New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-21

will be struck with great
changes. In every direction he
will find evidences of deterioration,
Of weakened moral and economic
forces. On the railway itself he
will encounter changes that make
travelling a trial by torture. The
through trains--the few that exist
are crowded far beyond their
capacity. as that term used to be
understood Their corridors are
filed with passengers standing
among high piles of hand baggage.
1t is so difficult to move in them
that women are often handed in or
out at the car windows. Many pas
sengers, even elderly men and woan-
en-, must stand through the whole
Of their long journey.
Getting seats on the few through
trains has become an achievement
also special expense. The good old
system of selling numbered seats
has been abolished, along with
many other arrangements making
for the comfort of passengers. Who
ever wants to make sure of getting
hour or two before the train starts
"a great hardship when trains
leave in the early morning hours
Forethoughted passengers, there
fore, have adopted the practice Of
hiring a man to hold seats for them.
and this practice has supplied new
calling for some Of Rerlin's army of
unemployed.
System and Order Lacking
The struggle for seats and the
break down of system have already
received official recognition, the
Railway Minister having abolished
the old rule that four passengers
should occupy the first class com
partment and six the second c1asa.
Now as many are put into each com
partnent az It will hold, seated or
standing.
But it is an i'll wind that blows
nobody good, and this crowding has
at least the advantage Of keeping
the passengers a bit warmer than
they otherwise would be. for the
trains are often without heat. Coal
is 30 scarce that it is sometimes not
possible to get enough to keep the
cars heated. So the passengers,
after standing and shivering for
hours. arrive at their destination
convinced that travelling is not one
Of the pleasures of life in reyolu-
aonary Germany.
Everywhere they see evidences of
Sermany's economic deterioration,
Of the relaxation of system and or
DER No smoke is emitted from
many OF the we'll built, clean. SYM
metrlcal smokestacks seen along the
railways. Old freight and passen-
ger cars stand about the stations,
OF even block one of the tracks for
many miles, waiting their turn at
Tue repair shop. The orderly,
prompt, businesslike way of doing
salngs at the railway stations-ad-
a'red by foreigners travelling in
.ermany before the war--has now
secilned by many degrees. OF food
ana drink hawked about the Sta
Wv, runs there Is now little, and that
"''le OF poorest quality.
soap Famine Obvious
.ne local transportation problem
u Berlin presents the same picture
" overcoming as that on the rail |
lays. On the subway procession
"'i form in helter-skelter order and
Asep pushing until no more can DOS
y enter the car; the door is
aay showed to, cutting off the |
'sasmost pushers. The streetcars
4s olSen filed as full as people can
a'o or hang on. Inside the atmos-
T'sfe Is heavy with odors that sug-
sss' a soap famine, all the more as |
s uermans make little or no use of |
e sentilators at the top Of the car,
ssa ar being feared by them more I
en tnan the evil odors. I always |
ose the front platform. but that |
also likely to be overAlled with |
wen or freight The other day /
s ssa 70 compete for standing room !
=. s''. 9 man freigbting half a dozen |
ss a's' Another applicant for freight |
pase' carrying lengthy window
.'s e had to turn away.
Aos stsestl lie Of Berlin. the sus-l
u nck At tn town, 1aib sadly
ss - $11xysA 1890 - -