"YET ANOTHER COMEDY."

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1360, 22 June 1918, Page 3

"YET ANOTHER COMEDY."

SENSITIVE GERMAN PROFITEERS. HOW HUNGER CONQUERED POMP. The pompous inefficiency of the Prussian bureaucracy has provided yet another comedy, and all Germany, thankful for a little hilarity these serious days, is laughing heartily at the discomfiture of three mighty Government oflices.

As will be recalled, writes the Anvstcr-1 dam correspondent of "The Daily 1 Chronicle," towards the end of last I year an important populous district of I Greater Berlin called Neukoelln oxperi-1 euced the food shortage with particular j severity. Every day starving women | and men invaded Neukoelln Town Hall: and created serious disturbances. They did so, too, even in the mayor's private house. So the town authorities looked round to find how other nptnicipalities dealt ] with the situation. It was discovered they all indulged in profiteering and all sorts of illegal doings, and so obtained food sufficient to some extent to fill up the serious gaps in the national rationing scheme. Finding the Food Dictator and thcr military authorities deaf to their en- I treaties, Neukoelln Town Council decided to act like other municipalities, and the situation was eventually relieved.

Open Confession. But the council, believing confession good for the soul, drew up a secret memorandum, telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about its profiteering and all its other doings contrary to law, thinking this would cause the Food Dictator to mend his ways, and make it possible for councils to carry on their work without sinning against the light of Prussian law.

A copy of the memorandum was sent to Heir von AValdow, the Food Dictator, but unfortunately, as even princes know, secret memoranda have a habit of going astray, and this one was no exception to the rule. The contents of it were published in " Yorwaerts," as I reported at the time, and the official and plebeian world was presented with a wholly unedifying picture of mismanagement, incapacity, and fraud in the matter of food distribution.

Von "Waldow, however, instead of taking steps to deal with the root of the trouble, concentrated his wrath on the Neukoelln municipality. When a Prussian official looks at Neugoelln he always sees red. Neukoelln is Socialist. He turned the whole machine of Prussian justice on the unhappy municipality in order to convict it of profiteering and other erimes—to make a horrible example of it, in fact. For four months proceedings, mainly regarding the surrender of the municipality's books, went on in that impenetrable darkness peculiar to Prussian judicial procedure. As far as can be gathered, Neukoelln won on points, so the Food Dictator had recourse to a last device.

He placed the matter in the hands of the Department for the Prevention of War Profiteering, and that bureau, having done little to its own credit, determined to shine in this business. It mobilised the Prussian State Attorney 's office, and the latter sent the necessary officials, detectives and policemen in motor cars to Neukoelln Town Hall.

The town hall was taken by surprise, and all the books of the municipality were carried off in triumph to the State Attorney's office. Mayor's Counter-Offensive. Now as it was Friday, municipal employees, war widows, wives of soldiers, ami others came to the town hall for their weekly wages and allowances, but the municipality could pay out nothing without reference to its books. The crowd grew great and threatening, anil the situation became highly serious. The Mayor of Neukoelln, however, is a genius, and hit on an excellent idea for a counter-offensive. lie issued a statement declaring the municipality of Neukoelln was compelled to suspend payment, and referred its creditors to the office of the State Attorney.

The crowd did not appreciate the humour of the situation, and became still greater and more threatening, till at last the mayor was compelled to apply to the State Attorney for police protection. Now policemen are scarce in Berlin, and all that the cornered State Attorney could do was to call for motor cars again and send the books back. In a few hours, therefore, Neukoelln was re-established again as a business concern.

All other municipalities, doubtless greatly relieved to see how difficult it is for the whole power and majesty of the law to convict them of war profiteering and other misdeeds, will breathe much more freely, and still more freely indulge in profiteering.