The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-22
HOLLAND, NEUTRAL, GETS ISSUANCE OF
 CARDS FOR BREAD

Amsterdam, June 22-.tCzoyern- ment bread" and Dread cards on June 1 this year became an ir1stitl1- ton in Holland for the period of the war, from which the people of the Netherlands suffer much while only looking on. The Dutch, however are not compelled to eat government bread nor to take bread cards, nor restrain their capacities by order. The system here is based on the philan- thropic principle and it's introduction does not imply any fear of d short age of. four or bread.
 The idea of issuing bread cards arose owing to the ever-increasing number of people in Holland whose resources have been reduced since war broke out in Europe The draft ing into the army of thousands of the bread-winners in preparation to de- fend Holland against any attack on her neutrality and the decreased op- portuniues for those who remained at home of finding employment as a sequel to the lack of raw materials in various trades. have rendered the poor as rule poorer, while those persons possessed of means have become to take advantage of opportunities of making profit by laying out their cash.
 Immediately after the Beginning of hosu1ities the Dutch government re- quisitioned all grain and since then all imported grain has been consign- ed to it. Many bakers took adanfage of this fact and the price of bread in Holland has risen enormously since August. This increase naturally has hit the laboring class more than any other class of society, as manual workers always co-psume a. larger pro- portion of bread than do more weal- to-do people.
 In order to al1ay some of the dis content of the poor brought about by the increased cost of their prime nec- essary, the government recently re- lsquested the municipalities all over the country to- ask the bakers in their various districts to indicate whether they were willing to make and sell Whole-wheat bread at approximately two and one-half American cents a pound instead of nearly six cents, the usual store price at this moment. Large numbers of bakers agreed tc do so under the impulse Sof a pro- posal by the government to supply them with whole uncrusfed wheat through the nun1cipaIftie at a price averaging nine horins ($s.600 per 1OO kilograms or about 22O American pounds The price varies consider ably in different places, according to the cost of labor and fuel. In VIaar-
 
 horins ($2.s0) while in Roermand ii is 13 forins, 50 cents, (S5.4o) The condition attached is that the bakers furnish pure who1e-wh eat bread to which may be added only yeast, salt and water. From every 100 ki1o- grams of whole-wheat the bakers may make 40 Kilograms of bread, which they sell for f1.16.8o ($6.72).
 The bread is sold at the low price of two and one-half American cents a pound to families which apply to the local authorities for bread cards No restrictions are placed on the 1 amount of money earned by a fam ily which desires bread card, but | only one pound of bread is furnish ed daily for each person over two years old belonging to the family.
 The extent of the poverty in the towns may be judged from the fact 1 that many thousands of families have applied for bread cards. In Anster.