Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-07
NO FOOD RIOTINC
IN GERMAN CITIES
DIR. Roy :. MacElwee, just Returned
From Berlin, Puts mt Rest Stor-
les In Circulation.
WOMEN ARE HIGHLY ORGANIZED
Six Hundred Thousand Club Members
Join Forces in Aiding Govern
ment in Its Problems.


outbreak of the war an efficient and
highly organized institution to assist
| the government in its attempt to solve
the food problem was told by Dr. Roy
T, s. MacElwee in an interview here to-
day.
Dr. MacElwee has just come from
Berlin, where he made d special study
of the methods adopted by the govern
ment in attacking its food problem,
and has taken a place as lecturer in
the economies faculty Of Columbia
university.
ITO understand the Importance and
the tremendous work Of the National
WOmen's Service league" said Dr.
MacElwee, ''it is necessary to under
stand conditions as they existed at the
outbreak Of the war. At that time the
government, basing its figures upon
the prevailing cost of foodstuff, ar
ranged to give the wives and widows
of soldiers a monthly stipend or pen
sion OF "A marks, with an additional
IL marks for each child under 15 years
of age. This was supposed to supply
the irreducible minimum of food.
With the increase of prices all
along the line, however, this stipend
or pension did not by any means COW
er even the irreducible minimum, and
other steps became necessary. The
government increased it's pension, and
organizations such as the Red Cross
took up the work Of making up the
deficit.
In Germany there are some 600
club women. They include most of
those interested in social service of all
kinds. These women and other vOlun-
teers banded themselves into the Ma
tiOnal Women's Service league, and
undertook to make a card index of
all the needy families in the empire.
With the tremendous losses occas-
Toned by the war, and the insufficient
cy of the government pension, this
was a task of tremendous ma gnitude, |
as you can very we'll understand But |
they have accomplished it. They es- |
tablished local volunteer committees, |
in all municipalities and in all coun- |
try districts, and went at the work |
with d remarkable organizing ability. |
Know Family Income.
Their cards now show the names
and number of all needy families They |
know exactly the income of each fam
lily, and just how far the income fails |
to meet the family's needs. Most of this |
work, you understand, was volunteer. |
The heads of departments alone were |
placed on small salaries.
While this work was in process of
accomplishment, they studied the |
question Of unemployment. They have
specialized on that. on the care of ref
Ugees, and especially on the question
of domestic economy. They have |
been largely able 10 teach housewives
how best to expend their limited in
comes.
Always they have worked in close
cooperation with those bodies which
undertook the actual relief of distress.
When applicants for relief come to
any organizations which is distributing
funds, it is possible for that body to
secure from the indexes of the WON
ems league all the necessary informa-
ton regarding the actual needs of the
applicants. The league is a sort OF
clearing house, and has made possible
the efficient distribution of the funds
received.
The actual raising of funds is a
problem which has not as yet been
solved with full satisfaction, because
caring for more than million widows
and orphans, to say nothing of the
hundreds of thousands Of other needy /
ones, is a tremendous task. The deficit
Of most families runs into several dol
lars a month and it is impossible to
get food without money, even in Ger
many.
The American relief committee of |
which Or. MacElwee speaks, is an all
American organization Of which Am
bassador James ". Gerard is patron,
George B. Mcclellan, former mayor OF |
New York. chairman, and John d.
Crimmins, capitalist, treasurer. This
committee has opened Offices in No. -
Park Row, New York, and is carry
ing on z campaign for funds for Ger
man widows and orphans.
DR.. MacElWee told of the manner in
which the people received the estab- Il
lishment Of the food dictatorship, OF
which Herr BatOcki is chairman.
THE people have been on rations
for so long" he said, that they have
grown accustomed to it. They are liv-
ing now on a more slender allowance
than they would have believed pos
sible before the war. And there is no
sign in their appearance or in their
energy that they have yet begun to
feel the actual pangs Of hunger.
Faith in Leadership.
"If they had been put on their pres
ent allowance suddenly" he said,
there doubtless would have been
plenty OF food riots. But the pinch
has come gradually Moreover, the
OF the German people is
faith in leadership. They trust the
food dictatorship commission, which
Is an entirely representative body.
Several women are members, and I
another is DR.. August Muller, one of |
the leaders of the social-democratic |
party. DR.. Muller, before the war, in |
his capacity as purchaser for the social /
democrat communities, spent sums /
reaching $50, 900, 600 u year and prob II
ably knows more about the prices of II
food than any man in the empire" III
How about the food riots which II
occasionally are reported in Amer
lean papers? DR.. MacEIwee was II
asked. II
Food riots. as you intend the term, II
are unknown" he replied. But the II
people are very insistent that the law Il
the boarding OF food be n
strictly obeyed II they have reason to II