Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-11-06
BERLIN PRICES
ARE CHEAP, IS
BIRD s REPORT
German Mark Drops and
American Tourists in Ger
man Capital Are Having
a Gala Shopping Spree.
BY WILLIAM BIRD.
Especial Cable 10 Morning JournaD
Copyright 1921 by Albuquerque JournaD

80, w.. An,oric,r +our-
Den IN, Wv -N'''e' -,
lsts-afld there are soou i'i'''I
who have been in Berlin during
the last few weeks nave at once
been blessed and accursed. Pflces
have been their great blessinG' ana
the walters strike their protouhd-
est source of woe.
Prices today in Berlln-on
gold basis, that is-are almost un-
believably cheap. THIS is due 10
the continued fail in the exchange
value of the mark. When / was
here only couple of months ago.
from sixty to seventy marks were
the best you could get Tor a dolIar,
Now the dollar rates are from IVY
to 200 marks, with WIG iluetua-
tions from day TO day.
Room mt the Hotei'
This simply means as long as
today9 quotatlons lasV that you
can buy nearly everything at Tess
than hair price II you nave aoiiars
to spend Your room at the hotel
which used to cost you 29o MARKS,
or perhaps ~ a DAY. Is sun zVo
marks, but those 200 marks nov
cost you at the eXchahge oillce
only about dollar.
Your lunch eleck' at a first clasS
restaurant may lnclude such lleills
as these: soup lS marks ~
cents); fish, 20 marks " ~
cents); roast with vegetables ~
marks t2o centD; apple TART
marks (3 cents).
Or take the VINE list some OF
the Berlin restaurants nave very
fine French vines that are almost
impossible to get in France. one
reason is that France mad seNeral
million well paid American SOL
diers on her soil for year or
more, and 1t is said that they
were prone to order the best wines
on the list, no matter what me
cost, especially on pay DAYS. lo1
frequently get quite inferior wines
in France at very superior prices
these days. But the Berlin cellars,
well stocked before the war. ars
well stocked today.
Wines Arc Cheap.
Two months ago these OH
French wines were dear Today
you get a bottle of superb old bor-
deauX or burgundy. of ineomnara-
BILE vintage for dollar or dollar
and a half. You could not touch
it in a French restaurant for less
than thrice that figure. with your
coffee (Which Is terrible in Ger
manyD you will require glass OF
fine old brandy to destroy tho
taste. The most you can pay at the
Adion--the best Berlin hotels
Is marks, or about 9 cents. drink.
Going through the shops, you
can buy your wife a fur coat for
$50 or $50 which travellers attest
would cost 5000 in New York. EX-
pensive gloves OF the latest mode
may be priced at 30 marks, or lees
than so cents, but that is high
you can get very nice ones for q
quarter. Jewelry is plentiful and
diamonds are procurable at half
the price, weight for weight. that
You will he charged in Paris or
Chicago. Perhaps the most re-
markable fact is that gold bags,
purses, cigarette cases and the like
are often to be found Just at the
present moment for less money
than their coinage value The
United States mint would give you
more than you paid for them.
Buyers Flock TO Germany.
The natural result of all this is
that buyers are floc'i ing into Ger
many and swapping M everything
in sight. This means that the
present price will not last long. AS
soon as the retailers perceive that