The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-12-27
he has finally given up all hope
TO purchase direct from America.


TO purchase direct from America
Strangely enough" he said,
sit is possible for me to buy
small quantities OF pencils, inn
ported from abroad. from other
wholesalers here in Greece. But
the price is terrific. / know, from
price lists recently forwarded to
me by American manufacturers
that if / could import a reason
able supply, | could afford to sell
them in decent quantities and at
prices far below the present mar
kel..
THE same is true of other
articles, but / can't seem to get
the licenses required. There is
always delay. Apparently some
people can get the required ap-
prevails, but / can't. I was in
America for Is years, and know
that competition is the only way
TO produce a sound ECONOMY ANA
a decent standard of living
Prices for almost all merchan-
disc are extremely high and wag-
es very low, with the result that
Greece now has a small but very
wealthy rich class, poverty
stricken middle class and poor
class, who-even in some parts
of Athens-are very near starva-
ton. Initiation has run wild, and
all merchandise is priced in tens
of thousands of drachmai. A
workman (who before the war
considered 24O0 drachmai per
month a good wage) ROW receives
between 100000 and 100000 per
month, and still cannot afford a
pair of shoes, which may cost him
as much as 100000. His food
likewise comes high. full days
salary of 5000 to 5000 being the
price of ga pounds of butter.
The following case history of
one typical Greek: working class
family. taken from the flies of
the CARE office here illustrates
the conditions under which some
of these people live:
Mathews, father. born 1902,
workman, Koula, mother, born
1910 housewife; .4Anastassios,
brother, born 1885, pupil; Dime
trois. patient, born 1912, polio
myelitis.
Dimetrios had an attack of
poliomyelitis in l945, which re-
suited in, paralysis, Of his left
leg. Was taken TO the Children's
hospital, for treatments and la
ter to a Center where he is hav-
ing physiotaerapy. ~.
The father is q workfnan bat
has no regular work. He earns
very little mot enough to sup.
port one person. He was working
i'm fiefds. In Thrace where the
whole family used TO live and all
suffer from malaria as the place
has many swanaps, When war
broke out they were sent away.
They came 10 Athens and i've
i'm one room given them by the
fathers brother. This uncle can
not help them in any other way.
So the rom has one large bed
1 trunk, / table, . STOOLS and one
chair. q few ragged blankets on
the bed, a small charcoal stove
in the corner of The room com
piese the furniture. They have
no CLOTHES and are dressed in
very old ones. Their health
problem is the most serious one
as it is affected by the lack OF
food. They are undernoarished
while on the contrary malaria
needs special noarishing food.
a9e mother wishes 10 help her
family by. working but it is inn
possible. She is too weak to do
ANYTHING, even her household
duties she does with difficulty.
A relative of an American
Greek family with whom l tour.
ed Athens one day introduced
me 10 two Athenian office work
ers. whose homes are nearby his
own. Both are members OF up
Der middle class families, and
would in 4ror4nal times now ex-
pect to marry instea dot seeking
office work. Both are now en-
ployed as typists or telephone
operators by. the British Aid
Mission at .s5po. drachhai pei:
daN.- ! Nest Of their: incomes goes
to support their parents or MEM
bers of their families.
One of these girls, the daugh-
ter of we'll known musician,
has recently been contributing
to support of brother, now nos
nitalized as a result Of poor food.
and nlalnatrition. The cost OF y
hospital bed is 10000 drachmal
per day, with food, medicines
and medical treatment in addl-
ton. This girls income is COM
bined with those of her father
and mother, now principally TO
nav hospital bills. There Is SO
little remaining that the father
recently refused his legal num-
Der of ration coupons for cloth
ing. Even with the tickets !
can't buy a coat, as there isnt
enough money"
The other girls parents spent
rs years in the United states
where she was born, and they
.r..l o;<;1anS On re-