CONFIDENT BERLIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16026, 18 September 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

CONFIDENT BERLIN.

TAXI-CABS REDUCED. v , NUMBERS OF% YOUNG MEN. .Of late there has been somewhat of a cessation of descriptions of life in Berlin and other leading German cities. It was felt, perhaps, that everything that could be said had been said. However, I -find in the Gazette de Lausanne, always a paper very well disposed to the allies, writes,' a correspondent in the Morning Post, a description of life in Berlin today which is so. interesting t-hJt I feel I must quote it in part and summarise the remainder. Berlin, I ought to remark, has since the war been a kind of show city, the one which Germans are most i anxious" to show to foreigners, and also! the one which, judging by the unanimous j testimony of those who have visited both j it and other parts erf Germany, sHows j least change outwardly owing to the war. The writer in question left. Switzerland for Berlin on June 30 last. On presenting himself at Zurich station to buy a ticket, the booking clerk handed him a circular ■which he had just received from the frontier, dissuading anyone from attempting to enter Germany, owing to the severe frontier' regulations and difficulties in general. Nevertheless, having important business in Berlin, he courageously ■boarded the train for the frontier, and reached Gottmadigen without any worse experiences than being bombarded with questions by German subalterns, and the notification that "Yon cannot return to Switzerland till further notice." Passports were very severely examined, luggage much more summarily.. At Singen the traveller took a "D"' train," running as fast as in peace time, and with a restaurant car attached, where a good meal was obtainable for Mk.3.50. Anyone, lie remarks, acquainted with the countryside would . immediately have noticed that a great deal more land was cropped this year than in previous years, corn growing up to.the very railway line itself. At. 9 a.m. the train arrived in Berlin, where the traveller went about his business absolutely as at ordinary times, save that, within eight hours of his arrival, he was obliged to present himself at the police office to have his passport stamped. Heje he was informed that,, when he wished to leave, he must notify his intention to do so 24- hours I beforehand, but otherwise he spent 20 days in Berlin absolutely without molestation. , Naturally curious about the present state of feeling in the German capital, he was not long in ascertaining it to be more confident than ever in view of the i Galician victories and the Russian retreat. ! Leave us a few weeks more,' was the

/general trend of opinion, "to finish off t-tie Russians, and then we will: send a few million men to France, and before the witner all will be over. Our lines against France have been for some months reduced to k minimum, but, despite all their efforts, the. English and French Have not been able to force them, so they won't be able to hold out when we Sttaek.-them in force." , . , . Vi"'*--'* " v.' .S" ' Profitable Patriotism^ The , Berliners, says the • • writer, are adaptable 'and : hava a " keen ' eye to the main ■ chance. Consequently many have contrived to turn even their patriotism to excellent account, serving their country well and .at the same time not being in any way losers themselves. The Jewish element lives fully up to its reputation, and many a man who has not gone, to • the ' front rubs -his hands'and says that >" as far as he is concerned the war can go on for some years to come yet." , s Everyone lives on " Heeresliferungen"— army, contracts;and; apparently ? everyone can find remunerative employment. {This • must bo compared with ' statements " in Social Democratic newspapers.) "The money circulates," said a -banker, "but it doesn't leave the country, so that everyone has", the benefit of it. The cafe proprietors and restaurant-keepers " will never . have 'had such , a • season, as this , year's, -because no one is going to Ostend, Scheveingen, or Swiss resorts." , : V< .~, TUe writer found the train and tram "services punctual, but less frequent in their . running than formerly. : r Women act as conductors.- Work ' upon 5 the North and South' . Metropolitan Railway, ' begun' in peace time very ' large - undertaking i is . proceeding. normally, . and the number: of men employed on it would ■ seem to ""point to "'there being still, large untapped reserves in Germany. ." The., number of young, able-bodied men met everywhere in Berlin, in the streets, the cafes,, restaurants, .theatres, bars, etc., is ; remarkable." i There are, , besides, a great many soldiers on leave, "which lends the principal streets always a festive appearance. All the soldiers * appear ■■ cheerful; they are de- i lighted to relate their exploits, despite' General Staff warnings, and the number of Iron Crosses is. legion. As other observers have noted, seriously wounded men seem for some reason or other to be 'kept away from Berlin, and what wounded are seen about the streets are mostly quite slightly injured. - >•-. As to food prices, the Keinpinski restaurant, whose great speciality was a dish of meat and vegetables for 90pfge., now charges MLI for this r while a well-known note*, whose 1Mk.3.50 luncheons were 'famous, is now charging Mk.4. The large grocers ~ shops were selling flour at 2opfge. and rice and, macaroni 60pfge. a half kilo, while bread was 45pfge. a kilo The cll «£ i sbortage seems to be in benzine, all of which is commandeered for the army, so that the 3000 odd taxi-cabs in use -now in Berlin (instead of about 12,000) have, to content themselves with benzol. vln y the large bazaars there seemed certainly less life than formerly. As far as the ~ writer . could ascertain 'the business done in May last was about 70 per cent of that , done in .May, 1914, and it has since fallen off to 50 per, cent. .Everyone, however. anticipates brilliant business so soon as' the war is over, and meantime everywho can possibly .do so is working for the army. . The Government, having so many offers, has become very particular as to what it accepts. It pays for everything by cashor * rather cheques on the Reichsbank. " . s V /s

Question of Annexation. Three days old French • Newspapers are eagerly bought, and read, and French can now be spoken in the streets of Berlin without the speaker being subjected to .annoyance, which was not the case six months ago*. , About 10,000 Russians, men and women, are said'to be still living in Berlin, and to be pursuing their avocations as usual. except for the obligation to appear at the police office twice daily* Berlin, in short, " is living as normallv as possible ; the people are earning a great deal of money, and from their standpoint have no reason to be anxious about the future.' One curious piece of information is given, which I reproduce for what it is worth:— generally well-informed person, says the writer. " who has spent several months in Brussels at the Government. headquarters, said to me: 'The heads °f affairs in the Empire are not thinkm K at all ° keening an vof the invaded territories, although 'public and one now that th?* f°- deceive a"vbe "" Cmd