HOHENZOLLERN ESTATES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 22 October 1925, Page 7

HOHENZOLLERN ESTATES.

EX-KAISER'S CLAIMS. LON DON, Sep. b. Since hits hurried and undignified exit, from the Fatherland, the ex-Kaiser has always pleaded poverty, whether in replying to requests for subscriptions to German charities or in Ids dealings with the Dutch taxation authorities! Now, however (according to the special correspondent of the? Daily Chronicle), there is an excellent chance of hits becoming a. millionaire, in gold marks, about a thousand times over! And that is a 50-fold millionaire in pounds sterling. For seven years the King-Emperor, who ran away, has been waging an intermittent- but bitter war with the Prussian Government for the possession of a vast amount of highly valuable “booty.” The fight has gone on month alter month, year alter year; neither side would give way. 1 lien negotiations came to a standstill. • As no progress could he made, the oxlvai.se r carried a low of his claims regarding minor pieces, of properly, to the Prussian Law Courts, just to see what would happen. In every case lie won the day. Other Royal pci-onager in Gcimanv followed suit, with the same, to them, happy result. The exGrown Prime “had the law on” the Prussian Government regarding his big estate at Oofs, in Silesia. The loss of that case cost the Government about ■£15,000 in legal fees. The business, the authorities decided, was becoming rather too expensive. Other big cases were threatened, too So the Prussian Government decided to open up negotiations again. They are going on now—are, indeed, approaching a conclusion. When the Prussian Parliament assembles in a few weeks’ time it will he asked to sanction the agreement arrived at. an agreement which will mean that the Prussian State will hand over to the ex-Kaiser properties worth many millions of pounds. It is safe to say that never in history has a claim been made to such vast amount of property. The list

that property is as follows: Twenty palaces, castles, and other If oval residences, with grounds, valued at d 22.000.000 marks or .0 2d. 100,000. Fifty-one smaller castles and other I loyal residences, with the land attached to them, estimated to be worth 27 1. 000,000 marks, or £13,-TOO,OOO. Extensive estates, the actual area o. which is not fixed. Twenty-four palatial residences anti houses in the centre of .Berlin. Fifty-two large houses and' palacelike villas in Potsdam and neighbourhood. Five opera houses in different parts of Prussia. Fourteen extensive building sites in Prussia. The ex-Kai.ser claims that all these properties are his private and personal belonging**. The Prussian Government has held that the great .majority of them belong to the State. But, so fa., the Prussian Courts have upheld the royal exile’s claim, and on the follnwing grounds:— Pip to 1820 there was no diHereine in Prussia between State and Boy a I property; but after that date t-hc King was in most eases mentioned in all documents a.s the owner. Jn quite a number of instances, however, the matter of ownership is not at all clear, but, tbe cx-Kainer holds, the owner was presumed to be the King. Till 1918, the King had out of his t.u’ivy purse, to pay for the maintenance of the properties in question; lie bought many of the art treasures in the balances —none of which* have really any great worth or artistic) value; he received the revenues from the estates. Up to the year 1918 his rights were not disputed, and he claims that no law has been legally enacted to deprive him of his belongings.