LUXURY AND HUNGER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 762, 20 July 1916, Page 6

LUXURY AND HUNGER.

SCENES IN MUNICH.

HOME TRUTHS ABOUT "KULTUR."

The "Taglichc Bundschau" published a speech which it says has been delivered at a public meeting by the police-president of Munich. It gives an astonishing picture of war conditions in the Bavarian capital, comments "The Times" under date May 25.

The police-president quoted a soli dier who, after a short period of I leave in Munich, said lhat he "could • not stand it any longer, and could jnot go on watching a life of dissipation in such contrast with the sacrifices which had to be borne every (lay in the field." The policc.-presi-Ident continued: —

The judgment sounds hard, but the feelings of this brave soldier are intelligible. The troops regard their fight as for higher things and for Kultur. One suffers gladly for friends of simplicity and moderation and one dies gladly for German simplicity and German idealism. But it is hard io make sacrifice for extortioners and hunters after enjoyment, for selfish, superficial viveurs, and hoarders of food, and for vain, coquettish women—because they are not worth it.

Let me call attention to the following contrast. On the one hand afternoon concerts in the cafes, where well-dressed women, girls, and children, in the company of careless viveurs, riot in luxury. On the other hand, 4000 or 5000 soldiers' wives and small shopkeepers gathered together outside the food markets from 1 a.m. onwards in order to be able to buy a scrap of meat at a price which they can afford. They wait their turn patiently and without complain ing, for six hours or eight hours, in

any weather, and scantily clad. And 'when, as is almost always the case, I there is nothing left for 300 or 400 or 500 of them, they quietly accept their \ fate. These poor people practise self-discipline and restraint. i I call altention to the luxurious living of many rich families for i whom the war seems not to exist. They hold their parties just as in | times of peace, and avaricious shoo- ■ keepers make their gluttony possible by secretly sending them the neces- | sary delicacies. T should also like to refer to certain viveurs who managed to prove themselves "indispensable," and then, while living in comfort, devoted themeslves entirely to sport i and amusements. We have succeeded in removing them to the trenches. ! Selfishness and Dissipation.

I The police-president said that the ilife in the bars and night resorts of j Munich "cries to heaven," and he 'violently attacked the "shameless extortion" practised by dealers in j food. tic declared that immense I stocks of food are hoarded up. and ; that the police have lately ordered | the destruction of great quantifies of vegetables which have been stored in cellars and have gone bad. He said j that the life in some of the Bavarian i winter resorts was such that Ihe military authorities had forbidden j officers and soldiers lo visit them. On ; a church door in fhe mountains was I the notice:—"Women offensively dressed —that is to say, with skirts too wide or 100 short —are forbidden jto enter the church." Drinking went jon as usual in Munich, ami there jwerc still people who insisted on j consuming eight or 10 (marts of beer | a day. There was abundance of lit- | erature of the lowest sort and the i boys and girls were being tempted | more than ever by fhe picture ; palaces and by the sense of independence which they enjoyed now that ■they were earning good wages. The police-president criticised severely the fashions in women's dress, and defended his action in instructing the police to arrest women iwho made themselves too conspicuous. He said that the Berlin newsj papers had condemned him, but he : did not intend lo alter his course, •and he had indeed given Ihe police | stronger instructions. He continued: 1 While lam talking about women, I will mention l\vo curious cases. A 'girl sent in an application for a milk I card for her cat, and another smartjly dressed woman expressed the utI most indignation when a shopkeeper Lrcfused to sell her 91b of oatmeal for • her lapdog. What must be the . thoughts of our poor and of our soldiers' widows, with their anxiety j about their children? ! The police-president also comI plained of theatres which are proj ducing "frivolous and slimy hash." and ended with an appeal to all decent people to help in effecting reforms.