UNDER FED

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1917, Page 1

UNDER FED

German Dc-sparation

(Australia & N.Z. Cable Association)

LONDON, Feb. 25

The “Daily Chronicle” correspondent in Amsterdam reports that evidence is accumulating of tho desperation oi the German people. My informant left Germany a \wek ago and says there are hundreds of workmen in the shipyards and ammunition factories ailing as the result oi under-feeding. UNDERFED WORKERS STRIKjt. This caused a serious shortage oi labour and in the Vulcan Yards at strnoting many hundreds have struck as a protest of under feeding and tlio police had to use arms to suppress the demonstrations ;but the spirit of revolt is spreading and the strikes are steadily increasing. HAMBURG WOMEN AND CHILDREN STARVING. At Hamburg a thousand hungrey women and ill-clad children a fortnight ago marched in silence to the burgomaster’s house, whom the ponce roughly dispersed. IN BERLIN MATTERS AS BAD. In Berlin the position is equally threatening, where eight thousand employees of the General Electric Company demand better wages and food. HOSPITALS FILLED WITH FAMISHING MEN. Many of the hospitals are over-flow-ing with men who collapsed of starvation. Great queues of women and children at the back doors of the more expensive restaurants receive the kitchen refuse. The authorities are helpless to obtain or distribute relief. DESPERATE! SCENES. There were desperate scenes at Dortmund on the 19th February, where a hungry mob sacked the shops and atThetn the cavalry wtli drawn swords tacked the police. rode through them, and many were injured. HOLLAND FEARS A FOOD RAID. LONDON, Feb. 25. Holland is increasingly anxious, fearing a sudden German food raid. lIOLLWEG CONFERS. COPENHAGEN, Feb. 25. Count Hollwcg and Herr Zimmerman conferred a.t the Wilhemstrasse with neutral ambassadors. The Premier’s Speech. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.) LONDON Feb. 25 th. In the House of Commons, Mr. Lloyd G eorgo referring to the submarine campaign, greatly emphasise!;! the fact that while the Government was hopeful of being able to deal with the menace, we should be guilty of criminal folly if we vested our policy on tranquil anticipation of our ability to realise that hope. He added: “I want the House and the country to realso that we must be able to carry on the wav to a victorious end, however long, even though we fail to hunt itlie submarines from the deep. Wo cannot build our plans on any other policy. ' He proceeded to show that whatever measures were adopted, complete immunity from piratical attacks would be impossible He instanced the wars of Louis XIV and Trafalgar, when we commanded U.o sea', but hundreds of our ships were sunk annually. Hence the necessity for

concentrating on tlio tonnage quest l on which was the really vital problem. The shipyards must be utilised to the utmost for anti-submarine craft, be sides merchantmen. In regard to ithe imports problem, timber, of which 6,400,000 tons had been imported last year, must be dealt with. In order to save tonngae, he was :n----vestigaiting the best methods of Economising imber. The French Government had given two forests for the use of our army in France He was afraid we must ask for more. The supply of home timber must also be increased. He thought that we could fell enough trees for all purposes. We were importing millions of tons of iron grade ore in Britain. If we could augmen* the supply of labour we could enormously increase the output, and there would be a large saving of tonnage therefrom. Unfortunately, it would not come until late in the year. Sinkings. LONDON, Fob. 25. The British steamer Iser, of 2,160 tons, has been sunk, and the Bandoen is also reported sunk. Belgian Relief. (Austip'li&n & N.Z. Uable Association) LONDON, Feb. 25. The sailings of the Belgian Relief Commissions’ vessels have been resumed via the North route, Germany granting a safe conduct. Arrangements arc not yet made for releasing the relief ships in British ports.

Special Mention

LONDON Feb. 26th,

A War Office despatch mentions twenty members of the Fiji Defence force and thirteen New Zealanders, including Colonels Barnet, Fitzheiheit, Hall, Hutchen, Myers, Parkes, Richardson and Wylie

Ration Scale

LONDON, Feb 26. Lord Dcvonport (Food Controller) apprves of the new scale of rations foi Gci man war prisoners and interneds reducing their allowance in proportion to those enjoined on th© British public.

Price DoubLdLONDON, Feb 26th The “Daily Mail” will be an eight page penny paper for the remainder of the war, commencing on March sth.