FOOD STRAITS IN GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 76, 22 December 1917, Page 7

FOOD STRAITS IN GERMANY

A WORRIED NATION

[ ACUTE DISTRESS PREVAILS For tlio civilian ''population of the Central Empires the most pressing and important question, with which they have to deal is that of the shortage of food. The queues outside the shops which soil the necessaries of life _ are part of the daily routine of civilian lifo in Germany and Austria-Hungary. And many people, after waiting in qiioue for hours, find that supplies have become exhausted, and that there is nothing for them. The card system has been extended to almost every article of food, but l'ootl cards do not mean that the holders can obtain food. They mean only that the holders are entitled to a share of food if they can find food available. The card system restricts them from obtaining from the shops more than they are entitled to. j According to the, "Juristenzeitnng," the number of general statistics, decrees and Ministerial orders in. force'in Germany which relate to food and daily necessities is 892. All of

these have been introduced since the , outbreak of war. There are also a i largo number of provincial, district, , 'find communal regulations with respect 1 to food. In tlio latest budget of extracts from enemy newspapers which tho British Government has issued the following report is taken from "Vorwaerts," tho most important of the Socialist newspapers "At a meeting of the executive committee of - the Berlin Trades Couucil, on July 12, there was a discussion by several speakers on 'Food Questions of the Working Class Population,' and the following resolution was unanimously adopted;— The reduction of the bread ration, the insufficient supply of potatoes for the working class population, the withholding of food out of selfish profiteering motives, as well as tho present method of distributing vegetables, liavo created distress to an extraordinary degree, and this is completely undermining the health of Berlin workmen and of their families. Those conditions are attributable to the fact that Government measures in the sphere of food supply and distribution liavo comI pletcly failed. They' weio bound to fail, because of the desire manifested to sparo tho producer at tho cost of the consumer. . These measures have not prevented potatoes and corn being used ffs fodder for cattle to tho detriment of tho famishing industrial workers, nor have they prevented numerous woll-to-do people from being able to supply then)selves abundantly by underhand means. To tho detriment of consumers, fabulous profits liavo been made possible for merchants. The shortage of food should have fallen with equal severity on all alike in town and country, by virtue of an equitable system of distribution; and, in particular, the demand for tho expropriation of products on tho producers' premises should have been conceded. As it was, the working classes were put off with promises which were not kept. ' In .view of the failure of the Government 'to secure a regular and just provision and distribution of food, and of the disregard of the suitable proposals of the trade union representatives, the Berlin trade unionists demand representation in tho War Food Department and in the Prussian Food Commissioner's Office." Foor! Hoarders. The food shortage is naturally more pronounced in the cities than in tho country districts,' for it is from tho country districts that the cities rcceivo

their: main supplies. It has become tho practice of the well-to-do classes in the cities to_ make expeditions into tho country in order to purchase supplies of food and hoard them to supplement tho rations they receive under tho card system. _ Concerning this practice, which is illegal, tho General Officer Commanding in the Marks, issued the following notice to the inhabitants of Berlin and tho Marks:— During the last few weeks inhabitants of urban areas liavo been making expeditions into tho rural districts to purchase food direct from producers and bring it home with them. In so far as the food is subject to public control, this practice is contrary to tho orders which prohibit such food being taken from rural districts. Infringements of thoso regulations endanger the control and distribution of food arranged by the State, and threaten consequently the supply of tho urban population as a whole. Private persona are not permitted to try aud gain' an advantage over their fellow citizens by expeditions for hoarding purposes. Moreover,'it has been observed lately that tho object of theso expeditions in some instances has not been to purchase food, but to purloin it secretly or by force. People are not ashamed to help themselves to produce growing in fields or gardens, often long before it is ripe. The damage to agriculture and our future supplies is obvious, and tho strictest measures are necessary to stop these proceedings. Consequently, I have insisted on the strict execution of existing regulations by the authorities, and, where necessary, military assistance will be offered. I trust that the sound sense of the population will oppose this daugerous conduct of hoarders and thieves.

