Life in Germany

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 88, 18 August 1923, Page 7

Life in Germany

INTERESTING LETTER FROM HAMBURG MERCHANT, An interesting insight into t!*o state of affairs in Gtixn;aj. is' gi v en in lettors recently received by Mr L. B. Hart, of Christy's arch. The writer is a Hamburg merchant in a big way Of business. He bad male

a lengthy business stay in New Zealand before tho war. Under date of October 14th last, ho wrote to Mr Hart: You will per haps bo astonished if I tell you that tho present times aro the worst we have exprieuced hero so far. Imagine the £ dropping, within two years, so that you pay £l5O for one . dollar! That is the position we are ; in, and I assure you that tho 80l- j shovism ig coming nearer and near- i er. The last coreal crop here was rotten, and, at tho present rate of exchange, there is no m/mey left for ; financing tho import of tho most necessary things. Thus this popula- j tion will go through a bad time this i winter, and * n empty stomach and I a starving family will make a 80l- j shovist of the most conservative man. ! Meanwhile, the big politicians go on j holding conferences and have nice dinners, until one day the 80l shevists hang them on the highest : lamp post, which all business men j will applaud. , As recently as Juno lC+h last the Hamburg merchant wrote : Just now I am without coal and potatoes, and of milk, wo only get half a pint a

[day. Tliis country is at the end of j its resources. In my own house I jhave only got tlireo rooms; tho rest jis confiscated by tho specialists in j favour of the so-called poor. Just i imagine what it moans, when one.Jias Ito share kitchen, lavatory and bath I with a workman's family with five ' children. It is a rotten state of ! things. Besides, the rents are ridiculously cheap, as they are paid in , marks and one is not allowed to turn ! the people out or ask hie-her rents than tho Socialists permit. I have various properties. In one of my office buildings a shipping company Ims some. .200 square yards (since 1890). They used to pay £SOO (M. 10 000), now the rents are put up 10,000 per cent. (M. 1,000,000) at to-day's exchange £2 10s per year. The residents of another house of mine (flats) pay now altogether M. 500,000 rent, and the other day I had repairs of tho loof and sanitary parts amounting to M. 8,000,000. Ail this is the outcome of the Socialists' methods May God protect your country from such experiments! All new constructed houses are (up to now) free of restrictions. I have constructed this winter a small

house out of town on the rivor Elbe. ,but I only built a bungalow of two j rooms—bath and kitchen—a 3 my | town residence would bo confiscated , altogether if I had built a house of 1 three rooms. Thus you will under- | stand that life is all but pleasant I over hero, and I intend to spend the j summer in my bungalow, and the winter more or less abroad. My | business is doing well, and I have i only to look after niy wife and see that she will bo on the safe side .if one day I am gone. All these prospects are not what I thought after a life of hard work, and yet one has to be satisfied and to become a philosopher. As a soldier I learnt to put up with anything, but many a time, had it not been for my wrio, I could have wished that a bomb had struck me rather than rny neighbour. You will excuse my'being in such a dull mood, but I feel very pessimistic for the future of this country. I am afraid we shall have Bolshevism over here for a short time, anj then everything will go to the dogs—business, properties, and all chances of a successful business life of 35 vears.