The Washington times., 1922-10-05
ROYAL SUITE IN
VIENNA HOTEL
COSTS So DAILY
Domestic Servants Glad to Get
Fifty Cents Per Month, .
Writes Or. Reisner.
By THE REV. DIR. CHRISTIAN
F. REISNER.
Noted Methodist Episcopal Clergyman
of New York.
Written for Universal Service.

| Shuttefed most or the time.
Concerning the fear for the fu-
ture, the terrible effect Of cheap
money can be understood when II Is
remembered that three years ago a
dollar would buy rs kronen, two
years ago It would have bought $50
and only one year ago only 1000.
| The prices are low, but are raised
| quickly at various times because
money is so worthless. American
dollars will buy almost anything.
The government now distributes this
currency.
The people are selling their beau
tiful housefurnishings at the govern
ment pawn shop. An elaborate suite
Of four immense rooms in gor-
geously furnished princes palace
! 1.-THE walls contained several Gobleins
| tapestries) is rented by an Ameri-
can organization for 81 a day.
| The Standard Oil Company could
not secure or rent a building 50 II
rented an old palace with all its fur
nishings of a leading general or the
| late army. A friend told me OF an
apartment house that in pfe-War
days brought $1,100 a year income,
now nets but 81 year.
There are forty thousand families
in Vienna without any place 10 live.
None can be elected for non-payment
of rent. That works a terrible hard
ship on the small property-owner.
In Royal Suite.
we-four Americans-were as
signed the royal suite in the best
hotel, consisting Of reception hall,
leading into a marvellous reception
room draped with glorious red
brocaded silk hangings, real lace
curtains and furniture, an exact
duplicate of that seen in palaces,
and two bath rooms with four
single beds and two bath rooms.
We have no suite equal to II in a
New York hotel. We paid 81 a
day for each Of us, or IS day
for the whole suite. Our railroad
fare cost US 35 cents a piece TO
ride from o'clock at night TIL
IL the next day. From lnnes'
bruch to Vienna. The sleeping car
cost us $2.l5 piece because a
French company owns them.
An old Jew Of fine artistic gifts
showed us some antiques as rare as
I have seen. He has collected them
for years and now he has them
locked in old chffoniers In his
small store and would lose them
all IL the building burned for he
can carry no insurance. He told
me that in this way he kept his
savings of years which he hopes
to cash in when things are settled.
He named such Americans as the
late Governor Francis, OF missouri
John Wanamaker and Henry
Morgenthau for whom he had gath
cred treasures in other daYs.
But he runs close to the edge
now and barely ekes out an exist
ence The Austrian government for
tunately will allow no antiques TO
he taken out of the country without
specific permit OF course Italy
came in and took many Of the finest
paintings from her galleries. The
dozens of empty frames hang vacant
on the walls as a silent and pathetic
protest.
Ownership a Question.
2 The government is making every
effort to preserve the beautiful
grounds surrounding the palaces
turning them into parks for the
people and charging a small amount
TO see the unmatched beauty OF the
decorations. Some of the palaces
are kept for show places, others are
used for various ministers OF the
government The future disposition
of ownership is still in debate. AL
the countries cut off from Austria
are making claims for them.
They want the assets but moi
the debts.
For example, most of the civil
service employees of the government
had their headquarters in Vienna
These are now thrown on the Aus
, trian republic for pensions and EN-
ployment; the sliced-off nations dc
not want them.
One q our own government rep
resentatives told me that old fami
lies pay servants two cents u
month and food. He said:
I'VE pay our domestics so cents
month and have the enmity Of
our neighbors for paying so much
Our wash woman is overjoyed tC
get 900 kronen or about two cents
day"
J The street car conductor is wei
Maid. He has 100000 kronen
month to feed his family-that Il
; less than Sc. And bread costs
cents a loaf, lard 20 cents n pound
, meat S to 6 cents pound and
can of condensed milk 81 cents
shoes cost $1.2S and = suit o.
clothes SO OF course these ar,
not the best.
Yes, the people do play in spit,
Of all the uncertainty, the starVa
tion and the danger Of revolution
II Is we'll that they do.
They have a kind of Coney 1slanC
which adjoins one of their park:
and extends for blocks. Less thar
a third of the amusement places
here. however. are open. Tables
. seating thousands are unoccupied
Rut a few people wander about
! throwing balls at lodging figures
shooting at clay pipes and, ridinE
on the figure eight" with screams
!. Of excitement. They advertise
American jazz in a few places but
one secs very little dancing. Ther'
!, is almost none in Germany, Austria
or Hungary.
Music Is Beautiful.
The orchestras play lighter mus!c
than in Germany but it is always
beautiful and well rendered Il
must be remembered that this wa.
tho homo of Brahms, Mozart, Schu