El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-11-22
SUITS
IN GERMANY
COST S52
Workers Find it Almost
Impossible to Live in
LoWliest Fashion.
TIDY BANK CLERKS
ARE HIT HARDEST

nEHLIN, GERMANY NOV A. nc
b worlzInEmaa Of Germany IL faced
with many problems. Ths first and
most important Is the problem OF e1-
iHtence-
Every necessity Of LIE IS rationed,
the cost OF everything has increased
70 an incredible extent, wages have
not kept pace with The growth Of
prices. In reading this article It must
Be borne In mind that the mark GOO
pfsnnigs' IN Germany IS Of the equiv
aisnt value Of IS csnts-
Necessities Scarce.
Yesterday, armed with food cards,
I spent three hours in purchasing
three articles-meat. butter and bread
The time was occupied in finding the
shops which really had anything for
sale and IS standing in queues The
choice this week a. me butcher s
lies between timed meat and sausage
Not the paiatable, Wen made
sausage OF the better class restaurant,
out a. coarse, dark composition with a
peculiarly distinctive. aroma The card
allowances for one week IS half a
pound In weeks when there Is fresh
meat this weight includes bone.
Fairly good bread, dark IN color
and slightly sour in taste. IS proeur-
able to the weight Of four pounds
week
The butter ration IS 1aughable-
30 grammes, about sufficient for one
breakfast Margarine Is obtainable
20 the extent Of 20 grammes; it IS
uneatable. even for the least fastidi-
Gus. and can only be used for cooking
Ny bills totaled 4 marks S. pfen-
nigs-2 marks so for meat I mark 81
for bread, and ~ pfennigs for butter
A very fair average monthly wage
for a Workingman or bank clerk IS
40 marks Let Us suppose he has a
wife and two children and endeavors
TO see how he can manaEe.
State Has First Claim
The state has first claim on his
earnings and mulcts him in ] : marks
monthly for axes. Rent is the next
consideration The poorest imagin-
kitchen viii cost him so marks.
Taxing his weekly expenditure on
rationed articles at 4 marks S. for
each person. his monthly outlay win
be q marks 96. Thus rent. taxes and
, rations total S37, leaving him about
S73 on which 10 support his family.
We have seen how far the official
ration goes. everything beyond that
has 10 be bought at fantastic prices
from persons who have supplies, OBJ
. tanned from mysterious source
II he Is so reckless as to Indulge
in two clgarets a day, another is
cents vanishes into smoke; should he
drink a couple OF glasses OF beer his
excheQuer Is depleted by another
quarter.
Face BANKRUPTCY.
Should the man and his family be
so improTideut as 10 require clothes,
Bankruptcy stares them in the face
A suit OF shoddy costs at the lowest
estimate $50: a Woman's dress OF sim
liar material runs into about the same
price Bpots. wooden soled and with
"ersatz" leather uppers cost $3.50 for
a child OF eight and SO for an adult
It viii be seen that even by re-
strictinE himself 10 the barest neces-
stiles the worlriugman is hard put 70
Il TO make both ends meet. Nothing
has been reckoned for fares TO his
work, newspapers or laundry. Soap
Is a luxury Gas for lighting and
cooking costs at least IS marks a
month.
The plight Of the bank clerk is even
more pitiabIe. His mode OF living and
his clothing naturally exact greater
extravaEance- A linen collar costs
marks so; the washing Of one costs
! mark 20.