The herald., 1898-11-04
GERMAN
MEAT
FAMINE.
Now Rapidly Spread
ing Over the En-
tire Empire.

under their protective wings, by their
insistence that the highly profitable
task Of supplying the home market
should be left entirely to the German
stock grower. are largely responsible
for the condition that Is at present dis
tressing the Kaiser's realm.
From all accounts this famine Is
pressing hard on the poor who have no
very strong inclination in favor Of
vegetarianism, particularly when 1t Is
forced upon them whether they will or
no. 1t Is also hard on cats and dogs
who from being household pets, have
suddenly become staples in the butcher
shops-a change they must regret ex-
ceedingly; while horse flesh is sold
openly and without any attemp- to
disguise 1t under the a!luring name of
beef, for the public has lost all
"squeamishness" in such matters.
1t is true the famine is not yet uni
versal throughout Germany, 1t is still
restrained to particul localities. but
Vt is spreading rapidly and promises
soon to include the country at large.
That which is happening is exactly
what might have been anticipated by
the legislators had they taken a little
broader view of national interests. but
they were carried away by their desire
to protect the German farmer and lost
sight of the fact that he was incapable
of meeting the demand made upon him.
1t is inability in this respect that has
sent the price of all kinds of meats up
to a point where only the rich or rea-
sonably well-to-do can afford to buy
them.
The stock raisers must be thriving
amazingly with all the conditions in
their favor and they are of course
making no complaints, but the poor
are, and an active sentiment is being
created which demands that foreign
meats, and American meats in particu-
lar, shall be allowed to enter the coun-
try So strong has the sentiment be-
come that the Hamburg Chamber or
Commerce has actually taken up the
cudgels in behalf Of American pork,
going so far as to have statistics gath
cred which show conclusvely that
there has not been single authen-
ticated case of trichinosis either in
Prussia or Hamburg due to its use at
any time in the last fifteen years. The
report concludes with this paragraph:
"While these facts are not disproved
and the statements as to the adultera-
ton of American lard are uncorrob-
GRATED, evidence has been found show
ing that all the repressive measures
against foreign, and especially against
American, meats must be held to be
unreasonable, and as gravely injuring
German economic interests"
Jacob Mayors. of the Butchers Ad-
vocate and Market Journal, says the
! famine is growing apace; 1t is not
i l. !, tet, 1y~yy
| failure in the cattle raising industry,
| but a condition that is destined to be-
come more and more widespread un-
less the cheaper foreign meats are per-
mitted to enter Germany without re-
strictions except such as are necessary
to insure the wholesomeness of the i'm
ported food.
| Mr.. Mayors is able to state positively
that there is no exaggeration in the re-
ports that have reached this country
regarding the situation in Germany
In many places, particularly in Saxony.
where the distress seems to have
reached an acute stage, dogs and cats
are being killed and eaten by those
who can afford no other kind of meat.
In the smaller villages the practice IS
for two or three families to pool their
funds and buy up such dogs as are
available for consumption; these Will
he slaughtered and divided among the
members of the pool.
The use of horse flesh has also in
creased phenomenally. Shops for It's
sale are being established in towns
where heretofore a marked prejudice
existed against it's use.
One very serious phase of the situa-
ton is that the sale Of damaged COM
mon meats is also showing an increase
proportionate to the scarcity of the
wholesome article. There have been a
number Of arrests, followed by conv1c-
tions. for offenders of this character
Notwithstanding the government q
oppressive restrictions, there Is an ex-
tensiye trade carried on in American
pork. This is fully demonstrated by
facts that have recently come to light.
Inquiry reveals that thousands of tons
have been imported through various
| custom houses without the necessary
certificate. This has been going on for
several years . The German officials
have strenuously denied that this was
so in the past, but now convincing
proof has been submitted by the
American embassy's scientific attache
Mr.. Stiles, and the embassy has re-
ouested the Foreign Ministry to in
struct the customs houses to insist
upon a certificate in every case.
| No American firms are involved In
this discovery. The German importers
have been the transgressors. 1t was
these same native dealers in American
meats. who, by the way, last July Of
fered a reward of $3.50 for the location
of a case of human trichinosis due to
American pork, and though three
months have elapsed since the Offer
was made, no one has appeared tc
claim the reward.
There has also been a thriving busi'
ness done in preserved American meats
The magnitude of the trade Is rather
surprising when one considers the OBJ.
stacles that stand in it's way. The i'm
portations for the first seven months
of 1898 amounted to 1854, 800 kilo
grammes against 1.414.9OO for the CORE
spending months of 1897.
Fresh pork was also largely import
ed. The figures are 6,75S.S00 as agains
3,955,S00.
There was also 3,369900 kilogramme
of picked pork as against 1888
Bacon stood 15,94S,300 as compared witt
7.139,300, while lard makes a showing
of Ga, $50, 400 against 47,446,600.
1t cannot be denied that pronounce,
prejudice has existed in Gernan.
$ against American meats, but they ar
steadily gaining in favor and lNtl
e hammering away at the question. nov