The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-03-01
Value OF DOLLAR IN
ENGLAND DOUBTFUL
SAYS MARY HENkE
BY MARY J. hENkE,

LONDON, Feb. S.-For the last
week ! have completely ignored the
columns OF film news and divorce
suits In the London newspapers. The
financial page Is first to meet my
eager eye, as I turn hopefully to see
how much the pound has fallen since
yesterday.
1t gives one the feeling of high fl
nance to know that you can take So
to the bank and get something near
$40 for it. Even the banks are not
sure from one day to the next what
their money is worth, and there Is
an exhilerating sense of uncertainty
about the whole thing. You just
shove in your American money and
say: Give me lot of those little
pound notes for this" And they give
you lot. Over here they act as if
the pound notes were really valuable,
so if you have a few American dol
lars about you. you can live in luxury
for as long as you like.
Pound Worth "Anything."
At first ! tried to keep up with the
exchange. ! would read in the paper
that the pound only buy IA shillings
worth in New York, and I did lot
or subtracting. adding and multiplying
learn that if So equals a pound in
London. a pound might equal anything
from SO cents to $25 in New York.
No doubt there was a mistake in my
figures somewhere, but l have given
I'D trying to find out where it is. /
have Just determined to put my faith
in human nature and the bank clerks.
When two Americans used to meet
over here they would exchange some
such comment as did you ever see
such beastly climate" or what do,
you think of Dempsey's chances or
something like that. Now they grin
at each other, fondle the wad OF notes
in their pockets and remark, Did you
see where pounds were this morning."
Exiled Yanks are finding new re-
spect for the good old eagle" that
governs the American dollar. dollar
used to be only a dollar that would
buy a dinner or theater seat or
few cigars. Now it is something that
carries the fate of nations with it. The
foreigners who used TO say sarcastic
things about the great American dol
lar, are now saying them respectfully.
and the Yankee finds his national
pride growing daily as he watches the
financial reports and discovers that
the United States is the only country
that can turn out currency worth a
darn
There are some Englishmen who
can take the exchange situation as a
joke, and that must convince any who
doubt that the English are a brave
nation Anybody can laugh at the Ger
mans, because they are funny, but
when it comes to testing at the fact
that IS buys what $500 did before, 1t
takes a determined sense of humor
The other day an actor stood in
Trafalgar square and auctioned pound
notes for four cents each, but he didn't
find any bidder.
Unless they are trained in finance,
most Englishmen have only vague
idea that something is the matter
with their money, but they are not
sure just what. A pound hasn't
bought it's full value for so long that
nobody is surprised when it brings
even less. What the Englishman who
is not up on such things can't under
stand, is the newspapers. A little
while ago they were saying soothingly
that the exchange situation was quite
all right; it would really hurt the
United States. because nobody would
buy anything from America. Now
they are printing the exchange falls
in a box on the first page, and calling
frantically on somebody to do some
thing quick before it is too late.
But if the financial situation in
Europe is confusing, you have only to