GERMANS FACE STARVATION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3041, 30 March 1917, Page 5

GERMANS FACE STARVATION

FOOD DICTATOR ADMITS SERIOUS

SHORTAGE

NO INCREASE POSSIBLE *

Amsterdam, March 28. Dr. Batocki (Food Dictator), at tho Reichstag Committoo, said that the food supplies had been over-estimated. The increases in other rations had not compensated for the reduction in bread, but no other solution was possible. ' The shortage of pigs compels encroaching oil tho reserves.of cattle. It was impossible to increase tho production of food owing to shortage of labour and transport.—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. SUGAR FACTORIES CLOSE DOWN. Zurich, March 28. Twenty-six factories in Bohemia have olosed owing to tho shortage of beet-root.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. PEACE DISCUSSION BLOCKED. Amsterdam, March 28. The Supremo Command blocked discussion in - tho Prussian Upper Houso of a motion urging that every means should be taken to securo an honourable peace. STEALING FROllflE AMERICAN' • RELIEF SUPPLIES WHAT HAPPENED AT ROUBAIX. (Roc. March 29, 10.40 p.m.) _. Condon, March 29. • It is stated that the Germans havo hampered the food supply, activities of the American Relief Commission, Supplies senf $o fin North France) were being intercepted, several train loals being tampered with, the Germans substituting German rye flour, containing 80 per cent, of sawdust, for American flour. This proffaces an indigestible putty-like substance/ oausing such illnesses and deaths that tho grave-diggers are unable to dig suffidient' graves.—The "Times."' . i" WE ARE STARVING" The Amsterdam correspondent of the "Daily Express" recently sent the following message ,■ breoxht back to him from women ru Western 'Germany, by a neutral merchant of good reputoi We arc etarving. Tell everybody outside Germany we are starving. If our soldiers can stand it any longer wo cannot. We women of Germany cannot go on see- .• ing our children suffering deprivation and hunger. Wo cannot and will not. Death is better than such : a life,_ tell them. Ask them to : have pity on us, for our own Government has none,, Toll thein all we are starving. - ; This merchant (says the "Express"correspondent) visited a number of small towns near the Dutch frontier,. spent a fortnight in Cologne and sov-; eral days in Hanover, and tried to enter Essen,' but failed owing to the new measures prohibiting the entrance of foreigners . info ','Krupp towni"„ Finally, being informed bv his Consul that tho German authorities 1 consider* od him suspect, he decided to break off bia journey and report to Amsterdam. ;Tho misery in the littlo .towns of North-Western Germany is terrible, despite the continual smuggling of foodstuffs from" Holland. The neutral visited Buchholtz and tasted tho "bread" the local .bakers sell there. Ho affirms.that it is unfit even for horses'; food, but tho population have seen no other bread for eighteen- months. Two ounces daily of this stuff, which taßtes. like indiarubber, and is mado of sweepings of .rioe and sawdust,' is the chief nourishment of the poor population of Western. Germany. Meat and milk are hardly* ever seen except on the tablos' of the well-to-do. VPeople in Cologne have not had milk for four weeks, except childron under six,- who receive less than a pint daily.; There has been no genuine coffee for, months, only an undrinkable' substitute mado with barley and sold at a high price. Beans, rice, and dried vegetables are unheard of, except in legendary pre-war stories, , while fresh vegetables are all seized by von Batocki for the army's use. The same remark applies to cheese and tea. Every market day rioting takes ; place between the buyers, and often between the buyers and the polioe. On De-1 cember 12 two women were killed inllo open market place of Cologne by revolver shots from the police beoause they were quarrelling about the dearth of food. Another. consequence of the scarcity is the increase of,thefts by boys and girls,, who, ■ organised in; brigand bands, break into food shops or steal ladies' purses in. tho open street in daytime. •■:.■-■■■'■ ..'■; ■