The New York herald., 1921-08-14
EX-KAISER'S PLEA
OF POVERTY Anglers,
FOOD PRICES RISING
Germans Resent Bitterly
His Replies, Knowing lie
Got Enormous Sums.
LIVING CRISIS MENACES
Advance in Bread, Rents Going
Up and Wage Complica-
tions Chief Factors.
Special Cable TO THE NHw YoRK HERALD.
Copyright, 1891, by THE NEW YoGK HERALp

Copyright, 1891, by THE NEW YoRK HEaALD
New York Herald Bureau.
! Berlin. Aug. rs.
The former Kaiser's plea OF poverty
when he receives letters asking for
cash donations for various causes is
an incongruous contrast TO the dis
closures made by the German press
of the Kaiser's extravaganza and his
income in recent years. The increase
in the cost of living in Germany in
tensifies feeling of bitterness caused
by these revelations.
| The German public now takes less
sympathetic view of the Kaiser's
answers to begging letters which are
sent out in printed form stating that
the Kaiser notes with sorrow the
need described, but circumstances have
more than exhausted the funds avail
able for such purposes, and the rate
of exchange conditions are for the
management here positively annihilat-
ing, for one gets on an average four
Dutch guilden for 100 German marks.
so that as a result of the general in
crease in the cost of living in Holland,
too, hardly the most urgent neces-
stiles can be covered with the German
money"
| But the newspaper disclosures tell of
the, boarding of foodstuffs during the
war and of the payments to Doom since
At the end of the war the cellar of the
old palace overfiowed with white -four
| filling entire rooms besides. During the
revolution detachment of troops lived
on these stores for two months and a
surplus remained which was distributed
to hospitals.
| Even Water Shipped to Him.
An inventory showed that there were
20,600 Kilograms Of white flour, 1882
kilograms of sugar and trunks full of
luxuries. During military operations
food was sent to the Kaiser at the front
by special courier service. which in
cluded even the transportation of drink
ing water. The Kaiser's professed pow
erty conflicts with the known shipment
of money sent from Germany to the
| Kaiser.
An official of the German Treasury
Department estimated that the total
amount of money sent to the Kaiser up
to 1921 was 100000 marks. Part Of
this was from the family treasury and
40,000.o00 marks from the sale of the
Wilhelmstrasse property. The Kaiser
resented the Governments delay in ad-
vancing him money for the purchase
of his Doorn estate in August, 1919, and
threatened to return to Germany unless
the money was promptly paid.
The Governments ruling allowing an
Increase in the price of bread and in
rents will make even more difficult the
| intricate economic and financial prob
lens under which Germany is stagger-
ing, experts said to-day. To add to the
other difficulties with which the nation
has had to contend the extended drought
has done its share toward pushing up
the cost of living. the price of dairy
products and vegetables having been es-
pecially affected thereby.
Having read with CONSERVATION the
report of the National Bureau of Sta
tistics. which stated that the cost of
living had reached its highest point
since the war in July. for which the
index figure was fixed at 963. as against
\ sos in June and 924 the preceding jan
| uary, the German public received an
other jolt when experts expressed the
opinion that the new high figure is only
forerunner of what IS to follow
Another TussIe with Wages.
But the rise In the cost of bread and
rent will have an even stronger infiu-
ence on prices. and 1t is apparent that.
instead OF getting into quiet period OF
| work, Germany Is foredoomed to have
another national tussle with the question
of wages. The Government is already
anticipating this and has let the news
/ t1ot tho 70 iC a.
cussing a raise In the salaries OF all
State employees commensurate with the
| increased cost of living.
The possible hope Is that IL salaries
are raised now the Increase Will be
smaller than IL deferred. Even so X will
add a burden of several billion marks to
| the budget One reason for the rise In
the price OF bread Is to reduce the vast
outlay the Government has been sub
jected to for maintaining an artificially
low bread price. and now II is doubtful
whether the State will save more than
| II makes.
Permission is being granted TO house,
owners to increase their rents to sixty
per cent instead of the present thirty
DER cent over the peace time rate. This
Is the first slight relaxation In what has
been general throughout Central Europe
and which might be termed society's re-
venge against the landlords. Even this
relaxation falls far short of bringing
them justice, since living costs have gone
up about tenfold and gold values nearly
twentyfold an dthe renting out OF dwell
ings has proved a dead loss In most
cases. as the income from the rents
merely paid for the upkeep. But the
new increase on all house rents In con-
tracts renewed after June / means that
within year the cost OF living viii have
risen for virtually every renter I'm Ger
many. while the rise In the price of bread
from FIVE to seven marks kilogram
means an immediate shrinkage In the
purchasing power OF wages.
How far reaching the results viii be
very few political prophets are willing to
estimate But one thing seems fairly
sure that the great advantage In export
ing due to the fall In the mark will be
considerably diminished by the Increased
labor cost And another apparent fac
tor Is that labor will gradually reawaken
from It's political lethargy.
a~LIo o,,sc