Bisbee daily review., 1916-01-02
LODE, POLAND, FACES
 STARVATION FROM AN ABSENCE OF MATERIAL
All of the Conquered Pro- vince Also is Staring at a
 Possible Time When It Will Have No Fuel or Material.

LODE, Poland, Dec. 30.-When the Germans first occupied Lodz perman- netly they found the industries in a bad way because of a shortage of coal. due to the crippling of the mines by dynamiting, and to the difficulty of getting freight cars in which coal could be imported. This difficulty was overcome, but coal no sooner began to come in than a shortage of raw materials again tied things up, and if it continues. will bring every fac tory in Lodz to a standstill not later than March. it is estimated. If this condition of affairs comes il is feared that the present very great need will increase and that thousands will face starvation.
 LodZ in the past has been a larfE' importer Of cotton. both from Amerl- ca and from Turkestan. Neither market is now open to them. The lit tie that remains from old supplies is being doled out in quantities sufficient to allow few of the mills to operate lithree days a week About 40 per cent of the full quota of laborers in the textile mills now work 30 hous a week.
 In addition to the food and fuel shortage that exists today everywhere in Poland. Lodz was particularly han dicapped from the very start by shortage of cash. The Russians had taken every rouble they could lay their hands on, and such factories as were running could pay off their hands only with difficulty.
 The city accordingly was necessitat- ed to issue paper currency in 20 and 30 kopeks, and one and five roubIe notes. A total of 12,0OO,O0O roubles was put out Of this, sum. 1.650,000 roubles were issued on the strength of the promised loan of 100000 roubies from the Russian government. This sum had been promised before the German occupation to help Lodz bear the expenses of the war, but only 350,0OO roubles had been paid.
 The balance of the issue was guar anteed by industrial firms and mer- chants, who were, required to back the paper with securities and credit in twice the sum of the issue. The paper flows back and forth and tenn porarily supplies the needs of the population, but will be taken up gradu- ally by the notes of the proposed ma. tional bank which is to be established for all Poland about the first of Janu- ary.
 Lodz' debt gradually piled up be cause with the withdrawal of the Russians all taxation ceased. The Germans found it out of the question to impose taxes for the simple req son that the people had no money with which to pay them. In place of collecting taxes in fact. the Germans have had to pay out some 100000 marks to the wives of reservists and pensioners, whose incomes from the Russian government have stopped. and in addition are feeding between 100000 and 150.000 of the population.
 A force of 900 German-speaking Polish policemen have been appoint ed to take the places of those who fled with the Russians. The old force consisted. on paper and the payrolls. of 400 men, in actuality of only 300, hardly one of whom remained on De cember 6, 1914
 Until February of this year the ad- ministration of Lodz was purely mili- tary. Hindenburg at that time order eded the creation of city government after the German model. with a may or and city council. This latter body whic at the start had to be appointed, eventually will be elected from the Polish, German and Jewish popula- tion. There are at present some 600.- 900 persons living at Lodz and its su- burbs. About one-third are Jews, 10O,- 900 German and the balance Polish.
 The industrial crisis has been help ed by the immigration of some S0,000l Lodz workers to Germany. where working conditions are more favora- ble than ever before in history. Thirty thousand. however. are little better than a drop in the bucket in city where not only men but women and children have always been workers.
 The government has installed both coal and meat monopoly, for the purpose not only of regulating the distribution of of the available SUD- ply but also to stop the pernicious activity of spectators. The police president of Lodz. von Oppen. has charge of the distribution of coal to wholesalers and factories, while the