The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-19
GERNAKY,S FOOD DEFICIT.
The People Are Not Starving. bat
EcOuOmy Must Ne Severe.

- . US Wv oshth1s heo
Der Amtsdrst. states the bureaucratic
view when he says: The freedom
with which the question Of food Is dis
cussed in this critical time shows that
1t has rather a theoretical than prac-
teal Importance" This opinion may
seem quite simple and logical. but
what does the public In Germany and
Austria really think Of the problem?
The opinions Of officials and theo-
rists must be ruled out. they are in
terested parties. The public as a
whole Is bewfldered and unhappy. II
Is only just beginning to learn h
essential facts: that the supply Of
inca il inadequate n that the Gov
ernment's policy Of maximum prices
has hampered the import Of more. The
false maximum price for staples like
meat and corn does not attract sup
plies from abroad: II simply has the
eifec; of keeping foreign meat and
corn out of the country. This IL.
therefore. the meaning Of the lessen
ing exports from Sweden into Ger
many. Hence. the conviction that be-
fore the war Is much older Germany
will want all the stock of food she
has. and. in fact. what h has not. is
being slowly but surely borne in upon
the German nation. though h papers
In the Fatherland still tumble with
the question Of home supply and
make light Of such happenings as
Professor Delbrtck leaving ONCE.
Though IL Is extremely difficult to
measure the Importance of this event.
ii Is clearly q grave matter. 1t Is
true that Professor Delbruck pleads
III health. which is nothing strange.
but the newspapers are not disposed
to hide their opinion. Ministers in
Germany have not managed the food
supply with entire success. For ex-
ample. IT has been found necessary To
establish an imperial depot in Berlin
for the communicating and distribu-
ton Of meat. and smaller towns are
told in DEGREES of the Federal Council
to enforce rules for the consumption
of meat n meat products.
In Bavaria the supply OF meat and
milk Is managed in a more rigorous
manner. Here there II Q shortage of
these foods. and the people are trained
in saving the supply by the issue OF
meat and milk tickets. This Is GER
tainly a side OF the food question not
altogether to the advantage Of Ger
many. a similar shortage exists In
the provinces Of Alsace and Lorraine.
TN the other hand on the eastern
front there seems to be a plentiful sup
ply of milk. For example. in a recent
number of the Bcriner hlinischer
W'ochenschriJt 1t Is stated that sol
diers in the reserve hospitals n sta
tons receive half = Liter Of cream
three times a day. together with veg
tables. sausages and ham,. Df course
the people themselves do not enjoy
such a liberal ration. In fact their
supply Of milk, cream. meat. tea.
coffee. sugar and cereals is screwed
down to the limit by An economical
Government. o managing must be
allowed at once to be an excellent
thing. but a Government that manages
very we'll often pays a penalty for Its
success. In nothing IL moderation
more essential than in Government
economy. In Germany the Govern
ment has got To think in candle ends.
IL occupies itself with petty saving.
The attempt to make the people
eat yeast in place of meat defeated
llst4ls " tlN u yNasN - ~ ~
pleasant that the cheap economy Of
the pan led to "A waste Of real food
and strength. No one despises yeast
in its culinary uses. but u cheap din
ner with yeast or a powder made of
yeast and called "nahrhebe" il too
dearly purchased II II has been the
product " anxious and feverish chemi-
,al experiment. Yeast has therefore
been pronounced by the MusnchtRcr
! NediSinischc Wochenschriit an imirs-
siblc substitute for meat. This review
is a fair summary OF the question.
Yeast or the powder. "nahrhebe." was
tried in hospitals and prisons, and
though IL contains more nitrogen than
meat IL H. deficient in fat. the excess
OF nitrogen did not compensate for re-
ducing the meat bill by "A fraction.
The food deficit in Germany is
clearly very pressing. Some OF the
deeper causes OF this deficit have not
Jeen published In this country. but a
writer in the Rerue ScientinQue deals
with them from the lucid French poin,
Of view. According TO this writer,
German tampering with the extremely
delicate and intricate questions of
prl't HAS ndu tHe eIett VI h'tlihS
neutrals from importing grain to Ger
many. He calculates the actual deficit
at The present time As follows: In the
first place, Germany's experiment in
maximum prices has disastrously
failed. II has been necessary 10 draw
on the huge home supply of wheat.
Germany produces annually 1880, 900
quarters; France, loo, 000, 900. But Ger
many has sixty millions of people;
whereas France has forty millions, or
$50 kilos of wheat tn each inhab!tant
to Germany's h~fty-seven kilos. The
deficit is tolerably clear. and is not
compensated by the l40, 600. 900 tons of
potatoes gathered yearly in Germany.
But his is not all. In cattle, France
has a decided advantage. pos
sesses a supply of 4,720,0 900 tons of
fresh meat, an average OF IFS kilos
for each Frenchman; whereas Ger
many has a home supply OF $685. 600
tons, or an average Of 100 ki.os The
Rerue ScientiHQne then adds: IF we
consider Germany and Austria to-
gether, the deficit Is: Cereals. $780,
00O. 900 of francs: beef, 100000. 900
eggs. 80 900 900; fruits, l50. 00O. 900. The
shortage of labor and OF the wheat
harvest in Belgium IL another Item in
Gernany's deficit. In figures, the
shortage amounts to 400. 000. 900 francs
in cereals and A 1000. 900 francs in
meat. The feeding Of prisoners and OF
| Poland is not reckoned, but this figure