Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-12-20
DANZIG NOTES
TRADE REVIVAL
Racial Enmity Is Forgotten
Amidst Prosperity.

DANZIG, Dec. 20-FoIlowing more than
two years Of commercial lethargy, Dan
zig as free city now shows signs of an
Industrial revival. The population Of the
city is mostly German, although the Poles
arc in the majority in the citys suburbs.
The two natiOnalities as Danzigers now
have a common interest, and racial pre-
JUDGES have been largely forgotten in
working for the municipal prosperity.
The port is governed by a hsrbOr
board, Of which five members are Poles,
FIVE Germans, while the chairman is a
Swiss. Should any point Of disagreement
arise which the chair cannot settle it is
referred to General Haking, the British
commissioner for the League of Nations,
whose decisions are usually accepted by
both sides without question The har-
hor board is concerned with the regula-
tion OF the shipping. the dredging of
the harbor and with such steps as may
lead to the extension of trade. Before
,he war Danzig was a great center for
the grain and sugar trade; gaunt ware
houses tower up to the sky, once filed
with sacks Of grain, and barrels Of
sugar, now all too empty. Already, how
ever, one feels the stir OF revivtng pros
perity; a civic spirit moves the Danzigers,
German and Pole alike, a mutual for
bearance and understanding have changed
the atmosphere Of the city.
POLISH STATE
RULES CUSTOMS.
The customs at Danzig are under the
control Of the Polish State, which also is
responsible for the railways running
through the East Prussian corridor. This
arrangement, the result of prolonged ne
gotiations between Poland and Germany,
has but lately been completed and, IL
is thought, will materially benefit Polish
trade The ambition of the city Is TO
rival Hamburg as a commercial port
already a cotton exchange is in being,
and were it possible to build a Dan5ig
mercantile marine the port would surely
revive the prestige and the wealth 1t
carried IN the Middle Ages.
But Danzig, like industrial Poland.
suffers heavily from the depreciation Of
the mark. Within the last month the
exchange has deprecated, and the iuctu-
ations are so rapid that it is impossible
for the business man to quote for the
dispatch of goods. as what may be a
reasonable figure on Monday may be a
bankrupt price on Tuesday. 1t is this
terrible uncertainty which hampers de-
velopment Of trade. The reasons for the
fluctuations are many, but the chief cause
is that millions of marks are in the hands
of SPECTATORS outside Poland. Quite re-
Gently certain German banks sold Polish
marks at a figure far below Warsaw
rates Of exchange, with the result that
the mark fell 1000 or 5000. Economists
insist that there is too large an issue of
paper money.
POLE Is NOT
WITHOUT DEFENSE.
On this count however, there is some
thing to be said for the Pole. The
check system is not in use, and it is
necessary to carry a large wad of notes
for the ordinary expenses Of daily life.
The notes are made of such fimsy paper
that after two or three weeks Of circu-
lation they literally fall to pieces, dis
migrating in the hand This means
thst so many millions of marks annually
disappear. which reduces the government
responsibility.
One Of the most interesting features
of the port is the camp for Polish i'm
migrants returning from America. Dur
ing the last seven months as many as
$4,000 have come back to their native
land 1 had long talk with a Polish
engineers filter employed in Pittsburgh.
He had come home to settle his wife
and family on a farm. When he had
bought the land he proposed to leave
II in the care Of his two sons. youths OF
sixteen and seventeen. They would look
after the family, while he went back to
the States to accumulate further saw
ings, which he would eventually invest
in Polish soil. typical American work
man In manner and speech, one realized
the strength of the feeling that brought
him back to the country he had left as
q boy. Americas a great place." he said
simply, but this is my native land"