Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-05
VERY LITTLE WASTED
IN KAISER'S EMPIRE
Use Found for Everything
From Paper Scraps to
Fruit Stones.

When the blockade of Germany be-
gan no one believed that she could
hold out without things from the out
side world. In a short time, II was
thot, her people would be starving
and she would be out of raw mate
rial In the few months before the
blockade was declared Germany
shipped into her ports as much cot
ton, copper. rubber and food as was
possible. After the blockade began
much stuff was brought in from Hoi-
land and Scandinavia. From the very
first DAYS of the war Germany set to
work 20 utilize all the material that
she had on hand, and her watch-
words to her people were Waste
nothing
The first collection in Germany was
a metal collection in the fall or 1918,
lust after / came TO Berlin. This col
lection extended all over Germany.
and was made in different parts at
different times. Every family received
printed notice of the things that
must be given up to the state. 1t was
a long list, but the main thing on IL
was the brass oYen doors. AS nearly
every room in Germany has a stove
wide and three quarters of foot
high, you can get some idea OF how
much material this collection brought.
Since this collection, the doors have
been replaced by iron ones that are
not nearly so pretty. All kinds or
brass pots and kettles were collected.
but with special permits people were
allowed TO keep their heirlooms.
Everything was paid for by the
weight, artistic value counting Tor
naught. Vacant stores were rented
for this collection, and the people had
to bring the things there.
Church Bells Confiscated.
In some OF the cities the people
willingly gave up the copper roofs
of their public buildings. Copper
roofs have always been very popular
in Germany. In Berlin the roofs or
the palace, the cathedral and the
reichstag building are Of copper and
I'm Dresden the roofs of all the royal
buildings are OF copper.
A friend of mine, who is Catholic,
went to church one Sunday just be-
fore | left Berlin. Before the service
opened and just as the priest mounted
the pulpit, the church bells began to
ring. When they had stopped the
priest announced that that was the
last time the bells would ever ring,
for they were to be given TO the metal
collection. The people began to cry
as the priest went on, and before he
| had finished many were sobhing out
loud. Even the men wept. My friend
said that It was the most impressive
thing she had ever lived thru.
In that first copper collection they
got enough metal to last several years,
but II a second collection is necessary
they can take the brass door-knobs,
which are very large and heavy. All
the doorknobs in Germany are made
of brass, and they would make vast
amount Of metal.
| In April, 1917. they took an inven-
tory of all the aluminium in the EN-
pire. People had to send in lists Of
what they had. The ware was not
collected, but II was to be given up at
any time the government wanted It.
The aluminium is to be used In max
ing money. For long time they
have had iron and 10-pfennig pieces
and now they have 1-pfennig pieces
made out of aluminium. In Leipzig
and Dresden they have b0-pfennig
pieces made out of paper. and Berlin
will soon have them, too. Before the
iron money was made, in the winter
OF 1915, smal change was very scarce.
The storekeepers would rather you
not buy than give you all their small
change. At this time In Turkey
small change was so scarce that peo-
ple stood In line by the hour to get
change. The reason for the scarcity
in Germany is that the German SOL
diers have carried 1t away TO the con-
ouered lands. where German money is
used as we'll as native money. In
| Germany postage stamps are being
1 used for small change. but this is
very unsatisfactory, as they get so
i dirty In the handling.
The collection of old paper never