Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-11
THE ABROAD

THE American tourist had oet-
1 ter stay at home. He was al
ways overcharged in Europe. but
returning visitors say that since the
war in all European countries. ex-
cept Great Britain. they are charged
three. or four times the price ma
tives pay for goods or services.
The New York Daily Times says:
How to milk the "valutastrong
Amerikaners" is engaging not only
the national government but the
governments of federated German
republics as well as municipalities.
Bavarians have temporarily solved
the problem by trying to charge
| Americans and other "valutastrong'
outlanders two or three times what
a German pays. In the Prussian
parliament, when it reassembles. a
proposal will come up to charge
foreign visitors to Prussia a visi-
tors tax, to be fixed in gold marks
and collected at the pre-war rate Of
exchange. The tentatively proposed
charge is four gold marks per diem.
Visitors, therefore, are to be
charged ST daily for the privilege
of spending their other dollars in
Prussia.
At the same time acutely sharp
ened control of foreigners in Ger
many, particularly Berlin, has set
in. Americans as we'll as others
who look unlike Germans are from
now on subject to being stopped
by the police in streets, restaurants
and other public places as we'll as
being Investigated in hotel bed
rooms by the "Fremden Polizei,"
specialized watchers of foreigners.
1t looks as if Germany is trying to
kill the tourist goose that lays the
golden eggs.
The policy of the German govern
ment, German shopkeepers and
German hotelkeepers, according to
a special dispatch to the Chicago
Tribune, "is based on the idea of
making foreigners, especially Amer
leans, pay the German reparation."
AS for the basis for such a belief,
says the correspondent:
This is the statement, not only
of numerous Americans who are
thronging The Tribune's Berlin
bureau with protests, but it has
been confirmed by many American
diplomatic and consular representa-
tives, who have frequently informed
the state department at Washing
ton and asked Intervention.
Today there appeared on the bull
letin board of the American o n
sulate general in Berlin, as well as
in all American official buildings
throughout Germany, an official
warning to Americans telling them
not to make purchases in Germany
on account of the German system
of holding up Americans in Bremen
and Hamburg, as we'll as at inland
frontiers, taking the goods from
them and filming them heavily.
This is done under the German
law demanding from so to 200 per
cent taxes. payable to the govern
ment on all articles for export.
Throughout Germany the consu-
lar offices are piled with protests
from Americans, claiming that the
s~hopkeepers informed them it was
not necessary to pay the export
tax, whereas the customs officials
confiscated their cameras, opera
glasses, clothes, baggage and valu-
ables. The consular warning reads:
Numerous complaints have been
received that goods purchased in
Germany by Americans have been
frequently confiscated at the bor-
ders, and in addition heavy fines
imposed. In one instance an Amer
lean was fined SIS for attempting
to take out opera glasses costing
SIS. The consulate has taken up
these cases with the German au-
thorities, who inform it there is
no redress.
"Therefort it appears it is ad-
visable for Americans not to pur-
chase goods in Germany for export.
1t is impossible to rely on the word
of the German shopkeepers. who
state that the merchandise can be
exported, inasmuch as it has been
found that in every Ease reported
to the consulate the shopkeeper
informed the purchaser that the
export prohibition was non-exist-
ent.