The sun., 1919-05-09
BERLIN INDIFFERENT
ON PEACE OUTLOOK
Influential Germans Hope for
Extension of Occupied Ter
ritory by Allies.
REDS OPENLY AT WORK
London "Times" Correspond
ent Sees Speedy Downfall Of
Present Government.
Special Gable De,po'ch TO TIE suS from Ms
London Times Service

Special Gable De'po'ch TO TIE suS from Ms
London Times Service.
Copyright. 1919: oil rights rsserred
LONDON, May S.-The Times gives un-
usual prominence to an unnamed
writer's observations in Berlin. an ex-
tract from which follows:
The seriousness with which the Ger
man peace delegation now in Versailles
is treated by the Entente Powers COM
pares curiously with the attitude shown
by most Germans / met in Berlin and
elsewhere in Germany. The view of the
average German is that 1t does not mat
ter whether peace Is signed or not. and
the majority of those in responsible po-
shons, bankers and big business men,
are hopeful peace will not be signed and
that further Allied occupation will re-
suit in bringing order to industry already
prevailing in the occupied Rhineland but
almost nowhere else in Germany.
Life In Berlin generally has the ap-
pearance OF normality, yet several times
in the course of week one pauses to
remark that machine guns can be heard
in the outlying parts. and II one motors
about at night ones car is likely to be
halted by soldiers and searched for hid
den arms. On Sundays and holidays
temporary barricades appear in the I'm
ter den Linden and barbed wire is
stretched across streets that form strate-
sic positions of defence. Thus we have
a hint OF trouble.
$4,000 Russians In Berlin.
There are to-day 25. 900 Russians in
Berlin, agents OF Lenine and Trotzky.
With or without the connivance OF the
present German Government. but GER
tainly with its knowledge, the heads CT
| this army OF trouble makers conduct a
daily courier service through the Ger
man lines from Berlin to Moscow. As
result printing presses were first es-
tablished in Munich. but are now run
ming in Berlin, engaged in carrying out
the ablest idea the brain of Lenne has
! Yet conceived. namely: the destruction
of the currency
Germany is now flooded with millions
/ OF counterfeit mark notes that are as ex :
cellent In quality as those turned out by
| the Government. There Is so much OF
this money that the banks dare not re-
fuse 1t. SO II is current everywhere The
Deutsche Bank no longer knows whether
/ II is solvent
The same admission was made to me
! by the head OF another great banking
institution, who suddenly asked me how
much German money I then had in my
| pocket I produced about Thousand
marks H250). The banker showed me
that three hundred of them In fifty mark
notes were bad.
II had obtained them in exchange fol-
British sterling at one OF the best known
bureaus OF exchange In Berlin. To-day
they are printing FIVE pound notes Cs25)
in Berlin on Lenine presses, also note.
OF the Bank OF France that are good I'M
/ itations. although not as good as those
OF the German notes. because OF I'll,
greater difficulty OF matching the paper
What will be done with them | can only
surm!se by showing the use TO which hat
money IL put in Berlin.
Unemployed Get More Pay.
The present Government formerl,
paid twelve marks $50 a day to ever,
unemployed workman. II now pay'
fifteen marks $3.75) a day despite tn,
fact that It's capital is exhausted.
The billboards are filled with SovIe
literature. The Government retaliate,
by placing posters all about shoutlnI
Boshevist horrors. In the poorer dis
stricts Lenine agents are almost openly
at work. In cafes they treat all corners
with wine and beer. They consider IN,
economic situation OF the cases in hand
and most likely the converts go ava!
with fifty MARKS SI250) in thei
pockets. In the fashionable restaurant!
az pres,nt there Is n weird blending o
aristocracy. bourgeosia and proletariats
but the aristocracy Is largely camou
tagged Russian.
Most OF the best class Of German'
are keeping in the background. Some o
the bourgeose are war prohteers AM
the remainder. with the proletariat. ar,
first time-or this forged money. Tn
result OF this has been that some ever
OF the great German industrial leaders
despislng the present ramshackle Gov
ernment's power to survive the shock a
Versailles, have made open oVertures e
Moscow.
Such men as Hugo SHINES. the Goa
magnate. and Or. Walter Rathenau o
the General Electric Company. hav,
offered their establishments to the Com
munists on the promise of persona! i'm
munity for themselves and their fam
lies These men argue that after a few
months of Communism they will b'
called back to take charge on their owl
terms.