FIGHTING FOR FOOD IN BERLIN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2652, 24 December 1915, Page 14

FIGHTING FOR FOOD IN BERLIN

WOMEN WAIT ALL NICHT AT MARKETS. CLOTHES NEARLY TORN O Fl-' PEOPLE'S BACKS. ( Berlin official circles may endeavour to induce tho belief among other nations that all is 'well with Germany's food supply, but an article in the "Vorwarts," the great Teutonic Socialist organ, paints matters in a very different light. - It is no exaggeration (says the "Vorwarts") to state that in Berlin -daily thousands of persons are battling for a small quantity of meat or lard, arid the battle is none the,less intenso because it is not fought with -weapons or even •with hard words. Is it not a battle when one is compelled to expend timo and strength all through a damp cola autumn night waiting . for a scrap ol meat? And yet this is what happens to .thousands wlio day by day wait outside the shops of the municipal centre for the sale of meat and fat. ' The masses of people crush together long before tho opening hour of these places, and in their eagerness, as soon .as they are opened, nearly tear the j clothes off one another's backs ill order t-o get at the coveted treasure. The crush at the corner of the Eldena ana Thaer Streets is tremendous. Hero tho municipality sells lard, frozen meat, ana j fresh mutton. On tho afternoon of October 13 mraier- | ous women assembled in front of. tho places in order to be in sjood time when A they wore opened at seven o'clock next imorning. But they were driven away by tho police, and not-allowed to re- , assemble until evening. There were . hundreds of them supplied with stools . and hassocks, which they placed along the walls, and here they waited tho livelong night in the open and under, the 1 'autumn showers. The booths wore 1 opened at seven o'clock; and the sale went on till ten, Police were pre'sent to break the rush : of tho people. They were let througn ' the barriers in batches. At 9.30 o'clock ' there were about 100 people .in the ! booths, and-no onewa'6 allowed in -after ' these had been served. About 1000 ' persons still 'remained' outside. These i thousand unfortunates waited in rain all • night iij tho street. As we entered the 1 crowd .wo heard their, oomplaiiita, >;•"! ■ wished that the head Burgomaster might have heard them. r Numerous women surrounded us and told us that for three or four nights they had been-waiting patiently for tho doors to open, but could never "get forward to .the doors, in time; They had To go home each timewith an cmi.iy basket. They complained of unfairness 1 in the methods employed in dis'tribut--1 ing the supplies, of favouritism, also, j 111 another district of Northern Ber-lin.-called Wedding, the city has also [ established selling places for bacon, ham, '■ fat, and lard. At one o'clock in the i afternoon the crowds gather, even - though they are refused entrance until five o'clock. As the hour of five approaches the crowd swells to great dimensions. Owing to the length of time they are obliged ! to wait, women collapse on the pavement l or fall in fainting fits. It is really dangerous to life' when 1 the doors arc opened at five o'clock. ■ Tho multitude stampedes to tho-stalls ; where tho fat and lard is stored. It is' ; like a wild mountain-torrent. Women ; are crushed against the' stands and counters, others aro knocked int-o big , baskets, and it is a mercy that no serious accident has yet happened. Tho other day it was announced that the sale would only take place at seven o'clock in the morning. _ Most of the women of tho district did not know,ot tho-change, and assembled at the usual afternoon hour —hundreds and hundreds of them. ' They would not go away,, although they were told of tho change ot l hour. They thought that there might , bo ap odd chance of getting something, : even out of hours. . _ So many of them waited all through tho evening, all through the night, until the magic hour of seven struck. In halt an hour every scrap of , bacon and lard \iad disappeared from the market. According to other Berlin papers-the chief military commander of the province of Brandenburg has fixed the retail maximum price for a pound of the best butter at 2 marks 80 pfennigs (2s. lOd.J.' ' The Norwegian Government has pro- | hibited the export of butter.