The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-10
IRON MONEY.
Germany to Coin the Base Metal Into
Thrifty Pfennigs.

Thrifty Germany is not proposing to
junk the mills that ground out iron .
crosses with which She tagged her he .
roes during the war, but is about to /
turn both metal and machinery to a more |
useful purpose by manufacturing iron
pfennig. The pfcnnfg is, as most Of us
know, the mqlrhuin' subdivision 81 the
German mark, but which, ike Our own
mill, is too small 10 be, Feprescntedr siDgly !
by coin. The smallest number now but
into metal'is FIVE, the very fulf ,piepnig
| pieces that now are to be stamped mi
| place of the iron emblem Of Feutonic
| frightfuluess r2 1...s aps
1t already had been suggested that the,
/ iron crosses themselves were quite nus
merous enough to have been used as sub
sidiary coinage, but the proposal looked
too much like Kaiscrliche propaganda and
was promptly sat down upon either by
the allies or the German republicans.
The new iron money will consist Of
sixty million of the cheap coins, which,
by the way, viii have to be kept VOL
creased to keep from rusting and stain,
ling fingers and clothing accustomed to
i far more vivid crimson splotches
The former five pfennig pieces, Of
course, were made of copper alloy and
the basis Of it, copper, came chiefly from
hated "Amerika" 50 that in making use
Of her homedug iron Germany is cndea-
vCring in petty way, to get back at
the United States But until She can see
her way to using iron instead Of copper
for trolley wires, beer watts and few
other items Of that proportion, the COP
per interests OF our country need, not
worry
. The next coins in value to the five
5 pfennig pieces are those of ten pfenniQ.
which in normal times are roughly equiv
alent to our two cent pieaes. These also
: formerly were made Of bronze, but now
zinc is to be substituted; whereupon the
q Germans viii have to exercise great care
against their moneys disintegrating in
: their hands, for zinc is among familiar
:, metals one Of the most easily .corrodee
" by acids and acid fumes. Ten million
marks viii be the face value of this zint
issue, giving l00,00O,000 Of the CONS
And now we come to the really vala
y able money, the 50 pfennig or what one
y We're worth IL and a fraction cents
Formerly, before Germany went mad
= dog. this value was represented Ey
t neat silver piece not unlike our dime O
IS the British sixpcnce-but no more! NOV
e the fmltNg p.enuige is to be struck iron
fimsyaumnum OF these, however, on
N hundred millions will be stamped am
Al offered the public in the name an
t with tho fiat Of the young republic 9Th
! latter lit least are durable. though "
imagine il will take one good while 1
. accustom himself to the idea that some
i, thing SO light can have any staple wortl
= Although very rale in history, the con
i age of non is not an invention Of Il
Germans, for as far back as the Grecia
era money was made from the gro,
- metal, though not for reason OF chcal
u ness as in the modern instance. Even
rs those days philosophers understood Il
II. pestilential effect Of money grabbing O
the human soul and attempted to rend'
ed the stuff distastciui, and thereby let
y, harmful, by making the mere carGyir
e, of moncysa pby sical burden Needless.
nrsi u - tile scheme, Slilcd, and siher aq
gold soon returned to their own as cD
of metals, Just as they VIII again, along wi
rs. uickel and bronze IN Germany when &
s., land viii have tecovcred from the aft
of effects Of her war frenzy Ex.