The New York herald., 1922-10-22


per cent more for any article purchased"
In addition a tax is levied upon every pur-
chase. For hotel room, proprietor will
charge an American two or three times
the usual price. to which the German Gov
ernment adds tax of 80 per cent.
The basis for all high charges, accord
ing to the inhabitants. Is the fact that after
we have changed our money into German
currency the exchange yields Us so much
that the resulting prices need not matter.
II we were able to receive the full value
of the exchange this might be true to a
certain extent, but we have not yet been
able to achieve this.
An instance in point was encountered In
the largest hotel in Coblenz When we
went to the exchange Office to have some
French francs changed into marks We re-
eeived our money at the rate of SIS marks
for one franc. Later we found that we
should have received $50 marks for
franc. Reputable banks also suavely en-
gage In this sharp practice with the Amer
lean traveller, and then fully as suavely add
the Government tax.
Germans who pursue these exchange and
other premium practices have become
wealthy, almost to a man.
With respect to American soldiers, how
ever, the German is considerably more
careful. The reason for this Is that IL the
American authorities find that a bank or a
store is overcharging the men in uniform
they win prohibit all soldiers from enre,
ing the place. Consequently the proprietor
loses a profitable trade. Civilians, on the
other hand, lack this protection
The result Of the high prices and the
Juggling Of exchange money rates is that
living IN Germany for an American. far
from being as cheap as has been imagined.
is really more expensive than in parts of
France. The room that We had in Cob
lenz cost US the sum of 1900 marks per
night, or more than We had paid in Paris
for much superior room; for several
thousand more marks day we had. to be
sure. really excellent service
All these things. it appeared to US. are
directed to one end-that the foreigners
shall pay the German war debt. The par
tcular taxes which we run into every time
that we turn around are not for Germans
These they do not have to pay. Under
these conditions 1T can be imagined that q
Stay in Germany at the present time Is
often not the pleasantest of experiences
II may become. in fact. vexation. because
one is inclined to resent, whether fairly or
not. what appears TO be well denned
effort toward retaliation.
To the outside world Germany is penni-
less. Once on the inside, so far We have
been able to observe in the zone Of occu-
patton. the whole nation is indulging In a
whfrl of extravaganza and waste There
is no visible effort here toward economy,
or anything remotely resembling spirit of
repentance We had hoped for something
else. But as far as we personally see It
Germany has taken advantage Of the good
opinion of Americans.
There is one redeeming feature to all
this. 1t Is that many Of the simple Ger
man peasants really ike Americans. They
had our soldiers biIleted with them as part
Of the army of occupation and they learned
to know them thoroughly and to love them.
After all. the doughboy appears to have
been irresistible. no matter where he was.
We found this in Andernach. another
city of the American occupied area, in the
vicinity OF which the Third Division had
been quartered for a long period. Our
photographer had been in this city for six
months at this time and had lived in the
home Of an old German couple. He went
back to see them. and their joy at his
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