Evening star., 1923-09-23
GERMAN SITUATION
| UNDER S|DEuGHTS
Harden Gives Both Sides Of
Picture as Taken by
American Tourists.
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.

b. Wireless to The Star.
BERLIN. September 22.-"we in
america don't know the real condi-
uons In Germany, One traveller re-
turns and reports that Germany Is
nourishing. Another reports that
she is on the verge of starvation.
We 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
S5o,00o,000 paper marks in Cologne
on September IL and only $4,000, 900
In Berlin, where the rate is kept
down artificially, might serve as an
answer. But / believe that the va
Rance in the reports is due simply
to the fact that the different trav-
eiers visit different sections of Ger
many.
Cites Newspaper Headlines.
One need only to quote the news
paper headlines each day to paint
the gloomier side of the picture.
Berlin lawyer starves to death. A
solicitor takes a job as waiter
Young students of medicine. law and
theology work as errand boys or dig
potatoes. A veterinarian is forced
20 sell his motor cycle on account of
the high taxes The sister of one
Of the most noted painters of the
last generation goes to work as char
woman. An advertisement seeks
partners with capital" to buy a
pound of horsefiesh. Investigations
In the industrial districts show that
nearly all the children are under
houriShed and that 40 to SO per cent
hox fsaf los trIl
facts could be repeated by the hour,
but they do not illuminate the whole
situation.
Farmers Not Suffering.
The farmers. who constitute be-
tween two and three fifths r. Co.,.
many''s population, are better off than
ever before. T:-~g want LOr ilo...a.....
They have paid off their debts with
ridiculously deprecated currency
while selling their products at ex-
orbttant 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 require such enormous sums OF
ready money that many of the smaller
fields next spring. These taxes were
to have brought in by September l
100000 100000 marks. But the gov
ernment was compelled to pay out
two-thirds of this sum a whole week
earlier to civil service employees, who
drew three months salary in ad-
vance. Thus the state assumes the
risk of further depreciation of the
mark, while its employees are en-
abled to buy stocks and make profits,
by which they are guaranteed against
loss from depreciation of the cur
rency. These officials generally re-
ceive salaries equivalent to the pre-
war figures.
Labor Lacks FOOdstufRs.
Organized working men and clerks
can exist on their pay, but they must
exist without meat, milk, butter or
tea, and they cannot buy new cloth
ing. Domestic servants are perhaps
come rare delicacy even in many
of the finest homes-but they are
much worse. paid. "A girl whose
monthly wage was ten million marks
today finds that this will just cover
Ave street car fares. How can
pair of stockings costs thirty million
marks and kitchen apron forty
million?
The sad fate of widows. head
workers and persons living on pen
Bions or the income from invest
ments has been repeatedly described
Typesetters frequently receive more
ca, which formerly was main
tanned by the universities for poor
students. now is a life saver for
three fourths of the whole student
body.
Fails to Consider Sources.
But the man who visits Germany
and returns to America to talk about