FEEDING THE GERMAN PEOPLE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2785, 1 June 1916, Page 5

FEEDING THE GERMAN PEOPLE

COMMUNAL SYSTEM AT WORK

A LETTER FROM BERLIN

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Kec. May 31, 8.20 p.m.) Rotterdam, Hay 31.. Messages from Berlin state that Heir von Uatock (the newly-appointed. Imperial Director of i'ood Supplies) is carrying out the organisation ot German food dis. tribution with characteristic 1 Prussian thoroughness. He is securing inventories of food from all private "houses. The municipality at Berlin has established twenly-fivo large kitchens to supply 020,000 persons daily. The price of a meal is 35 pfennig (about 4Jd.). Other municipalities are taking similar action, Tho communal system of feeding, was originally intended for the working class districts, but many of the middle class pecplo are in a sad plight, which - has caused an agitation in favour of the au. thorities feeding rich and poor in a uniform manner.

The German harvest promises to be ex. ceptionally poor. Prior to the war 700,000 tons of nitrates had been imported for agricultural purposes, but none have been used this year. A private letter, which has been smuggled out of Germany, says:—"We are all becoming vegetarians—only a jib. of meat and two eggs each weekly! It sounds dreadful, but vegetables are abun. asparagus cheaper than ever, and the fish: supply is excellent, though there is little butter or oil in which to, cook the fish. Iu Berlin ever there is joy. All the racecourses are active. A mil. lion and a lialf marks (Is.) per day were passed through the pari-mutuel (ths totalisator). But everybody except the officials are utterly weary of the war. The Germans cannot understand why the Allies persist. This week , flags were flying on account of tho defeat of Italy, which is supposed to be finished. All this good news, however, does not affect our desire to end the war. The belief is universal that we will have a victoriou/ peace before tbe winter."