The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-09

Burgomaster of Vienna, Dr. Weiskirchner.
 He says in part:
 We shall not starve, but we must so
 arrange our consumption of food that we can last out till the next harvest I can say confidently that the municipality has
 done everything that lies in it's power. Anticipating the coming state of affairs began buying in supplies of flour as
 early as last August. In that month
 alone l bought s500.o00 worth of foodstuffs,
 and since then we have expended 5000, 900 more in the same way.
 T am not to blame for the fact that , certain contracts which we placed have not been fulfilled. The blame for this rests with certain of our neutral neigh bors In Roumania we placed a con tract for several thousand wagon loads of
 wheat, but we have not yet received a single wagon. The Roumanians took our
 money but have so far kept the wheat in their own territory.
 Roumania Holds Back Beans Let me give you another example of onr difficulties. I purchased in Rou- mania 200 carloads of beans, but the con- signment could not be immediately de- lfyered owing to the shortage of cars on the railroads. Now Roumania has placed
 an export tax of s6Oo in gold on each car load.
 Tn September last l purchased wheat in America. The ship was fortunate enough to reach Genoa. without being
 molested. But Italy now refuses to let the wheat pass through to us and it has. therefore, had to be sold in Genoa har- bor.
 Even from Hungary we have not yet received the wheat that we purcha sed They should remember that we are aging | a common war, and the time is now come when Hungary must let us. have her sur plus supplies of food. Even during peace time We have to depend on Hungary for wheat and corn. Is the price we pay so poor? Thank heaven. we are able to confiscate some large stocks of maize at
 8 hundred weight. and we have been living on it for long time. Do you
 Know what price Hungary demands for maize now? Over g a hundred weight Tt is ouSstion which touches most
 deeply the people of Vienna. Hungary
 must let us have her supplies, and that
 at no higher price than our sister state can decently demand, If 1t be true that Hungary is going to send us her surplus, 1 l. think We shall be safe. But we must make sacrifices ourselves by using in- | ferlor flour and by limiting our food to the minimum ration which will see us | through to the next harvest" Complains of Bread Tickets | Alter complaining of the system of bread tickets which the government has DS~h Soihpt'4Nt tu duopls the puTBOIndS- 1 ter continued:
 | Were it not that I have the people Of Vienna at my back we should witness debacle terrible to imagine I am
 giving you the plain facts so that you can enlighte2 others There are thou sands of people who never read the news | papers or giance at the procanations You must explain to them how things stand. in order to prevent any public
 unrest at the outset You must not lose your bread tickets, for you will not get I new ones
 VT pray every day to God that the sys- tenn of wheat distribution in war will work our so that I may obtain the requisite I four. Had I not prepared carefully in advance, and had the secret flour reserves of the municipality not been distributed a, the critical moment, Vienna would have l found itself Tn very unpleasant situa- l ton Now it stands to reason that oui
 reserves will in due course be exhausted | but I have acquainted the prime minis ter with cur universal opinion that he is 1 responsible for seeing that we obtair fresh supplies in time. I am of the opin-
 ion that we shall obtain them all right"