FOOD SHORTAGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1916, Page 7

FOOD SHORTAGE.

CRISIS IN GERMANY, MUST WIN GREAT VICTORY OR SUE FOR PEACE. Germany must win a great victory soon or sue for peace to prevent a revolt of the civilian population being driven desperate by hunger, according to Mr. E. E. R. Delanoy. general agent for the Holland-America line in Chicago and formerly Consul for the Netherlands there. Mr. Delanoy arrived in New York from Holland last month. He returned to America with a party of fifty ollieiah of the Dutch Government and engineers sent to .study American waterways, canals and locks and o purchase immense quantities of materials. The information, which came to Mr. Delanoy from a Dutch official at Dus-scldoj-f, indicates the plight of the German Government as reaching an extreme stage, and that the only "hope of continuing the war is to win some great victory and thereby placate the growing rage of the people. The civilian population is underfed, and the aged, ill and weak are dying by thousands because they cannot o£ tain the necessary sustenance. Food riots are of daily occurrence everywhere in Germany, and in Dusseldorf men and women repeatedly have riotto be beaten back by armed soldiers and in many cases severely wounded. "Every ounce of food which enters Germany—and but little is going in—is distributed from Berlin," lie said to a New York Herald reporter. '■The most rigorous censorship i.s maintained to keep the true state of affairs from the world, hut in Holland the general knowledge of exact conditions is becoming known, and my people understand why Germany is lighting so desperately at Verdun anil why the Austrian* are smashing at Italy. ' It is essential for the continuance of the war that a great victory be won by the Central Powers so that the people may again put out the flags aiid the bands may play in the streets. 'it haa been long since the German people rejoiced over a great triumph, but daily they are seeing the little modicum of food they are permitted being and the majority of the civilians are sadly underfed.

'•The civilians receive 'scant attention from thi, Government so far as food is concerned, and the patients in the tuber cular ami other disease hospitals are succumbing in large numbers because they cannot Le led. The whole attention u( the Government i< centred oil feeding its armies. All the food which comes to Germany, no matter who buys it—he he liigu or low—must go to the central depot in Berlin. ''From there it is distributed. The necessary food stores for the army ;u» made up and what remains is apportion-' ed about the country for the civilians. As an example, an ollicial whom t know received weekly two ounce.; of butler, or about, the amount one eats at a meal, for the use of his wife and himself, lie receives a certain small portion of meat on having his meal, card presented ar4 punched, but recently there have been times when there was no meat.

Holland• has placed an embargo on foods into Germany. When the ollicial r, turned to Germany, his wife took buns and spread over these buns three pounds of butter, for she wanted the butter very much. When she reached the bordei the Customs oflicials, who arc very strict, took away the linns and butter, and permitted her to retain hut three buns—her individual food allow ancc for actual consumption. ''Tlie people throughout Germany arc depressed, and recently the lassitude which followed their first oiirbursts of joy over early victories has been giving place to a ivstivcness that is alarming the Government. There have been riots in many places, and though every effort ii, made to keep them from becoming public, they are becoming so frequent that it is impossible to do it. '•The babies, the aged and the weak are sulTering. There must be some definite advance on Germany's part or she must admit defeat. In Holland the general belief among those who are qualified to know is that Germany is beaten but hot' destroyed. About SO per cent. Of the Dutch people are pro-1 Ally, but the majority, while wishing to see Germany beaten, do not want her smashed. ' They' do 'want her to be brought to' a realisation that 'kulUir' is not a necessity for the world."