THE TWO GERMANYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1920, Page 156

THE TWO GERMANYS.

I THEN AND NOW.

The South Wales Weekly News of the 15th May, containing an interesting interview with Mr Peter Wright, Mayor of Newport, who has just returned from a visit to Germany. He said the position in a nutshell was that the poor were pooler than before the war, and the rich were richer to a far greater extent than in Great Britain. There was a shortage in Germany of some things, but if one had plenty of monev he could get most of the things he desired. That meant that the rich people could have most of tho things they wanted, but the poor people were aufFcring Acutely, and the women and children, judging from their appearance, were in a very bad state. He obtained some official figures of the prices paid to-day compared with pre-war prices. They were as follows:

Other than for people who were ill there was practically no white bread in the country, and what black bread was available was rationed sufficient for about three days a week. Every loaf purchased over and above the rations cost 14$, although it was black. Last winter the coal in some districts was retailed at £5 per cwt. It was not to much to say that thousands of children had died of starvation.

"Sections of the people," said Mr Wright, "may realise that Prussianism is not good for them, but official Germany is still unrepentant. I went a little below the surface of matters, and am satisfied that Ludendorff, Hindenburg, and the Permanent Departments ard still in power in Berlin. Ebert, Bauer, Erzborger, Noske, and other well-known Socialists are apparently in power, but that's all camouflage with a view to deceiving the Allies. They made more millionaires in the country during the war than in any s of the Allied countries, and the money is still there. They can get plenty of food from other countries by paying, but the powers that be, with a view of improving their rate of exchange, will not allow the hioney to leave the country, and the result is'that prices are as given above. It was remarkable, he added, that the people put up with it, particularly as wages had only gone up three times, while the cost of food had gone up ten times. He thought it was due to the German' system of exacting discipline from their people. Great Britain, concluded the Mayor, must not accept as gospel all the reports published about Germany, because official Germany was as crafty and clever as ever, and was not only trying to create dissension among the Allies, but doing all it could to create dissension among the political parties in the respective Allied countries. Only a firm British Government could deal the many cogaplex problems which were arising.

Pre-war Present. Bread (21b) . £ s. d. £ s. d. 0 o G 0 4 6 Meat ,.....,.,, 4 1 G 0 Bacon „. 0 1 8 0 Sugar 3 0 16 0 Tea ........... 0 3 0 0 Milk (pint) r ... 3 0 2 6 %gs 04 0 1 G Beer (pint) 1 0 1 0 Clothes (suit) .. 3 10 0 20 0 0 Boots 0 3 0 0 Tobacco (lb) .. 0 1 <5 2 0 0 Coal (ewt) 6 2 10 0 Iilectricity « 0 3 0 Butter ........ 6 2 0 0 Margarine ..0 0 8 1 8 0 Potatoes (cwt) .. 0 " G 5 0 0