The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-01
HOW TOURIST FROM STATES |S EXPLOITED
Tells of One Doctors Bill Which EquaIed His House Rent for 176 Years and
 His Cooks Wages for
 Total of 45 Years
Ny FRANK c. CARPENTER Special Correspondent Birmingham
 Age-Hera1d)

ABe-Herat0t
 Copyright. Carpenters World Travels
 BERLIN. March 31.-I hear many complaints about the exploitation of the American tourist Certain hotels in Paris are charging as much or more than the best hotels in New York. Motor car travel Is every where quite as expensive as with us, and some of the hotels have one rate for natives and four or five times as much for the foreigner. The travellers who attendtd the Passion Play at oberammergau last year had indig- nant stories of tho oyercharges at Munich and the additional prices paid at the palaces and the picture gall leries. Here in Berlin there has been talk about a parliament act taxing foreign visitors 80 much per head. and 1t Is common belief that Amer jeans ought to help pay the German separations. Foreigners are some times charged more In the stores, and the law says that export duties of from 30 to 200 per cent must be paid on all purchases taken out of Germany, If such purchases are not declared, the tourist is fined and the articles may be confiscated as we'll. For instance, an American was re- gently fined $25 for attempting to take out an opera glass which cost him S5. The merchant who sold the glass told him the duty was paid, but when he made his complaint he could get no redress. Even paper bags are examined at the. customs frontier. and new shoes on one's feet and the hat on his head may be confiscated if not declared.
 Overcharees by Professional Men.
 The excess charges of dentists. doc tors and other professional men are a matter of frequent complaint, and there is no doubt that some of the . medical associations are making the foreigner pay all that the traffic will. bear. For ipstance, the doctors of new schedule, according to which for eigners have to pay more than the natives. Swedes are to be charged thirteen times the usual fee. the Swiss ten times. the French and Italians six times. and the English. Dutch and Americans, nine times. Just how they figure the Swedes and the Swiss as better able to pay than the Americans do not know.
 Until recently I have been prone to take all such statements with many grains of salt. I have not objected to paying more at the hotels and res- tauprants. for the food is excellent and still very cheap. nor to the tip expected, which is about 10 times that paid by the Germans. I have not ob- jected to the prices in the stores. for they are so low that one seems to be getting many articles for nothing, and when I pay IF cents to see a vaude- vile show that would cost me $2 in New York or Boston, or 50 cents to hear the best music in the world sung In the great opera house, it does not bother me that these half-starv- Ing Germans pay less. On the whole, it has seemed to me that foreigners are fairly well treated, and that this treatment will be continued. in all probability, when the excitement re- garding the French in the Ruhr has died down.
 Don't Get Sick In BerIinw
 Nevertheless, [ would give all tourists who are now starting for Europe a word of advice. This is-. Don't get sick in Berlin" And I might add, You had better keep well in the other cities of Germany" l base this on personal experience ] have had this winter with a Jewish physician of more or less note who was called in for me on the advice of his brother-in-law; to whom I had introductions. I shall not give his name.
 My illness came from a bad cold and fever which I had contracted in Latvia. and which carried with me to Warsaw, thinking it would soon pass away. I labored with it off and on for two weeks, having