The New York herald., 1922-04-02
AMERICAN TOURISTS
HAILED And HATED
BY GERMAN PEOPLE
More Intelligent Welcome
Them, but Masses Regard
Them With Distrust.
FEAR HIGHER LIVING COST
See Value Of Dollar Daily Ris-
ing Until They Get to
Curse 1t.
FEAR HIGHER LIVING COST
Special cable to THE NEW yoRK HERALD

SpecinI CuDle 10 IHB NEW iuHk iiEkALn.
Copyright, 1922, by The NEW YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Berlin April /.
Mass, meetings were held in Munich
recently to protest against the presen-
tation of the Oberammergau Passion
Play. They were under the auspices
Of the Nationalist Socialist party, and
tie speakers tried to convince labor
that the Passion Play was going to
Increase the cost of living by intro
ducing tourist prices for food and
goods in Germany.
1t happens that the Nationalist
Socialists in Bavaria are not Social
lists but Nationalists trying to gain
foothold among the workers. The
protests against the Passion Play are
not expected to carry much weight.
but tEe incident is clothed with mean
ing for the 100000 or more Americans
who are expected to visit Germany
this summer for the first time since
the war.
The question whether Americans viii
he welcome guests in Germany can be
answered truthfuliy both in the affirma-
tive and the negative. Officially they are
welcome. and to all the psople here who
rave the faintest grasp on economic and
political facts they are doubly welcome.
for they will bring dollars into a dollar
depleted land and also the opportunity
TO reestablish friendships between Ger
many and the outside world. Such bene-
fits are not discounted by such Germans
because of certain obvious trials accom-
panying the presence of a large number
Of visitors.
T.
strong enough and economically edu-
Gated individuals not numerous enough
To make 1t possible to say that the stay
Of Americans will be free of annoy
ances. IL is so simple to tell Munich
workmen that the Passion Play in
creases the price OF their potatoes, and
to prove II with instances of Bavarian
peasants who are boarding potatoes TOR
the high prices that will be paid when
the tourists come. II is not easy to show
them how the presence OF every tourist
will help raise the value of the German
mark and how every stranger is pos
sible friend.
Begin 10 Hate the Dollar.
Americans in Germany already are
strangely stgmatized. Every day news
Iapers publish In black faced type the
evening quotation OF the dollar and
week after week the value of the dollar
rises and with 1t the cost OF living
here is a constant linking together OF
the dollar with the soaring prices. which
has its effect on the mind OF the man
In the street. Eventually he comes to
regard the dollar as the cause or high
iriccs and begins to hate the people who
exercise this baneful influence on his
own existence. Thousands believe that
hey are threatened with starvation be-
cause some incomprehersible power is
exercised by America to overwnelm
them.
Then, too. they read daily that Eu-
rope can only be saved by American
Intervention. Instead OF Intervention
the dollar rises and they have less to
eat. The foreign visitor lives at a good
hotel, dresses finely. eats at the best
restaurants. rides always in taxicabs
and pays so well that the shopkeepers
literally raise their prices just to cater
TO his trade. That at least Is the belief
os the man. in the street.
In one respect il is true Hotels pat
ronlzed by foreigners have raised their
rates to a point not far from the gold
equivalent, or at least close enough to
IL so that the German cannot afford to
take a room there. An American can
pay 1000 marks day for a room with
but the German can do 80 only IL he is
making his money in dollars Every
German turned away from hotels filled
with foreigners feels that the AUS
laender" are a danger to the fatherland,
and he must be philosopher OF the first
water TO be able to calm his nerves with
the thought OF the foreign exchange
that these visitors spend in this country.
To Buy Food Abroad.
The Government tried to cope with
the situation by enforcing rule that
foodstuffs for tourists must be bought
abroad and all domestic supplies saved
for the home population The case OF
Oberammergau is indicative of this. for
there the hotel keepers finally proved TO
the State authorities that they will feed
the guests during the summer without
using local stocks. They even went so
far as 10 invite German newspaper men
to the village and let them study the
arrangements. Shops. however. are not
SO easy to control. Some Munich shop
keepers either refuse to sell to for
e,gncrs or sell for 100 per cent. above
the market prices.
In the occupied regions the local au-
thortties resorted to this method to keep
ina foreigners from flooding over the
frontier and buying out the German
shops as n mercantile venture. thus leav-
ing German consumers altogether un-
protected. The failure OF this method
bow aver. Is that in normal cases Il
rnazes the foreigner feel that he has
been dcfrauded.
Many schemes both greedy and wise.
have been suggested for dealing with the
problem. one OF these schemes Is a gem
esal free for all exploitation OF foreign
Ars from which the native citizen would
Ia exempt by showing a card issued by
tbs local authorities tcstifying that ho Is
q resilient. Such a scheme was actually
proposed in the Munich city council but
has not yet been adopted The net re-
suit OF such plan would be that the
foreigner would leave more money IN
the country and so would help il.
Americans In Germany this summer
erc certain to encounter plenty OF such
patriots unless the Government finally
finds general remedy and induces an
entirely different attitude toward for
eign guests. Tho problem is being stud
In, but no solution has yet presented
ttaelf.