Las Vegas optic., 1914-10-09
LITTLE news IS
GIVEN AUSTRIANS
TIE PEOPLE, HEARING RUMoRS
OF DEFEAT, ARE BECOMING
DIsGusTED

According to word received here
lfrom Vienna, the Austrian public is
waiting in dumb patience for some
definite news as to what is really
lreally happening in Galicia and along
1.-THE Servian frontier. Although th@se
is an uneasy feeling that affairs are
not going well for Austria, the mass
of the people still pin their faith in
Germany, and are confident that no
matter what happens now, the Ger
mans will eventually save the situa-
ton.
"Many others, however, disgusted
with the ambiguous and scanty re-
ports from official sources, are begin
ming to disregard the newspapers al
together. Ever since it became known
that Russia was making such startling
headway in Galicia the Vienna news
paper comments have been most
Iguarded The editorials deal chiefly
with the German campaign in west
Iern Europe, thus seeking to divert
public attention from the Austrian re-
verses at Lemberg and along the Ser
vlan border, but the presence EofsT0, 900
Polish refugees from Galicia, added
to the constant arrival of train loads
of wounded has considerably discount
ed the effects Of official reticence.
Commerce and industry are para
lyzed throughout the dual monarchy
ani the stoppage of exports threatens
to ruin some of the largest industries,
notably the sugar trade. Millions of
pounds of sugar are sent annually
from Austria to Great Britain, India
and other points abroad Refiners are
anxiously endeavoring to find some
means of getting their product to Eng
land by indirect route. To relieve
the stress of the financial situation
the government has decided to organ
ize war credit bank capital of ST.
100000 besides number of loan in
stitutions for advancing money with
out interest in order to carry on va
rious Industrial enterprises.
Numerous suggestions have been
made for boycotting goods coming
from hostile countries, notably Eng
land and France, but they have met
with scanty support in the most in
fluential commercial circles. The
Prague Chamber OF Commerce refused
to endorse such proposal saying that
1t would be quite useless at the pres
ent moment besides being dangerous
for Austrian commercial interests lat
er on. Outside Vienna and Budapest
the aspect of the whole country is
liteiess and apparently denuded of ac-
tive men. and presents an appearance
of strange and oppressive quietness.
Great factories are completely shut
de*n, furnaces are out, doors are lock.
ed and not even watchman is visible
in the streets. The small towns are
deserted save for few children here
and there, and there are scarcely any
workers in the fields. The few who
may be seen are chiefly women and
occasionally old men.
"The women are now performins
the most laborious tasks even to tn,
loading OF freight cars. Trains ar,
running on most lines on restrictet
h schedules. There are hardly any pas
sengers and solitary soldiers may b,
seen guarding stations, bridges or tun
nels but bodies of troops even il
n small numbers are rarely seen. AL
f have gone to the front. Red Cros
h stations have been set up in the pri1
d cipal towns and depots provided wit
!. vast numbers of stretchers are read
e to receive the wounded. The vel
u meant hospitality of the public in SUI
!. plying soldiers with food, delicacie
u and cigarettes is said to have had a
g unfortunate effect on the peasant SO
! diers who are not accustomed to sue
; fare. They consumed everything give
), them greedily and became sick in col
r sequence.
e THE question of the unemployed /
/ assuming serious proportions especia
h lily in Vienna and Budapest. Man
) hundreds have been given work i
d the construction of Notifications alon
o the Danube in the neighborhood G
It Vienna and hundreds more have bee
II sent from the towns into the countr
; to work in the fields. The Austria
u peasants are displaying great ingt
r nuity in exploiting the state. The
l. refuse to pay city workers any wage
at all and house and feed them misel
S ably. For this they claim from tn
e state four shillings for each worke
l. per day The government, however
/ declined to yield to such exorbitan