The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1940-10-11
Aga Khan, Worth
S800,OO0, 900, but Is
Strapped, Busted
Indian Potentate, Fabulous
ly Rich, Cannot Make
Use of His Wealth.
SWITZERLAND.


Worth $500, 900, OOO-but hard up!
The Aga Khan, reputedly one of
the richest men on earth, whose very
name stands for wealth, Lucullian
luxury and princely prodigality,
says he is broke, strapped, fiat, not
to say busted.
With his charming blonde French
wife and seven-year-old son, the fab
ulously wealthy Indian potentate fled
from France to Geneva to escape
the Nazi advance and now, unable
to get any of his money transferred
from banks in London, Paris, Bonn
bay and Cairo, the Aga Khan COM
plains:
eve are almost destitute What
is the use of having money if you
can't get it? With strict economy
we have enough to live on for a
year, but there can be no extrava-
gance."
Of course, the Aga Khans idea of
being destitute differs from that of
the average man. 1t is bound to
in view of the fact that his income,
in normal times, runs around S20,-
OOO, 900 year. Nevertheless, it is a
fact that he has been compelled to
sell his famous racing stable for a
mere half-million dollars, as well as
to cut his usual retinue of servants
and attendants in half, bringing it
down to skeleton staff of 20.
Like Being on Relief.
For the Aga Khan, that kind of
thing practically amounts to going
on relief. However, in the dark mo-
ments when he reflects on the dismal
state of his financial affairs, the In
dian potentate can take comfort In
the thought that, as long as the Brit
lsh empire survives, its rulers are
not likely to let him starve. This,
for the very good reason that, as
spiritual chief of 78,000,0 900 Ismain
Mohammedans, he is an invaluable
cog in the complicated machinery of
state by. which Britain maintains
power in India.
Further, Indian Mohammedans
are linked by religious sympathy
with the Mohammedans of the
Near East, where Britain is now
fighting life-and-death battle, and
the friendship of the Aga Khan can
do lot toward keeping these waver-
ing brown brothers on Britain's side.
So it can be safely assumed that
the Aga Khan's "strict economy"
does not mean that his diet will be
reduced to the point where the local
tallors will have to take a couple of
reefs in the Wristbands of his am
pie trousers. If such an untoward
thing should happen, it would be a
real and special tragedy to the Aga
Khan.
His Weight in Gold.
Part of the tribute his Mohamme-
dan followers pay him each year is
determined by piling gold bars in
a scale until they equal the Khan's
weight. This, for the past decade,
has never been less than 225 pounds.
Thus, even the loss of 10 pounds,
would cost him in the neighborhood
OF $4,000, so it may well be imag-
ined that he looks with apprehension
on the prospect of reduced diet.
Even if he escapes this night
mare, the present situation of the
Aga Khan contrasts sadly with the
golden days when he was the freest-
spending playboy of the Continent.
A man who controls the religious
thoughts of $4,000, 900 in India alone.
and of many millions of Moslems in.
other parts of the Near East is of
tremendous Importance to Great
Britain, as is his son and heir.
Prince Ali Khan. Father and son.
while aware of their power, have.
shown no apparent lack of loyalty.