The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-09
KAISER Teaching
new KITCHEN ART
In Berlin Municipality Is Ed
ucating People in
Economy.
ALL FOOD ON INCREASE
Manufacturers Seriously Handicapped
by Lack of Chemicals for Factory
Processes.
ALL FOOD ON INCREASE
By STEVEN BURNETT.

SrPrial Gable 10 The Washington Herald
Berlin. May S.-The struggle of great
nation against being starved into sub
mission has left its unmistakable mark
upon Berlin life. 1t is the first thing a
stranger arriving here notices.
Every American who has visited Berlin
knows the columns for the exhibition OF
posters which are one of the features OF
all the main thoroughfares of German
cities.
These columns (Plakatsaulem are speak
ing their own peculiarly eloquent, though
silent, language now. Gigantic red post
ers rivalling in size and gorgeousness of
color the municipal announcements about
the distribution of bread tickets, the
warning to save kitchen waste, the sale
OF potatoes to the poor. call the people to
attend meetings, principally women's
meetings. where the topic is the war of
starvation. The headings are often very.
striking. like the latest one I have just
seen: German Citizens, England de-
sires TO starve you to death, This must
not happen"
New Culinary Art.
Every evening scores of meetings are
held all over Berlin. where the speakers
are partly physicians. partly housewives,
experts on cooking. who instruct their
sisters in preparing nourishing. tasty and
economical dishes. This propaganda is
also being carried on through hundreds,
nay thousands of pamphlets and books
II IL an entirely new literature propa-
gated by the blockade of Germany and
dealing with a new culinary art Whether
this propaganda will have any practical
results, ! do not know, but il is at any
| rate. A most striking testimony that the
German people are inspired by firm de-
termination to resist unto the end. no
matter what the cost
The lack of potatoes. whether it he due
! to actual shortage or merely to specula-
| ton. is undoubtedly one Of the Sravest
questions facing the nation. for bread
and potatoes are the main articles of
| food OF about 10 per cent of the German
people. This explains why the demand
for state distribution of potatoes and the
| seizure of all potatoes in the country is
| growing stronger every day.
All Food on Climb
| The present prices of potatoes vary be-
tween 10 and % pfenniGs pound. or
nearly four times the normal price at
! this time of the year. most serious
thing for the poorer part of the popula-
| ton.
Practically all other articles Of food
| have been going steadily up in price
since New Years. The only exceptions
are meat with the exception of pork,
which has gone up - per cent?. butter and
eggs. but the price of these commodities
| is so high even under normal conditions
| that they are not to he found on the
daily table of the less well-to-do.
| All articles of food. which are usually
considered cheap, have gone up in price
enormously. Most vegetables are from
20 to 100 per cent dearer than ordinarily,
and coffee tea and -four have reached al
most prohbitve prices.
| IL
step with the increase. and everything
is being done by the rich and well-to-do
TO alleviate the sufferinSs OF the poor. A
great many people. of course, can well
afford to pay the higher prices, for there
are many who have made fortunes out of
army contracts.
Charities to Rescue.
Those who feel the pinch most kcenly
are the people who are not poor enough
to be assisted by charity and who are
too poor to live as they used to. In
every possible way these people cut down
their expenses. their food is of the most
Spartan kind they deny themselves every
amusement. and the number of servant
girls who have been discharged in Berlin
during the last three months runs into
tens of thousands.
| 1t is quite easy to get hold of French
and English newspapers here. and if one
were to believe all printed in these, Ger
many must be running short of every
thing.
| / shall try to give an idea of what is
actually lacking here. besides the articles
Of food already mentioned. so far as I
have been able to ascertain.
| Manufacturers of cotton goods are in
need Of fecula and starch, and the tan
neries. also. have to 20 without certain
chemicals necessary to turn out perfect
goods while the manufacturers of glass
and china are merely unable to sell their
goods because there are no buyers here
and all export has practically ceased.
Plenty of Coal.
| Fortunately, there is plenty of coal and
iron in the country. and no lack OF these
exceedingly important raw materials is
likely unless. indeed. the French succeed
in penetrating considerably farther into
Alsace-Lorraine so as to interfere with
the workings of the mines i'll the region
of Metz and Thionville. which. together
with those of Luxembourg, supply Ger
many with 40 per cent of her minerals.
On the other side. there is a grave dan
ger in the lack of copper, nickel. alumni
mum. chrome. vanadium, tungsten and
other minerals needed to turn out steel
by the Martin and Bessemer processes.
Certain districts are entirely without
duce about 10000 liters a day. but this
output is easily understood when one re-
members that there are more than two
hundred thousand automobiles at the
, front.
As many Of these as possible are now
using benzol and a large stock OF first
class petrol Is kept in reserve for the ex-
elusive use of aeroplanes. Zeppelins and
submarines. the motors of which cannot
use the inferior article. II the Russians
continue to advance however. cutting on
entirely the supply OF petrol from hou'
mania and Galicia, a catastrophe appears
inevitable.
The lack Of sulphuric acid is also be-
ginning to worry military authorities, as
well as that of nitrates. which ordinarily
came from abroad, mostly from chill, bu'
there Is every reason to hope that Ger
man scientists will soon solve the prob
lem of manufacturing artificial saltpetel
in sufficient quantities.