The Alaska daily empire., 1921-10-11
GERMANS AFTER
 AMERICAN CASH

American has dollars, but every Ger man has" This is a remark of a German statesman at the signing Of peace with the United States recent ly in Berlin, according to a leading international banker who has just re turned from an extensive trip abroad. It signifies the extent to which Ger mans-even the peasant classes have been speculating in American exchange.
 Speculation in exchange and se- curities continues unabated through out the former empire," the banker continued It's extent is beyond com prehension to one who has not seen it. For long period the Berlin Bourse closed every other day, to permit clerical forces of brokerage houses to catch up with work.
 Business Turned Away s,e
 Brokers refused to accept orders after 10 o'clock for execution that day, having been so rushed that they have been compelled to turn away volumes of business. Certain brok- CTS do not accept orders for less than 5000 marks, while with others the minimum is 5000 marks. In many cases banks have been obliged to make payments, other than the regu- lar brokerage commissions, for prompt execution of orders.
 Even branch offices of brokerage houses encounter difficulty in plac- ing orders with their home offices. of town receives orders to purchase stock only to learn that their main offices are too busy to handle the business They are then obliged to place the orders with any firm that can execute them Many sales of se- curities are made outside of the ex- change.
 'As fast as many~AGermans make money they turn it into foreign ex- chance or securities. This is usually done with either of two intentions, first to prevent losses from further depreciation of marks, and, secondly the mad desire to make money on an upward movement in the stock mar ket. There has been continued up- ward movement in stocks for year and a half. When the bubble bursts it is difficult to tell what may hap pen.
 Banking Business Affected
 Ranking business has been affect ed by the wave of speculation. One must wait in line for two or three hours for the withdrawal of funds from any of the four principal banks Clerical staffs of banks, like those of brokerage houses. have been obliged to work long into the night during the past few months
 Consensus of leading German bankers and economists is that the allies must moderate the reparation terms or force Germany into bank ruptcy, if she has not already reach ed that stage There is desire on the part of Germany to meet any req sonable terms, but beyond that it is feared she must soon default.
 Conditions In France Good
 Industrial conditions in France and Belgium are splendid. There is scarcely trace of the trenches; in their places are highly cultivated farm lands. Wheat Is stacked high for it has been a good year for wheat in France. Furthermore, there is little evidence of unemployment. According to official figures issued a short time ago there were less than 3S,OO0 unemployed in all of France and more than 30,00O of this num- Der were in Paris. This presents a practically normal state of affairs.
 Have Germans lost faith in their currency? Not one bit. Most of the recent large offerings of marks by Germans was for purely speculative purposes and not because they had lost faith in the currency.
 Just now Germany is enjoying un- precedented prosperity and at pres ent quotation of mark can urdersell every country in the world. Her iron industries have been particularly fortunate in securing large foreign orders. while her textile industries. in certain lines, are booked to ca pacity through the spring of 1922 and are actually turning business away.".