The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-11-30
VIENNA BEGINNING.
TO FEEl THE. \ VAR Ar
Coal is Becoming Scarcesr
and Dearer and Prices
are Rising.
IlBy AssocIatedI Press q eI,, !

ZURICH, Switzerland, Nov. 30.---
After fourteen months Vienna is be.
ginning to realize the effects Of the
war, which hitherto had left little
outward mark on the life Of the
Austrian capital. But in the past few
weeks prices Of food have advanced
by leaps and bounds Coal Is becon.
ing scarcer and sdearer, lust as winter
is approaching. Clothing has doubled
in price. And altogether the Aimmed.
late outlook for the great masses of
the population isg extremely dismal.
Much % the trouble Is due to the
army having taken nine :tenthss of the
strong. able:bod lied laboring men from
the city. Hardly any teamsters are
left. and great quantities Of -four, and
provisions, and coal are lying in the
railway warehouses and yards, caus-
ing a serious congestion. The situa.
ton is so serious that the city council
ID taking steps to use the municipal
street railways for bringing goods to
the storekeepers in the city. Switch
tracks are being laid TO the mills and
railway yards. \ at a cost gof sixty thou.
sand dollars. *
Another cause of the present high
prices OF food ID the manipulation Of
speculators, who are hiding large
stores OF provisions and so creating
an artificial shortage in the markets.
Immediately best fresh butter went
up to $1.25S pound-at which price
nobody could buy more than a quar-.
ter Of d pound at a time-large stocks
suddenly came on the market and
prices fell at once to Ia dollar. 81
Convinced that huge stocks OF food.
stuffs were some where in existence In
the city, the Vienna police have Just
made thorough search OF all the
storage warehouses resulting in some
surprising discoveries. Among the
provisions concealed in these places,
were found hundreds gof packages Of;
rice, flour, sugar, cheese, canned
foods, chocolate, scurrants, tea and
coffee and scond ensed milk u Steps are
being taken To- Aflnd out the s. owners
who will be 5rigorousluy prosecuted
for conspirlng Ito raise the price Of
food. Ssss ~
Although the new -four Is now III
the market the suppl r in tile retail
bakeries Is very limited. In the poor.
en- suburbs people: gather around Tho
stores as early as three o'clock in the
morning, and q by III six O'clock u the
crowd will number anywhere from
1--WE hundred to sasthousandY persons,
mostly women and children. The
bakeries open at seven and the sign
Of "sold gu" is generally put up be.
fore eight O'clock. Later Corners can
get nothing. Many poor persons earn
q couple OF cents buying -four for
their neighbors who do not care to
stand Tor hours In the street these
cold autumn mornings. 4 81 y 4
Since the military authorities IRE.
a,iisitioned all the stocks OF rubber.
tires Ia the country, and even took
away those actually In use on the
cars Of private sowners,s automobiles
have almost disappeared from the,
streets OF Vienna: There are no more
motor cabs; the few cars still seen
are either occupied by army officers
or have some connection with the
war. vs. u "a
And there seems to be no end to the
demands and appeals for money for,
various charitable and military OBJ.
jects. The Vienna Neue Freie Prese
has started since the war begun. col.
lections for more than q hundred diff
ferent funds and have succeeded In
raising over q million dollars. The
largest individual bent faction Is the
Red Cross for which the Prese has
collected s21s.o0p. Next COMES the,
fund flor the blind oldiers, which re.
cetves s14o. 900! The other objects
for which the paper has made scollec-
tions include one for furnishing ar.
tiflciai limbs for the wounded sol.
diers; Off the families OF reservists5
called to the front, and for the Aus
trfan submarines. Altogether there;
are no less than 4 Sc different funds
for some 81 which less than ten dol.
lars have boon subscribed:
HE HAD THE STAND.
In q sand pit William fell
Swallowed earth from ont pit
Father smiled and calmly said,
Brave bcyt win Is full Of FRITZ.
.IN|' Tt0ar