about 80 per cent of the Iaun-
dry work of the capital. Soap prices
have risen by about $50 per cent,
starch by more than 400 per cent, and
borax by almost 900 per cent. Yet
despite these startling increases, the
laundry prices have remained about
at their old figure, and cannot be
lacked up appreciably, the washer
women claim. Even today they are in
nearly all respects ridiculously low,
judged by the American standard, GER
tainly lower than one would expect to
find them after studying the cost of
materials necessary for running
laundry. Asked why they do not in
crease Their prices, the majority of the
washerwomer shake their heads and
declare that their clients will not
stand for he increase.
IN anticipation of a probable short
age of milk next winter, tbe minister
of agriculture already is taking steps
looking to the rearing during the COM
ing summer of as many mich goats
as possible. The agricultural cham
bers and organizations all over Prus-
STA are being urged to get into touch
with goat-breeding associations every
where with The object of influencing
individuals in the right direction. Prem
iums for raising goats will in all prob
ability be offered, goat markets in the
cities at which goats are sold to butch
ers will not be held as usual, and ar
rangements will be made whereby spe-
cial pastures will be available for the
animals The public will be urged to
demand goats milk as little as pos
sible so that the summers crop" of
kids may be large.
The pre-harvest predictions of an
unusually big yield of wine in Ger
many have been more than borne out
by results. The official report just
issued gives a production of 739,905
hectoliters of must in 1915, the great
est production of any year since the
introduction Gin 1902 of the present
wine law. In those 10 years the pro-
duction sank as low as 218,264 hectic
Hters in 1913, and the famous year of
1911 brought but 537, JOY hectoliters.
The total sum wagered in the pari
mutuels during Sundays racing on the
GruneWaId course exceeded 100000
marks for the first time since the
course was opened in 1909. This rec
ord was made notwithstanding the
fact that no races Of the first impor-
lance were on the program.
In the hope of bringing about some
Improvement in the food situation, the
Vienna municipality has just erected
one of the largest and best equipped
cold storage warehouses in Europe. All
the most modern American improve
ments have been adopted, and particu-
larly some brought about by the ex-
periences of the war When com
pleted the building will have six floors,
but only, three have been constructed
now, as the authorities are DESTROYS
of opening it as soon as possible The
total floor space will be 10000 square
feet.
The American ambassador, James