El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-04-24
HITS HARD
At PR0FITEER5
IN RENTALS
Statutes Decree Rent In
creases Must Not Ex-
coed so Percent.
NEW LAW BLOCKS
LANDLORDS GAME

CAIRO. Egypt. April 24.-The high
u cost OF living in Egypt, so far
as the upper and middle classes
are concerned is not so serious a
matter as one might suppose from
listening 70 those who know only
Egypt Compared with England, for
Instance, It is possible to live here
just a shade more cheaply than at
home.
Certain commodities? such as vege-
tables, are nOticeably cheaper and
you can buy any quantity OF whisky
az seven shinings a bottle-and per-
tecly good whisky. too The first
class hotels have recently put their
prices up 20 $50 piastres a day (about
$3.50. but any one making a long
stay can get fun pension, including
everything except afternoon tea,
washing and drinks, for s3-25 70 $3.50
day. Food, including butter. eggs
and sugar. IS plentiful even n that
particular brand Of dry-as-dust
chicken. which seems % be bred ex-
cluslTely for hotels, does crop up with
rather monotouous regularity.
Worse Than IN England.
Housing accommodation Is II any
thing, rather worse 70 find here than
IN England, but profiteering land
lords have received-none to soon
nasty set back. thanks to the law
Just passed. which DEGREES that rents
IN future must not exceed 30 percent
above whatever was being paid on
August 1. 1914. This has gone far to
allay the fears Of tenants. many Of
whom were in a state Of panic
A week before the law was passed
p block Of flats changed hands. and
the new landlord promptly raised all
no rents from S25 70 $780, Dn1or-
tunatelys however, under the new
law, existing contracts may continue
force nHHH lon HNH- The
OF this year.
Where the high cost OF living be-
comes really serious Is IN its effect
on the submerged millions. A few
mornings ago Cairo witnessed the
novel spectacle Of a procession Of
classes. protesting against food prices;
and those IN a position 70 gage the
state Of the cOuutry's mind believe
that food riots are by no means an
impossibnity in the near future.
Plan Cooperative Societies.
An effort Is being made by well-to-
do natives 70 organize cooperative
societies 10 sell the necessities Of life
10 the poor lt moderate rates. and Il
IS to be hoped that they may succeed
but Il IS notorious that Egyptians,
however excellent they may be at
talking. have shown themselves IN
the past 10 lack the staying power
and application necessary 70 make
such movements OF practical value
Immense fortunes have been and
are being made In Egypt. At Zaga-
zig the great center OF the cotton
trade. I met two Of the local uoveaux
riches. both reputed 70 be million
aires Five years ago. one was a sta
tion porter. the other sold fruit IN the
streets Both are quite Ignorant men.
with a certain amount OF low cunning
which they have turned to account
f|nEwn NJ such HTFn
have gone out OF their minds at find
Ing themselves In possession OF an
amount OF money quite beyond their
comprehension
on the other hand. there e the
large laborlug elass-one sees them
particularly in the towns-who seem
70 exist on next 70 nothing. A man
earning two or three pounds a month
often has 20 provide for a family OF
six or seven How they do Il Is a
Tnystery-but as one OF them re-
marked the other day I'VE have less
to eat now
want The English out.
An intelligent Oriental-not an
Egyptian-has said that there are
two million people IN this country
who want the English out OF Il; the
rest Of the population would. n It
dared express its sentiments. vote for
them 20 stay. The two million have
not failed 70 profit from the high food
prices 70 foster discomfort AGAINST the
English. They deliberately spread the
Impression that these prices are the
fault Of the English. and that once
they are driven out OF the country
the old happy days OF low prices and
plenty VIII return.
Discussion OF the situation occupies
much space IN the native papers.
wherein il has been freely pointed
out that the acceptance Of Boishe-
vism was brought about by economic
pressure on the poorer classes in
Russia, and 70 Is suggested that food
should be naflonalized before the
present state Of things grows worse.