AUSTRO-GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 January 1917, Page 5

AUSTRO-GERMANY.

i , A SERIOUS FOOD CRiSIS. SEMI-FAMINE IN BERLIN, Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn. London. Jan. 21 The TVii]y Telegraph's Rotterdam -.1?. respondent. states that tlm population of TJerlir. is in the throw nf a food or'.se? more serious than anything yet experienced. Many larce bakoi-ios have plosod. Th(> authorities tell tlie people fiat (lie difficulties nre due to the frosty weather and traffic hindrances. The public however, realise that the period of unprecedented privation against which ;he f v were warned ha"! commenced earlier Uian was anticipated, and that the vaunted German organisation has broken down. The authorities have ordered an in■vontorv of all stocks in the Empire, for the purpose of persuading people flint the semi-famine is partly due to producers holding up foodstuff in the hope of higher maximum prices. This is entrue, us frequent raids on farmers havi proved that there is a real shorty. The.o bave been unprecedented =ei';ics during the last fortnight in Berl'll. Long (ivc'ies of women attended the b.ikrries, but wero iinable to obtain bread exchange 1 cards. The bakers explained that they no longer received sufficient potatoes to miA with the flour, while no extra allowance of ficnr "as ,'ivcn. Berlin is also suffering from a gr\'i shortage i.f milk, due lo snowstorms. The tmblic is paying fifty pfennigs a litre (0.1 for less than a quart). The Food Department, has ordered Ihtt the popular liver and blood sausages shall in future contain 12 per cent, of bran, in additioi, to oilier materia! not customarily ua-'J for human consumption. A proclamation in garrison towns nskr. civilians to undertake the duty of guar;!im? railways and bridges Such cifiliain will carry weapons and be allowed to make arrests.