AUSTRIA PACED WITH HUNGER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2387, 17 February 1915, Page 6

AUSTRIA PACED WITH HUNGER

WHEAT SUPPLIES BEGINNING TO FAIL. Venice, December 21. Among the many economic problems confronting the Austrian 'and Hungarian Governments at the present moment none is of greater urgency and importance than the supply of flour and bread for the armies in the field and for the population at home. According to Dr. Horovitz, secretary of the Vienna Produce Exchage, it is scarcely possible to make the present stocks of grain and flour last until the next harvest, to say nothing of what may happen if the war should continue even longer than that. The abundant harvest of potatoes and maize may prevent starvation, but the public must be compelled to exercise the utmost economy with flour and bread. The failure of tile Government to introduce maximum .prices for grain many weeks ago has caused prices to soar tremendously. The maximum prices now fixed are the highest in the whole wo;'ld. Since tho end of July wheat lias advanced 60 per s.ont. and rye 80 per cent. Moreover, there is no graia coming into the markets. Last week at Budapest only . 80J waggon loads of wheat were offered on the Exchange, which is'far less than the average daily supThe sole means now of averting a catastrophe is for the Government to compel the holders of grain to make an cxact return of stocks in hand and then to force them to.bring it to marTtet. Maximum prices alone have done nothing but produce an absolute stoppage in the whole grain trade of Aus-tria-Hungary. Slowly but surely the stocks of imported cigars, cigarettes, and smoking tobaccos in Austra-Hurgary are being exhausted, and the consumers of theso costly products will have to content themselves with tho cheaper domestic article. Turkish and Egyptian cigarettes and English smoking mixtures are no longer to be bought in the one Government shop in Vienna which enjoyed a monopoly of these luxuries, —Ileutor's Agency*