New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-03

Working people have only the noon and
evening bours for purchasing. This re-
suits in long lines IN 'front.' OF every
shop at these hours.
one SATURDAY evening ! went 10
big market IN the poor quarter OF ser
lin. This market covers an entire
block. In il are sold meat, groceries
and dairy products. ! arrived at o.
There was little meat visible. AZ one
booth a butcher presided over wholly
empty counter a little old woman
food before him weeping bitterly. BE
tween sobs she poured out torrent %
words. This is what she said: Il mus
have some fat sob 81 haven't had
meat or fat for three weeks. tSoD' SOD,
sob Nv stomach has turned agains.
marmalade- sob)-I can't live on II
anv longer" Sob and Indignantly us
no use telling me TO come earlier pc
fore the meats gone. ] can I come
earlier. | have TO work until o..
pulled my companions sleeve:
Tookl" | said. There's meat on ina.
other counter, couldn't we buy some
But no, of course not, the niue olu
woman could only get meat win her
meat card from her particular butcher.
This time il was | who said: curses
on the military" Conspicuously over
many counters tapped the sign err
satz. "Ersatz" means substitute. Sau-
SAGE ersatz was a pale edition OF the
real article. Ones speculations run
riot. .L..
But there were few meat purchas-
ers The people we're out for potatoes
Tho potato counter was as bad as
bargain day at New York department
store. At six o'clock there was Inc
stretching through the entire market
and far out into the street. Az leasT
two thousand people were IN hne.
| stood and watched for three hours ana
the line never decreased. As fast as
some left, others arrived. There were
old men and women. mothers with
babies and tiny children clinging 10
skirts and young children carrying
| hinge baskets. The crowd swayed and
nuttered. II stood on one foot and
then on the other. Women VINO had
worked all day looked ready to drop
with fatigue.
Waiting Children Weep
At thu counter three or four women
employees were dealing out potatoes
and punching cards as rapidly as pos
/ sible. Occasionally little commotiohs
| broke the monotony. once Dapy
cried. We hurried toward the sound, In
baby carriage a tiny creature soobed
drearily. Standing beside the car
riase and clinging tight to the BABY
was fve-year-old also weeping
Brother twelve-year-o had been stand
+ inc in line three hours for his pota-
toes. Meantime the babies had grown
hungry. They had had nothing to eat
since noon. Some kindly women gave
them bread, which was devoured
Presently mother arrived. just re,
leased from the factory. She was tired
and worn. She shook and scolded
brother for being so slow. Then, the
little procession moved off. The babies
the little boy, all dirty, ragged and
barefooted, and the worn out mother
with a bag of potatoes between them
All thew had. Father was in the war
Once I left the market and went with
nv friend to sit on street bench near
by. Close to US was pale, slcky man
and his wife and child. Have you
vonr potatoes yet? we inquired. NO,
was the reply, "but grandmother Is
standing in line. It's going to be AL
\ right tonight. Last Saturday We
waited three hours. Then we hadn'
any. They'd given out
what did you do?" we gssped
Quietly, without bitterness, came the