El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-24
FIGHTING FOR 4
LIB. Of BUTTER
How the Germans Beg and
Pay For It-Poor Get
Ahead of the Rich.

The Hague, Jan. 24.-Picturesque
and somewhat pitiful scenes, where
long lines wait at the doors Of Ger
man butter shops are described IN
dispatch to the New ROTTERDAM Courant
from its Berlin correspondent.
As this newspaper is sympathetic
with Germany. it cannot be accused
of presenting an excitable and exag-
gerated account such as the Germans
complain of in journals published N
the countries Of the allies
To Get Pound of Butter.
The correspondent begins by quoting
from a story told him by . friend:
q got IN with a little persuasions
A line was waiting They. would not
let me go in front. Of course. but ]
pretended I only wanted vegetables.
So 1 got through the line. and, after
securing vegetables, 1 asked with a
very innocent face for q quarter Of a
pound of butter. I hid it in my coat,
went out and Joined at the end OF
the line Without much more trouble
1 got second quarter of a pound"
Cunning Is Necessary.
The correspondent comments:
That IS how we get along in Ber-
lin today; that is what We must do TO
capture a little fat or a little butter,
Only with cunning or patience can we
lines the people stand for hours before
the butter shops Some get nothing.
some weller in butter. Housewives
tell with pleasure and pride how much
cunning ruse whereby 1 secured a
pound. And how I Dragged about it!
Must Wait Tor Hours.
Many butter and cheese shops are
closed practically the whole day. A
paper in the window announces when
the sale will begin and long before the
specific time a crowd cOllects-mostly
mothers and children Some little ones
are there to capture quarter of q
pound fon their own hook. Did the
salesman know there were several
from one house they would get MOTH
ing. so they cheerfully ignore each
other during the long wait
a policeman keeps order in the
waiting lines In the good old days
such lines collected to buy tickets for
CarusO concert. now butter or some
other necessity is all we think Of
Rich Do without.
The cause of this singular situation
is not far to seek. In peace times, TO
saw nothing of war time Germany
home consumption. Lack OF fodder and
speculation combined to drive up
prices A scarcity Of fat accompanied
the scarcity of butter To do with
out these two would be a disaster
for the German working people, so the
government took the matter up, and as
butter, like fat. Is free from pluto
cratic influences, the government de-
cided the butter should be fairly d.
Vided, and fixed low maximum prices
accordingly
ne Is LEaL the NOIklnR
classes got butter and the well to do
go without The working mans wife
goes herself or sends her children to
stand for hours in line She has the
whip hand now that patience and not
money is the determining factor.
Price Must Go Up.
The social side of this regulation
has thus reached its goal but not so
the financial The prices are so low
that imports from Denmark and Hol-
land are almost out of the question and
the government Is now faced with the
dilemma: plenty of butter at panic
prices or little butter at low prices.
In official circles it is hoped that
the situation viii soon be easier. They
hope soon to get the benefit of a big
potato harvest, the increase in the
farm stocks, and the imported food
from the Balkans. But how to deal
with the disagreeable fact that the
fixing OF maximum prices automatic
ally diminishes the supply available
still remains an unsolved problem"