Evening star., 1921-10-21
NIGHTMARE LIFE
RE|GNS IN Berlin
Residents Eager to Spend
Money Before It Is
Worthless.
IN RUSH FOR BARGAINS
Expensive Automobiles and Jewel
ry Being Purchased by tho
Wealthy.
BY GEORGE WITTE.

By Wireless to The Star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright 1921.
BERLIN. Germany, October 21.-Al-
most overnight life in Germany has
become a nightmare. The tempera-
ture of the German people Is close to
los degrees. and their actions are
alarmfngly feverish. They appear as
though they do not know what they
are doing or what Is being done to
them. They see Germany going to
the dogs" like Austria. and are hor-
rif1ed at the prospect that Berlin may
become a second Vienna, OF whose
misery they are hearing realistic tales
worthy of Edg Allan Poe or Feodor
NJ. Dostoyevsky.
The common people have lost faith
In the government and its money, and.
believing that paper marks will be
worth nothing at all within the next few
get something material for their
scraps of paper" Whether they in
vest the savings of lifetime in a
piece of real estate, the taxes on
which are innumerable. or in score
of umbrellas. a set of dishes or other
things quite as trivial seems to make
no difference to the people. When
asked why they buy such things they
merely shrug their shoulders and say:
''Heaven knows what will happen
nothing we at least have something
to show for the funds we intended to
save for a rainy day"
Department Stores Bought Out.
Whole department stores are literally
being bought out by the middle and
poorer classes, while the wealthy invest
their money in jewelry and automo-
biles. Just as sign of the present
time it may be mentioned that the
newspapers of Germany in the last few
days have carried more advertisements
of expensive automobiles than ever be-
fore in the history OF the country. A
salesman of one firm tells me that in
side Of a week more than 400 orders
motor cars costing anywhere from
100000 to 100000 marks approximately
$4,000 to $4,000 at current exchange
rates).
If the present panic continues and the
value Of the mark keeps decreasing
Berlin may soon lose It's claim to be
one of the worlds greatest cities. Just
as Vienna did two years ago.
The other side of the picture-the
side Of the foreign visitors-is just the
opposite.
Taxi Needed In Cashing Draft.
Americans-and many Of them have
arrived in the last few days-who have
come here with a draft, say for 81 900,
have to hire taxicab to take the marks
with them from the bank to their hotel
If they cash the draft. One hundred and
eighty thousand marks in 100 or even
1000 mark notes make big armful and
nobody dares to cross the street with
that much money on him without
guard Today 81, 900 in American money
is fortune for the average German.
The ordinary German business man or
shopkeeper does not yet seem to realize
the great depreciation in the value of
the mark. and, Americans. Englishmen,
Scandinavians and others whose ma
tional money is anywhere near normal
are buying heavily in Berlin.
Berlin at the present time is to for
eigners what Warsaw, Vienna, Riga and
other large east European cities were
directly after the armistice. 1t Is just
ono grand bargain sale, with men and
women In a mad rush to get real bar
gains.