New-York tribune., 1919-09-17
Germans Free
By William c. Dreher
Berlin Correspondent Of Tho Tribune

| GUM and Italy will also expect TO be served
with COAL What Germany 10 compelled
| to deliver is some 100000 TONS As
stated above, the mines are producing only
about 10000 tons a year. Hence, Germany
would have only about 300o0,oo0 tons left
for home consumption. The seriousness
Of such a reduction is evident when it is
recalled that the consumption in 1913 by
railways, gas houses, public institutions
and households was 63,000,0 900 tons.
Thus at the present rate Of production
; there will be--after making the necessary
shipments to France, Belgium and Italy
not half enough coal for merely those
necessary consumers just named, let alone
the manufacturing establishments. These
latter consumed some $4,000, 900 tons before
the war; now 1t looks as If they would
get mono at all
The cause of the heavy shortage in pro-
duction Is largely question of labor There
are not as many miners as formerly; and
those who remain work shorter hours
and at a slower pace when they are
not on strike Several causes have re-
duced the number Of miners. Many of
the best ones were lost in the war;
some are still prisoners in France; q con-
siderable percentage in The Essen district
are Poles, and many of these have left for
their old homes in Poland. attracted by
the revival Of the Polish state. Other
miners have been attracted to other work
owing to the relatively greater increase
in wages in aboveground work than in the
mines. Thus, not less than 1900 miners
have been drawn away from the Essen dis
trict alone.
The hours Of work have been reduced
in that district to seven; while in Siesia
it Is reported that the actual duration of
the shift Is only about four and half
hours. And the miners are not working
as they did before the war. This is doubt
less due in part to poorer feeding, but it
is also due to what might be called a
political disnclination to work From vari-
Gus establishments come reports of how
the miners stop short in their work in
order to talk politics. Some even leave
the mines during work hours at their own
sweet will. Hence the average outturn of
the miners is less than half of what it
was formerly.
Meanwhile, those extreme elements are
making themselves felt in Berlin in highly
disgusting forms. Recently / attended a
public meeting called for discussing and
explaining the constitution which has just
been adopted. It was addressed by a Dem
ocrat, Centrist, and Majority Socialist.
When arrived I found the huge hall filled
to overtlowng- ranks of persons
standing in every door and window. |
thought this spoke we'll for the interest
of the Beriners in dry subject as the
constitution. I withdrew the compliment
later, after that audience howled down
the Socialist speaker. He had said moth
ing whatever tending to excite passion;
yet the hoodlums present, evidently Com
munsts and Independents, decided that
they had had enough of him, and their
hooting grew so loud and persistent that
he had to take his seat.
And that is typical incident The
"Vorwaerts," the Socialist organ, complained
recently that the tone Of public meetings
mad dropped to such low level that they
could not possibly get worse The worst
rowdylsm of the great anti-Semitic cam
paign of the '90s, says the editor, was not
so bad as what can now be daily witnessed
IN the public meetings of the Independents
intellectual force and knowledge" he goes
on, "are wholly eliminated. Whoever has
at his tongues end ten stereotyped phrases
and knows how to pad them out duly can
achieve to-day the greatest oratorcal sue
cess in any political meeting The
workmen to-day fond of intoxicating
themselves with the claptrap of savage
bloodiest language is their man. Whether
there Is any rhyme reason in his words.
whether they will stand the test of logic.
Is wholly unimportant. 1t suffices If his
words sound sharp and conjure up agree
able visions of the future. Those betray-
ers of the peope-Noske, Scheidemann,
and Ebert-must get down and out. We
demand the Soviet system, the dictatorship
of the proletariat socialization! Bravo!
Storms of applause"
The editor spoke above about the anti
Semitic movement of some twenty-five years
ago. That movement is strongly rcviving
to-day. The other night there was actually
little anti-Semitc riot in the western
part of the city, of its very best
streets. Some pistol shots were fired and
several persons were wounded