WHY PEACE IS WANTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1917, Page 2

WHY PEACE IS WANTED.

DANGEROUS .POOD SHORTAGE. " THREE MONGRELS FOR ONE BONE." v • London, December 24. The correspondent of the Times at Amsterdam write.?:—''Germany's dangerous food shortage is the real kev to the peace offer. After deductina" the amount of potatoes used in distilling spirits and fattening cattle, 40,000,000 tons were available for home consumption in 1915. This year nonejs available for fodder, and the only spirit distilled i- destined for munition-makers. The total available for food is 10,000,000 tons. "Germany will replace potato-flour for bread-making by barley, which, even including the Roumanian, is insufficient to supply the deficiency. She possesses half a million tons of breadstuff's less than in 1916, when she just scraped through. She intends to kill off cattle that she is unable to fatten. The Government cannot regard any Roumanian supplies as certain, as Austria has earmarked the whole for her own urgent needs. Austria and Hungary are disagreeing over the distribution of the Roumanian grain, and there are thus three hungry mongrels and only one Roumanian bone." A later message states that Germany promises increased meat rations in F?hri.ary, owing to the extensive slaughtering of animals. The relief will only !.e temporary, the slaughtering being forced because of the impossibility of feeding the animals. The German Press report* the resuUs or a great trades union congress, which tvas significantly fixed for the same day as that on which the Chancellor made his speech. flcrr Legien, who presided admitted that food difficulties existed! but he said that workers must be giv?n necessary food in order to keep up their itre-ngth. The meeting demanded a more vi»irous campaign against fond usurv, and a better distribution of supplies." The correspondent thinks that anything might happen shortly.