The New York herald., 1920-12-26

lNcW IOik OukcousS
Berlin, Dec. 25.
A Socialist Deputy in the Reichstag
made a point of it that Countess War
tensleben had a twenty-four room
house standing empty In the Tiergar-
tenstrasse. while she herself lived on
an estate outside the city. The twen-
ty-four rooms of Countess Warten-
sleben instantly became the sensation
of Berlin. The newspapers devoted
columns to them, and the municipal
housing Office had to make public
explanation how this could be. 1t
could, because Countess Wartensleben
had signed bogus contracts with rela-
tives and had sworn that the relatives
were living in her twenty-four rooms,
even the relatives furnishing affidavits
to the same effect And now the twen-
ty-four rooms have been confiscated
by the city and are being partitioned
off to make homes for six families
But the twenty-four rooms OF
Countess Wartensleben will not help the
other forty thousand families waiting
for homes nor is it likely that many
other Countesses Wartensleben have
signed bogus contracts with their alb
sent relatives.
worse plight for houses than other Ger
man cities. The population Is increas-
ing and virtually no houses are being
built.
VainIy Seek Shelter.
The municipal housing offices Of Ber-
lin and its suburbs are perhaps the most
revolutionary centres in the city. Here
may be found crying women and hag-
gard men. Here are persons VINO nave
been on the urgent list for apartments
for a year and are calling again. hoping
at last for better news than the shrug
Of a tired officials shoulders.
"Bribe them, That's the only way to
get a flat - some one exclaims, ana
the line of waiting visitors in the dim
corridor assents with a growl.
II slept in the waiting room of the
station last night. couldn't find rooms
anywhere" o girl will say "and a
cousin OF mine slept in the park. It's a
disgrace. Who cares? You just wait
here for hours and hours. We ought to
smash through the doors. we ought :.
But beyond the doors sits an official
In a stained yellow uniform munching at
n sandwich of black bread and lard and
lingering the ragged lists lying on the
deal table before him He has no apart
ments, only lists. lists, lists. and in the
rooms beyond are more officials con-
cocting regulations about the lists and
who may be inscribed on the lists. But
no one builds any houses.
Why? Materials cost too much. 20
runs the given explanation. But that is
only a bare statement of the truth.
The housing question is the sore point
of the ruined German system. Ger
many is going through n great uncon-
scious upheaval, trying to adjust all ITS
inflated prices to the world market
standard And the Government in spite
OF il is trying to keep rents down. In
Berlin a pound of meat costs only a
fourth or a third less than 1t does in
Paris or Seattle. And so does ton OF
coal or a cord Of wood. But rent, fig
ured IN world currency. costs one III
teenth as much. That is because the
State does not permit a new contract 10
be made for a rental more than 30 per
cent. above the peace time level-30 in
stead OF 1900.
Landlords Wait and Lose.
II might be supposed that landlord
with forty thousand prospective tenants
waiting at his door was enjoying an en-
viable blessing. But no. he is digging
into his savings to pay upkeep and Did
ing his time until the Government pol
icy has defeated itself. The only rellet
the state has granted him Is freedom
The renters have to supply the furnace
themselves. either by committee action
or by paying the laKilord the price OF
the coal
The policy OF the Government is the
result OF fear Should rents go up to
anything like world market prices nine
tenths of the population could not pay
the bill The whole wage scale is fig
,ired TO a cheap rental. If rents rise.
~. tnavaaGa1 in
two branches, but universally. And that
means another series OF fights between
groups and individuals another series
OF strikes, another struggle against the
exploitation OF the situation by prof.
iteers The state prefers to keep the
capital OF the landlords working at
loss for the capital of the employers. IT
is safer for society. at least for the
present.
The renters have formed league
which embraces a strong representa-
tlon of all apartment house tenants.
And this league is aggressively resist
ing every concession 10 the landlords.
II has able paid leaders, and as a body
tho householders have political power.
Tnev have no trouble keeping on the
alert The average German city resi-
dent Is too close TO bankruptcy to bear
paying his landlord another pfennig. IL
does not bother MN tnat INC iahuioiu
capital Is working at loss, or that
10000 home hunters are on the waiting
list or that nobody will erect new
houses without a guaranteed profit on
the investment
The end Of the story is yet to be
written. But an end must come. unless
the population stops increasing or more
houses are built. AZ present 1t Is a
situation OF bitter hatred. The land
lord, the tenant and the house hunter
are caught in n pcrplexing confusion
OF passions The girl at the housing
Office shakes her fist at the tired OF
fetal In the yellow stained uniform, the
league Of renters goes on calling mass
meetings. the landlords go on writing
letters to the newspapers and paying
for upkeep out OF their savings. or re-
fuse TO. and let the one time famous
Berlin apartment houses grow dingy and
unkempt