The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-20

man properties. making small cash
payments and giving notes in marks
for the balance. Their dents de-
creased az the mark fell and as a re-
suit they have secured this real es-
tate for a song little more than a
wear age when the mark was zoo or
zoe to the dollar, the Germans
thought it had reached bottom but
the Russians said it should have been
some thousands to the dollar long
before that and they made their
speculations accordingly.
These Russians stick together and
form little community of their own.
When asked about soviet RUSSIA they
will throw UP their hands and tell
YOU of the hardships they have un-
dergone, saying they believe bolshev-
ism will soon disappear and Russia
be again on its feet. They patronlze
their own theatres and concerts
where the language Is RUSSIAN they
applaud the Russian actors and sing
ers and still live. as 1t were, in the
land of the Gar.
Russia and Germany.
The Russians and Germans nave
closer business relations than many
people imagine. The Krupps are
manufacturing agricultural machin-
cry for Russia, and nearly every
other large factory l have visited mas
more or less Russian trade. The Bor7
sig works in Berlin are making loco
motives and cars for the soviet rail-
ways. and some German capital is be-
Ing invested in Moscow and Petro-
grad l spent some time In Russia
before the World war, and found
than that my German carried me
farther thany any other language. [
met German merchants in nearly
every city, and in many cases they
had intermarried with the Russians
and established permanent homes.
The Germans have always given
longer credits to the Russians than
have the merchants of any other ma
tionality, and as a result they have
made for themselves a large place In
the economic and mercantile life of
the people. All this was destroyed
by the bolshevists, but the tangled
threads still exist and II a stable
Russia should come they may be
Strengthened out into the live wires
of an international business.
The German-Russian Peril.
Indeed a business combination of
economic possibilities of the far flu
ture. There are sixty million Ger
mans and one hundred and eighty
million Russians, or more than two
hundred and forty millions in all. The
Russians are Industrious. They learn
new TRADES QulChly anu as IHiildtolS
are equal TO the Japanese. The Ger
mans are experts in science and bust |
ness organizations, and in build
ing up foreign trade. If the two
should work together 1t would seem
they might accomplish the economic |
mastery of the world, especially as
Germany has all the outlets by sea
that Russia needs, and Russia the
enormous resources, agricultural and |
mineral, and the great labor forces
which can be so well explained by
Germany. AS I write this I hear that
the Krupps have leased $4,000 acres
in the Don region for 36 years, which
they intend to develop with machin-
cry made at Essen. The territory is
to be colonized by Germans and the
Krupps agree to bring in onehalf of
the workers. The land cannot be let
rent is to be paid in kind. giving the
Russians from 10 to 10 per cent OF
the harvest.
Tho New Berlin.
The rapid growth OF tho population
is crowding Berlin to bursting. The
city has been underbuilt for years
and at no time has 1t been more
crowded than now. Founded almost
two hundred years before Columbus
discovered America, 1t had only 5000
at the end of the Thirty Years war,
and only 10000 when Frederick the
Great came to the throne. At the
time of our Civil war it had half a
million, and when tho Germans con-
quered the French in 1870 1t was
larger than the Boston OF today The
big indemnity received from France
gave 1t a boom. and since that 1t
has steadily grown until it now Is by
far the largest city on the continent
of Europe.
ty, the bad currency and the So
cialistic rent laws. buildings are GO
Ing up in different parts of the city.
and many of the large structures
are being heightened to accommo-
date the business and living condi-
lions. More than so years ago 1t was
said that 500 families Were without
shelter and when the Franco -Prus-
sian war closed something like 500
families were living in public build
ings. About the time Kaiser Will
helm came to the throne / made a
Berlin. The town then had about
100000, and there were tens of
thousands living in cellars. l was
told that less than 5000 heads of
families had at that time a whole
house to themselves. and from then
on the crowded conditions have
steadily increased.
Berlin is a city of apartment
houses The buildings are usually
of five or six tories, .slSy-scrapers
DtiliG IpI blduSH ny the Hu0lC1DaI
regulations. In the Easements one
often finds cobblers. butchers, and
grocerymen, while in the courts on
the ground floor every Imaginable
business goes on, families living in
narrow quarters and working at
trades for their living. l remem-
Der one house in which / found 400
families, comprising almost 1000
people. The building covered half an
acre and it was only five stories
high.
How The City Is Changing
Everywhere one goes in Berlin he
finds evidences of the revolution
brought about by the war IN the
times of the Kaiser the sky line of
almost every street was even
throughout. The city regulated the
height of the buildings, and one
could not build a dog kennel without
sending in the plan and specifica-
tons To the municipal architects.
Today they are adding stories in all
parts of the town and some of the
streets begin to look like the ragged
teeth of 10year-old boy The
Deutsche bank, which covers some
thing like ten acres of ground has
until now been only five stories high. /
but it cover ed with scaffoIding and
they are raising the roof for addi-
tiona room. Similar building goes
on everywhere Tho town is trying
to lift itself as ii We're by the boot
straps and is gradually rising into
the air