The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-15
VIENNA POWER
TY STRICKEN
No Prospect of Fuel and Prices
of Necessities Prohibitive

Vienna, Oct. ic-Outwardly, Vienna
actually this :sreat city is stricken.
Dozens Of theatres and operas are
open, cafes and music halls are crowd
ed, but a very large part OF the popu-
lation is in poverty, lacking not onlE
food and clothing, but d place to live.
The streets are thronged, shops open
ed, shop windows filed with the ar
famous, but the better part Of the
stock is to be found in the windows.
Virtually everything is priced in
hundreds of crowns. Austrian money
paper only and unbacked by precious
metal, goes steadily down. Even the
swarr1s Of begsars that infest the
streets look .reproachfully at anything
less than the pink piece of paper that
indicates two crowns. 1t costs a nun
Gred crowns to so a few blocks by
carriage. taXicabS being few and al
most prohibitive even in the depre-
ciated money, while the street porters.
old men who act as messengers and
carriers. will nor cross the street for
less than twenty crowns.
Once the best dressed town in the
world, Vienna is plain to the point Of
shabbineSs. Most of the women wear
unmistakable homemade gowns and
the mems clothing shows the mark
of wear, the cleaner, the mender and
often the tailors who turn the unwear
able inside out.
1t would cost me four months sal
ary to buy a new suit of clothes now"
remarked foreign Office official, as
he smiled at hi: five-year-old serge,
and L must eat OCCASIONALLY"
The other day there was great
demonstration OF state pensioners be-
fore the House of Parliament and
some Of the cases cited by the deputa-
tion to the government were pitiful.
These pensioners said they were
starving.
Meantime the press openly charges
hat back door or illicit trade in food
supplies and otfer commodities sup
oosedly under government control
widely prevalent.
Vienra is suffering from lack Of
housing facilities The population is
estinlated at 100000 10 100000 more
han in normal times. The city gov
,rnmeHt lately has taken few half
'earted steps in an effort to bring re-
lief a large number of so-called no.
:els Of rather evil reputation are to
oe cleaned out Of their present occu-
pants end turned over as lodgings for
he poor. The same order eXpels
rom their premises. often nearly pal
atial and confiscates Tor public fous-
:ng purposes, the homes of the rich
lcmi-monde. Also it is contemplated
% make use Of some Of the splendid
and practically unoccupied private
palaces.
The papers ahd the more spirited
and facseeing nen are sounding the
alarm Of fuelless winter. The Inter
Allied Coal Commission has been try
;Ig to provide :e least a modicum of
fuel for city utilities. but they admit
ii will be only pittance of the nor
NAL supply. All around the city the
beautiful forests are being cut down
for firawood and fuel is the one de-
.nand.
The hotels answer the query of ev-
cry guest or prospective guest. NO.
we do not hope to have heat or hot
water. only fire for cooking
All through the months since the
Peace Conference began the Vienesse,
high AID low. have said with simple
faith. "When the peace is signed
things will mend" They cannot eS-
plain exactly why or how. but they
| have conjured themselves with the
| idea that some sort of miracle will
occur But the peace has been sign
cd and nevertheless the crown goes
down cay by day and prices go up
and everything is as bad as ever Now
they say. The preparations commits
sion. All. yes the commission. They
Will fix things