Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-10-25
FOOD CRISIS IN GERMANY
Thousands Of Persons Battle DAILY
For Small Quantities Of Food

New York, Oct. z25-ln spite oil
the official assurance Of the German
Governments confidence that II -
able to cope with all problems gfo"
ine out of shortage of food supplies
central travellers returning from Ger
,nonv declare that the food CRISIS IN
Germany is almost serious an" ','"'
while the Kaiser's armies are nsn'
ing successfully all the leading pow
orc of Europe, the Germans at hoi''
are experiencing very bitter suher
INC as a result Of the ever-lncfeasi"S
rr;ccs of food products. The shofCasc
!, necessary articles of diet IS acute'y
felt according to these travellers
throuehout the empire ana fiots VI
grave proportions are occurring III
the leading cities.
These statements are borne out "
thn German newspapers, which have
been permitted to publish accounts o.
~. ccenes in the markets. Some o.
these newspaper accounts are io'-
warlcd by correspondent IN t'e
following dispatch:
"Be,lin, via. Amsterdam ana -o''-
don Oct 22-The Berlin Vorwaerts'
the leading organ Of The Soc'ai'S'
party says: -,
at is no exaggeration to say that
IN Berlin thousands of persons are
battling daily for a small quantity Oh
meat and lard. The battle Is none
the less intense, because ii IS not
fought with weapons or even hard
words. 1t is battle when persons
ore compelled to cXpend time ana
strength all through the damp cold
autumn night waiting for scrap OF
meat. Yet what happens to the thou
sands who, day by day, wait outside
the shoss in the municial center Tor
tho sale of meat and fat. Masses oi
peopIe crush together long before the
opening hour of these places IN Their
carerness. As soon as the markets
are opened, they nearly tear the
clothes off one another's backs in or
der to get the coveted treasure. f"
The Taeglische Rundschau says:
Edwards noon, day after day, a
motley crowd assemblies ut the doors
of these buildings. 1t is composed,
not of soldiers in field gray, but oil
shame-faced drab men and women,
ancient, wrinkled, shriveied little
erandmothers, old men, young women
and children, armed with the most
erotesgue receptacles. They take
their stand there and wait patiently
for an hour and Il half, sometimes IN a
Melting rain, until the cookhousc
sweeper appears carrying a huge
saucean containing an Impossible
medley, the leaving of the soldiers
dinner, piece Of fat meat and bone.
bread, potato and table ofial OF all
kinds; an upspeakably sloppy mess.
At his appearance momentary
sparkle of anticipation lights up tic
faded eyes and the poor old bodies rs
they hobhle. forward to present, their
pots and pans. The younger and more
robust among the waiting crowd, how
Ever, soon elbow and push them aside
with the result that they go, as they
came, with their hands as empty as
their stomachs. Then they try again
the next day until they collapse.
The food shortage is not confined to
Berlin. According to the Tagablatt.
the commissary have difficulty supply
ing troops at Galfpoli.
Further details of rioting ut AK
La Chapclle and other towns in the
western part of Germany, at Cologne
Coblenz and Treves are printed in the
Rheinische- Westfalische Zeitung.
1--WE want no more butter and egg
battles such as have disgraced the
public market place in this ancient
city" the newspaper says, "notwith
standing the provocation the eXces-
sive prices of food may cause the
average householder. At the present
rates. butter and eggs are placed Ell.
tirely byond the reach Of the average
person. A woman flung some butter
into Dealers face; thus opened the
battle. Selling horse radishes and
carrots men and women, bombarded
each other with such war-like style
that blood began to flow. In their
fury some of the combatants even
danced war dance amid baskets full
OF eggs. A horse harnessed to mar
ket wagon was deliberately smeared
all over with butter. Lumps of high
priced butter were stuck by the riot
ers in the hats of well-dressed women