The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-10-08
BUDAPEST HUNGRY
AND WITHOUT COAL
80
Pillaged by Rumanians, the
City Has Practically
Nothing to Eat
COMMUNISM HAS
COMPLETELY FAILED

Money Worthless and 100000 PeopIe
Out of Work = Specialization of Fac
tories Caused Tremendous Increase
In Costs.
| PARIS, Oct S-Jules Sauerwein. the
| foreign editor of lie Matin, draws de-
plorable picture of life in Budapest.
Withouteoal, almost without food. with
| pumpkins and watermelons the only
nourishment the great majority of the
people can procure, pillaged by the
humanans, the once naughty and pros
porous Magyars bow their heads in mis-
cry before Czechs, Croats. Poles and
Rumanans, In the Hungarian capital
there are 100000 persons out of work.
Scarcely any money is in circulation
except Communist paper, which is prac-
tlcaily worthless, and even if one has
the price, clothes and the common ne
eessarles OF life are almost unprocur-
able
Comparing Budapest with Vienna Mr.
Sauerweln says that the former city.
where throughout the war life was com
paratlvely comfortable, is now reduced
by Communism to condition of
Wretchedness and desolation which far
surpasses that of the Austrian capitaI
which shares the common defeat. He
attributes this condition chiefly to the
hostility of the peasants against Bella
kun's regime. 1t is reluctantly ad-
united by prominent French Social
st who has also visited Hungary re-
Gently that a similar attitude of all the
agricultural population will forever pre-
vent Communism from becoming a
practical form of government in West
ern Europe.
Inc depreciation Of currency and the
enormous increase in production costs.
which appear TO be the unavoidable
consequences of Communism cause the
peasants 70 refuse to exchange food
either for money or goods The result
IS that Communist urban agglomera-
tons soon faced a starvation blockade.
as was the case in Budapest.
n Farther rieta lis aof Bella j Kln,s.l-
starred experiment are given by a Dan
ish correspondent of |. Illustration who
spent several weeks in Budapest under
Communist rule The article. which *
quite impartial, does not allude to mas
sacres or other excuses, and Judges the
Communist regime, which had full play
according TO MARKHAM theories entirely
on its merits.
The consequences of the socialization
OF all factories employing more than
20 men was that in three months the
average rise in costs was goo per cent
While receipts had fallen 30 per cent.
Each increase mounted beyond all rea
sen until nearly everything was be-
ing sold far below the cost price. Thus
coal. which cost % kronens $3.50 per
hundrcdwcight, was delivered at I. and
sulphatc of copper for vines. which
cost % kronen at the factory. was re-
tailed at y.
The municipal street cars. which The
year before paid 100000 kronen in
dividends, faced a yearly deficit of $50 |
100000 kronen. All these losses fell on
the state. which met them by issuing
paper and more paper.
The Hungarian Communists were
favored by being able to seize the huge
agricultural properties of the mobiles. |
which were mostly in Furnishing con
dlton. Yet these. too, were speedily |
run into the ground by a rampant ex- |
tension of bureaucratic control. Thus. |
IN the koposvar district. gang of 10 |
replaced the office force |
or i've who had been managing the es |
tate to the satisfaction and prosperity |
of tenants and owner alike. These |
agents and the agricultural laborers re- |
ceiyed outrageous salaries In a few |
weeks the production was diminished |
by half. Then mills. dairies and sugar
refineries began to slow up as the idle |
ness of the workers increased. Soon the |
whole life of these rich farms was at
standstill. The fields were untitled. the
crops unharvested, and the animals all /
slaughtered because it was too much
trouble TO feed them.
Finally, with production from the
confiseated properties down to the min
lmum, the Communists appealed to the
small peasant proprietors. The latter
refused to take their money or accept
goods at their valuation. The Com
munists threatened and the peasants
banded together and met them with ma
chine guns. The vicious circle was com
plete. In the cities mismanagement
closed the factories; in the country it
produced stoppage of the food supply
The writer concludes:
Surely the Hungarian experiment is
enough for the world. 1t certainly con
WINGED my fellow traveller, and ardent
Communist from Switzerland, who told
me: arrived full of enthusiasm and
JOYOUS expectation; l depart disap-
pointed and disillusioned. ready To-
abandon faith in the principles for
which until now l have lived and
fought"