El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-07-10

the great cattle producing regions of
France and by consequence 10 has
produced. also, a great quantity OF
forage- The army cOmmissariat has
gone into Normandy and seized the
forage for the army. There has not
been enough left for the cattle herds.
and forage in Normandy has gone ND
10 five and six times and often ten
times the normal rate
In Touraine. on the other hand. there
NOT being SO many cattle. and. there
fore, not so great a demand for for
age the price has only little more
than doubled and there is an excess.
But there are not the means OF trans
portatiou 10 take the forage from
7 ouraIue to Normandy. and the Nor
mandy herds died last winter BY the
hundreds week from starvation
Meat Cards Likely; Coal Scarce.
To cope with the meat scarcity there
are now two meariess days a week
Monday and Tuesday - throughout
France. Whenever the government
gathers the necessary courage TO put
the order in effect. II is probable that
instead OF two Ueatless days a week
there viii be meat cards
Fuel Is another problem oE the
highest Importance Last winter there
were many coal riots in Paris. Not
extensive riots, but quite enough TO
show the temper OF the people and
" AAa.A l4l=ellA easily ia HNNaAs OF EA-
ample, four soldiers came home on
seven days leave from the front They
found their families shivering before
fireless stoves The four soldiers
armed themselves and went 10 the
nearest coal office, broke in and
seized from the small stock what they
wanted for their families, while a
crowd gathered and cheered them on.
The police wisely made no attempt 10
interfere.
Greedy Dealer Punished.
In another case a dealer who had
managed 10 get hold OF a few hundred
pounds Of coal tried TO sell at at 50 50
q hundred pounds 20 the poor popuIa-
ton The people tore down the front
Of the building and began 10 help
themselves. Whefeupon the police
stepped in and sold off what remained
at $50 6 hundred pounds.
There were several districts in
France last winter that were without
either electricity or gas because there
was no coal 10 run the plants. IN
Paris We had our gas cut down 10 an
average Of one-third the normal con
sumption, with a penalty OF double
price for going over the allowance.
while for a second offence the gas
would be cut off entirely. Electricity
was put under the same regime Both
coal and coke had 10 be seized by the
government for the munitions plants
Coal $50 and s75 a Ton.
There was no coal TO be bought for
private consumption. The price went
Up 10 $50 and SIS a ton. when coal
could be had. I have paid $50 a ton
for Coal-buying il then in small lots.
so or 100 pounds at a time. The city
Of Paris put its reserve stock Of coal
at the disposal OF the people, estab-
fishing distribution depots. where one
stood i'm line for hours at a time and
the limit 10 be had was 20 pounds Of
coal a day
Wood went to S27 a ton. Old build
inEs were torn down and broken up
for the wood to burn, and even then
the wood supply ran out In February.
For the two coolest months Of the
inter we had neither coal nor wood
and were prohibited from using either
gas OF electricity. I knew families
who were three and four days at a
time without hot food. without even
so much as a cup OF hot coffee
The outlook is for even worse con-
ditions next winter. unless America
make up the deficit.
1t is up to America.-Copyrigh
1917. by the Tribune Association