The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-04-24

cape taxation was To invest their sur
plus earnings In works Of art aud other
expensive Injuries. As the tax assess.
mcnts were based principally upon the
individuals bank deposits and the tax.
collecting machinery was very much
out of gear II N comparatively easy
to evade the law by careful mnnlpula.
tlon Of ones bank account, and by dis.
bursting profits received without hav-
ing them go through the bank. A Ger.
man whom | knew told me that he had
disposed Of an oil painting which had
cost him $500 for no less than $50. 900,
the price of works OF art and antiques
having increased 10 n remarkable ex-
tent because Of the demand for them
from tax dodgers.
Under the stress Of the changed
food conditions the hungry German
Don replaced the honest German. Ger
mans had always had n reputation for
honesty, but their claims to such dis
t~inction disappeared with the food sup
ply. Necessity soon brought out all
that was worst In the German char
actcr.
Although the government dec;eed a
high fine and Imprisonment ms pun
ishment for buying or selling anything
which had been Communicated. specu-
lators sprang up On every side and
people Dragged openly Of what they
had stored away.
The worst deprivation was in the
lack Of fats. The people showed It
very plainly. One seldom saw n fat
man or n fat woman, although before
the war fairness was almost character
lstic Of the German ply vi! ue. Indeed,
| saw n rather stout wonlan being fol-
lowed by ut least twenty boys who
were jeerlng at her and making slur-
ring remarks about the manner In
which she had retained her avolrdu-
pois. A fat person In Germany today
Is regarded with suspicion.
Naturally the weakened condition Of
the people makes them all easily sus-
ccptible to disease. Epidemics spread
rapidly and I am inclined to believe
that little care was taken by the au-
thorltles to protect the older people
from Infection. I know that my sec
retary's mother fell and broke both
her legs last summer (191i\ and was
taken to the accident ward Of Il hos
pital where her fcllow-patlcnts were
all crippled. Ten of the inmates Of
that ward died In Il single day from
~dyscntcry, and the following day the
death list was increased by twelve,
the old lady with the broken legs be-
Ing n of them. Twenty-Five more
bread cards saved at the expense OF
twenty-five useless women In one hos
pital alOnc-a fair record for two
days! I have no proof that these UNI
fortunate victims Of disease were de-
libcrntcly infected by the hospital au-
thoritics, but the mere fact that TWEEN
ty.two patients In nm accident ward
died from dyScntcry In two days Is
certainly evidence of gross careless
ness II nothing worse.
To buy new clothes II Is necessary
to scCure n certificate from the gov
eminent TO the effect that you are alb
solutcly in need of clothing, and, ven
then, you are compelled to give up the
suit you are d%iscnrding.
Branch offices for investigating the
necessity of rcplcnishlng ones ward
robe have been established all over
the cities and they are always crowd
cd. Women are in charge and they
seemed thoroughly To enjoy their au-
thorlty and their power TO deny IN
application for new clothing.
when | left Berlin the law permit
ted Il man just two shirts, two collars,
two pairs of socks, etc, II year. Since
soap had disappeared from the mar
kct so many inadequate substitutes
had been tried that ones laundry in
variably came home full OF holes.
In November, 1917, ! paid 500 for n
suit of clothes which If it had been
made out of cloth of good quality
would have been worth about $50. AS
II was, the tailor frankly admitted
that the goods was made of re-workcd
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 warning customers
not to carry their parcels by the string.
Many purchases were no longer
wrapped. to save paper, and no pur.
chase amounting 10 less than So was
delivered.
BEFORE I left Berlin. artificial silk
was the principal fabric obtalnnblc for
ladies' wearing apparel. Almost every
woman in the land, princess pr maid,
was nttIrcd In art taffcta. II sold for
$40 Il yard. In normal times It would
have been worth from - cents to 81.
In the fan OF 1917, Il cloth suit was un-
Ohtainablc for less than $500. II would
have been worth SO in normal times.
All fur skins were needed for sol
d!erS' wear and the few that were still
obtainablc for home use in the form
Of fur sets sold for 81 900 up
Through Spectators, We obtained
some imitation soft soap at 81 per