Visitors Not Wanted. The permanent residents of summer resorts view with disfavour the arrival of visitors, because the visitors, most of whom come from the large cities, eat' up food that the permanent residents think should be retained in the district for their rise. "The Mayor of Wernigcrode," states "Vossischo Zeitung," "lias complained of the display of unfriendliness which some of the inhabitants of the town are showing to summer visitors. He ascribes the feeling to a fear which lias arisen among thoughtless folk, even amongst the educated classes, that they will have to submit to still further food privations owing to the arrival of visitors. He asserts that the strangers do not receive a scrap of food destined for tho inhabitants, though some of the visitors may strive to hoard food not subject to embargo. This practice should be suppressed as far as possible. But what inhabitant of AYernigerofle would not do the same 011 holiday ? The inhabitants should show consideration for the visitors, since most of them aro persons suffering from overwork and overstrain." "The food supply of the inhabitants of the district of Tolz," states the "Lokal Anzeiger," "is affected so adversely by the incursion of visitors that the district council is considering the ejection of 'strangers.' Similar complaints reach us from Ileichenhall, where, in spite of all prohibitions, food is secretly bought by strangers at fantastic priccs." A telegram from Gratis to "Die Zeit" (Vienna) states:— For some weeks placards have been pasted up in Mariazell begging slimmer visitors to leave as soon as possible, as their presence was preventing the natives from obtaining food, as many hotel and coffee houses were taking the greater part of the supplies of food for their guests. Should the visitors not le.xvo Mariazell at an early date something would happen." From Spitz, on the Danube, tho following' telegram was received by the same paper:— "The municipal of Spitz announce that all further visitors, soldiers on leave or strangers should not rely on the necessary food being forth-

coming at the hotels during the current year." Tho same journal, in its issue for July 31, quoted the following advertisement from a Salzburg newspaper:— "To Strangers in Salzburg.—The town _ of Salzburg is suffering from a scarcity of the necessaries of life, which is becoming more serious every day, since the hotels buy up all the available provisions for their guests. In these circumstances tourists are a very serious danger for tho population, and they are earnestly requested to leave the town as soon as possible." Not only do the visitors eat {lie food supplies of the district during .their stay, which they prolong as much as possible, hut they endeavour to smuggle food out of the district when they depart for home. The "Frankfurter Zeitung" states: —"All railway stations in Munich aud a number of other stations in Bavaria, which arc specially utilised for long-distance traffic, will in. future be sharply watched, and all packages and luggage without excepsearched. This measure is due to the intolerable and excossive manner in which summer visitors have taken to purchasing food. The War Board to Control Extortion, in conjunction with the police authorities, have taken the scrutiny in hand. It applies, above all, to luggage leaving Bavaria." Public Kitchsns. In order to provido cheap wholesome meals for the working classes and middle classes, public kitchens have been established ihrougliout Germany. "In the German Empire," states the "Sozialo Praxis," "there are 563 communes of 10,000 and more inhabitants, with a total population numbering 26,742,217, and in February, 1917, there were only 56 such communes, with a population of 857,458, without public kitchens (apart from 35 communes with a population numbering 1,530,669 not reporting); 472 communes, with a total population numbering 24,354,090, reported the existence of 2207 establishments for public feeding, 1076 of which were general war kitchens, 116 middle olass kitchens, Sl'S factory kitchens, and 487, described as various mostly of a philanthropic nature." In Vienna there are complaints that tho wealthier classes are intruding into tlio "group kitchens," which were founded for the middle classes. "Tho J Akazien kitchen," states "Die Zeit," "is patronised by university professors; and the official class is strongly represented. Well-known judges can ho seen lunching.there, and also some of tho less wealthy of tho nobility. . .

To- another kitchen, certain manufacturers liavo managed to gain admission. Should not a rule be made that customers on entering should present a certificate of income?" Concerning the shortage of clothcs and boots and the consequent high prices, tho "Arbeiter Zeitung" (Vienna) states that "the prices of readymade men's suits of inferior quality, bcl'oro tho war, ranged from 100 to 175 kronen (£4 3s. to £7 65.). Now they range from 300' to 350 kronen (£l2 9s. to £14 125.). It is not possible to buy a pair of shoes suitable for wet weather under 80 kronen (£3 45.)."

Tho "Berliner Tageblatt" reports that owing to the high prices of boots and shoes "thefts of boots aud shoes in Berlin hotels liavo recently boen increasing. It has already frequently happened that travellers missed their boots in the morning and (as tliey could not obtain new boots without purchase cards) thus found themselves in a great fix. Tho Imperial Clothing Office has provided in its regulations for the possibility of thefts of boots and permits the card committees to issue cards in cases where by credible statement or affidavit theft or damage is proved."