San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-23
By MAMMALIAN HARDEN.

DIV M1AMlLlEA-N I1i1enEl&Ns
Copyright. by the San Antonio Light.
Berlin, Sept. 22.-"We in America
don't know the real conditions in Ger
many.
"One traveller returns and reports
that Germany is flourishing.
Another reports that she is on the
verge of starvation.
I'VE would like an accurate state
ment of the condition of the various
classes today"
The above is typical of queries
reaching me constantly
. The answer is that both travellers
are partly in the right and both are
partly wrong.
The fact that the dollar was worth
50,O00,OO0 papeo marks in Cologne
on September II, and only 100000
600 in Berlin, where the rate is kept
down artificially, might serve as an
answer.
But, believe that the variance in
the reports is due simply to the fact
that the different travellers visit diff
ferent sections of Germany.
One need only TO quote the news
paper headlines Zach day to paint the
gloomier side of the picture.
A Berlin lawyer starves to death.
A solicitor takes job as waiter.
Young students of medicine. law
and theology work as errand boy, or
dig potatoes.
A veterinarian is forced to sell his
motorcycle on account of the high
taxes.
The sister of one of the most noted
painters of the last gener; lion goes to
work as charwoman.
An advertisement seeks partners
with capital" TO buy a pound of horse
flesh.
Investigations in the industrial dis
tricts show that nearly all the chill
dren are under-nourished and that 40
to 30 per cent Of them have tuber-
culOsis.
Such facts could be repeated by the
hour. but they do not illuminate the
whole situation.
Farmers Better or.
The farmers, who constitute between
two and three-fifths of Germany's
popula tion. are better off than ever
before.
They want for nothing.
They have paid off their debts with
ridiculously deprecated currency
| while selling their products at exor-
bitant prices.
They have been able to store up
supplies for years ahead and even buy
luxuries.
Anxiety is only now beginning TO
visit them.
The hastily enacted tax laws re-
quire such enormous sulls of ready
| money that many of the smaller farm
ers may be unable to plant their fields
next spring.
These taxes were to have brought IN
by September 1, $4,000, 0OO, 900
marke.
But the government was compelled
to pay out two-thirds of this sum n
whole week earlier, 70 civil service
employees, who drew three months
salary in advance.
! Thus the state assumes the risk of
further depreciation o the mark
while its employees are enabled to buy
stocks and make profits from which
they are guaranteed against loss by
depreciation of the currency.
These officials 'nerally receive sal
aries equivalent to the pre-war fig
ures.
Organized working men and clerks
can exist on their pay but they must
exist without meat, milk, butter or
tea and they cannot fLy new cloth
ing.
Domestic servants are rhaps bet
ter fed-although meat his Become q
rare delicacy "ven in many of the fin
est homes-but they are much worse
paid.
A yirl whose monthly wage was TO-.
100000 marks today finds that this
will just cover five street car fares
How can cook renew her ward.
robe when n pair of stockings costs
3o.0OO.O00 marks and kit'hen apron
40,000,OO0?
Sad Fate OF V idlws.
The sad fate of widows, head work
ers and persons living on pensions oil
the income from investments, had beer
reneatedly described.
Typesetters frequently receive NOR
than editors.
= The "Mensa Academic4,- whicl
] was formerly maintained BY the uni
$ verSlties for poor students. now is
: lite-saver for three-fourths of th
: whole student body.
2 hut the man who visits German
and 'eturns to America 10 talk abou