Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-21
THE KAISER AS | KNEW
HIM FOR FOURTEEN YEARS
BY ARTHUR N. DAVIS, D. d. S.
Copyright 1918, the Mcclure Newspaper Syndcate)

I the governess had to scream to
make herself heard, but that did not
deter her from calling out in a stem
torian voice, How many pairs of
drawers has the Kinderfraulein
(governess) %
A soldier on furlough was trying
to get a "Bezugschein" Certificate
of covering) for his wife, who was a
mail carrier, to buy her a pair of
stockings.
MY wife's shoes are bad and she
gets her feet wet" he explained.
She must have stockings to change
or she will be sick and my children
will starve!"
Your wife got a pair of stock
ings last week." came the answer.
That is enough" The fact that,
as the soldier explained, his wife
had only that one pair Of stockings
availed him nothing, and he had to
so away without the permission.
The outcome of my application
was that they allowed me one cotton
coat. l told them that the Kaiser
was my patient and they increased
it to four. Usually they send
some one to your home to examine
your wardrobe and inquire into your
scale of living. but apparently my
| income tax receipt sufficed in this
instance.
Even when one has obtained a
"Bezugschein' the problem is not
the shops to buy. Very often one
gave up his 'Bezugschein" and paid
a ridiculous price for an article of
clothing which had no durability at
, all, and it was necessary to go
through all the riga-marole of Sc
curing another "Bezugschein." My
porter's wife, for instance, paid $4
for some underclothing, she told my
wife, and the first time she washed
it all she had left was a wad of
paper.
In November, 1917, 1 paid 800
for suit of clothes which if it had
been made out of cloth of good quail
ity would have been worth about
$35. AS it was, the tailor frankly
admitted that the goods was made
of reworked yarn, and because of
the lack of cotton thread, the seams
were worked with a material which
looked like paper string.
This paper string was in general
use at that time, the department
stores all displaying notices warming
customers not to carry their parcels
by the string. Many purchases were
no longer wrapped, to save paper,
and no purchase amounting to less
than IS was delivered.
Before 1 left Berlin, artificial silk
was the principal fabric for ladies'
wearing apparel. Almost every wom-
an in the land, princess or maid,
was attired in art taffeta. 1t sold
for $40 a yard. In normal times it
would have been worth from rs
cents to 81. In the fall of 1917, a
cloth suit was unobtainable for less
than $500. 1t would have been
worth $25 in normal times. All fur
skins were needed for soldiers wear
and the few that there were still
obtainable for home use in the form
of fur sets sold for from $1,000 up.
Through spectators, we obtained
some imitation soft soap at four
dollars per pound. People said it
was made from human corpses, but
it was the only thing available out
side of the substitutes which were
soap only in name. A small cake
of toilet soap easily brought SO. A
servants plain wooden wardrobe,
formerly costing $5. was unobtaina-
BILE for less than $50. We paid as
high as $S pound for butter, from
speculator, and my last Christmas
dinner in Berlin consisted of a
small goose, just enough for one
meal for three persons, for which
paid s25.
How could the poor people exist
with such a scale of prices prevail
ing? To a great extent, wages had
increased, and this partially met
the problem. AS far as official en-
ployes went, however, their wages
remained pretty much the same as
in noapa fiDnae and fhaY wara COrn-
PEELED to resort to bribery and ex-
tortion to make both ends meet. The
ammunition workers and other
wage-earners whose labor was es-
sential to the carrying on of the
war were allowed double rations,
and their increased earnings en-
abled them to live comfortably. For
the rest, undernourishment and
disease told the story. The city of
, Berlin was feeding about 100000
when left, but, great heavens, what
foodi
One of the things the people
missed, of course. was their beer.
While 1t was put on sale at p. m.
every night, only a limited amount
was available and as soon as 1t was
disposed of, only coffee or tea sub
stitute. without sugar. milk or lem
ons, could be had.
The scarcity of metals required
for munitions was evidenced early
In the war. when the interiors and
/ exteriors of houses throughout the
country were thoroughly ransacked
and everything In the way of cop
per, brass or aluminium fixtures or
cooking utensils that wasn't abso-
lutely necessary was seized
/ (To Be Oontinued-)