VAGABONDS CONGRESS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 90, 12 October 1929, Page 20

VAGABONDS CONGRESS

TO BE HELD IN VIENNA

Vienna, which is the scene every year of more'and more literary, scientific, and commercial international eongr.esses,:willbe --honoured-in 1930 with a congress .of an unusual: kind-T^tbat of the Tramps'. International. (says the Vienna correspondent of the London ' < Daily Telegraph »?)._■ ■"Weary Willies'' of. all nations will rest—if the police do not jpreveh.tVtb.tein—for three daj-s at "least'in the "Waltz Capital." The organ Of Austrian and 'German/- tranipdom prints the following-notice in; its last issue:—":Pasa the word.-Pass the paper! The nest Vagabond1--Congr e ss will be held at Whitsuntide, 1930,' in Vienna. Don't let anyone put you off the scene; in" all'circumstances ;we shall confer in Vienna-during the .Whitsuntide of 1930!'' --:- ■■'

" "The' Free' Sons of."the Free-High-way,'' a-s.-the.loosely organised, tramps style themselves, held their first "International Congress last April ;.at Stuttgart..,: The -Vienna .police have already iput themselves into communication- with the r y Stuttgart police ,to learn to what extent Stuttgart found the presence of the. ."knights, of the road", undesirable. V ..-.'...

A member of. the .organisation—who [thinks it;wiser' on several .counts to r.e-j main anbnymous-^has " been talking"i about the congress plans. "One of the Stuttgart organisers," he said, "is coming here to open a bureau on the lines of those run by the big international ..jcongresses...... ._,lt_. will not be exactly * open?—l heed :: haTdiy BayCthsvt we shall not announce the address-^----but somewhere in the Brigittenau dis-; trict there will be someone in a com-' mon lodging-house '.from whom: all thfei 'Free Brothers'; can get-'the necessary; information." We "know the" authorities! will not extend a civic (or any other!, sort) of ;welcomo to us, but-we are; obstinate,Cand will secure.bur aims." ';■'';

Whether the business paper will ii£: elude such subjects as "The effect off the war. on, the-ponurioushess of country: households"-; or. "The ■ Problem.- of the Alsatian" is not announced. It .would seem to be reasonable) that some delegate should put tho. question, ""When is a tramp not '■■&. Hrainp"" and that the true, knights., of the road should: return the answer,' "When: ;ho becomes 'organised' and: commits himself- to the slavery of a 'congjosa'.?.'. „.:'..: ..j| ,The ; .^'hoboesf' —tramps of America; —hold.regular yearly-congrbsVes knowp as conventions-."- ; '-They.begin ill soboi'1 fashion, but as the days.wqar-,on they degenerate into .drunken... frenzies, cul-' minating in killings. " "