EUROPE’S RICHEST MAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 276, 26 October 1925, Page 8

EUROPE’S RICHEST MAN.

EX-KAISER’S ESTATES.

JUDGMENT IN EXILE’S FAVOUR. LONDON, Sept, 8. Since his hurried and undignified exit from tho Fatherland, tho ex-Kai-ser has always pleaded poverty, whether in replying to requests for subscriptions to German charities or in his dealings with the Dutch taxation authorities. Now, however, according to tho special correspondent of the Daily Chronicle, there is an excellent chance of his becoming a millionaire, in gold marks, about a thousand times over 1 And that is a 50fold millionaire in pounds sterling. lor seven years the King-Emperor who ran away has been raging an intermittent but bitter war with the Prussian Government for the possession of a %'asb amount of highly valuable “booty.” The fight has gone on month after month, year after year; neither side would give way. Then negotiations came to a standstill. As no progress could he made, the exKaisor carried a few of his claims, regarding minor pieces of property, to the Prussian Law Courts, just to see what would happen. In every case ho won the day. Other Royal personages in Germany followed suit with the same, to them, happy result. The exCrown Prince “had the law” on the Prussian Government regarding his big estate at Oels, in Silesia. The loss of that case cost the Government about £15,000 in legal fees. The business, the authorities decided, was becoming rather to expensive. Other big cases were threatened, 'too. So tho 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 lias a claim been made to such a vast amount of property. Tho list of that property is as follows: —Twenty palaces, castles and other Royal residences, with grounds, valued at 522,000,000 marks, or £26,100,000. Fiftyone smaller castles and other Royal residences, with the land attached to them, estimated to he worth 274,000,000 marks, or £13,700,000. Extensive estates, the actual area of which is not fixed. Twenty-four palatial residences and houses in tho centre of Berlin. Fifty-two large houses and palace-like villas in Potsdam and neighbourhood, live opera houses in different parts of Prussia. Fourteen extensive building sites in Prussia. The ex-Kaiser claims that all these properties are his private and personal belongings. The Prussian Government has held that the great majority of them belong to the State. But, so far, the Prussian Courts have upheld tho Royal exile’s claim, a.nd on tlio following grounds: —Up to 1820 there was no difference in Prussia between State and Royal property; but after that date tho King was in most cases mentioned in all documents as the owner; in quito a number of instances, however, the matter of ownership is not at all clear; but, tho ox-Kaiser holds, the owner was*presumed to he the King. Until 1918, the King had, out of his privy purse, to pay for the maintenance of the properties in question; he bought many of the art treasures m the palaces—none of which have really any great worth or artistic value; he received tho revenues from the estates. Up to the year 1918 his rights wore not disputed, and ho claims that I no law has been legally enacted to deI prive him of his belongings.