The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-02-23
FAMINE IN GERMANY

The Associated Press story from
Stockholm upon food conditions in
Germany printed in the Post-Standard
yesterday may be accepted a au
thentic. This press association does
not accept correspondence based upon
hearsay or guesswork Its CORE
spondents are directed to get at the
facts and to print the facts. and moth
ing else.
The German people have not enough
to eat The prices of meats. of fats
and oils, of butter OF fish and game
are high But it is not the prices
that are significant, it is the small
quantities that are permitted The
soldiers at the front get all the prime
meat and game. the canned goods and
cured fish. The old men and chill
dren. the women and girls, must go
on short rations and rations that are
not best for health and strength.
The prices Of bread and potatoes
and of vegetables are not high. But
the amount allowed to each family is
small The German family has not
yet received its February egg 1t has
"a can OF sardines once a month Ii
gets no coffee at all The Germans
ARE hearty eaters. They are forced
now to live upon diet which makes
them feel hungry all the time 4 re
duced diet would have done them no
harm. but the diet they are now un-
der compulsion to accept is more than
reduction, it involves elimination Of
necessary articles of food A people
accustomed to varied diet, to plen
ty Of meat and fish and bread, forced
to live upon the scant proyender now
permitted must suffer from it. There
must be sickness and death, there
must be diminution in power to work,
there must be a dilution of the OPP
timism a loss of confidence in the Ill
innate German victory German eff
cheney is not so perfect that it can do
the same with people whose stomachs
are empty as with those who are we'll
fed.
The distress which the shortage of
food has caused in Germany is the ex-
PLANTATION of the new submarine cam
paign AS the depths of that distress
are better known. so the determine
ton of the people, exerted upon the
kaiser and chancellor. to abandon all
considerations OF law and mercy in
order to starye England is better I'M
derstood
The Germans need food because of
the blockade which England has es-
tablished. \ blockadeis a legal wea-
pom of war. but England has used it
without much regard to the rules The
Germans as they have felt the pinch
more have demanded more mistakenly
that Germany should use all her pow
err regardless of all considerations
whatever. TO starve England. They
have been the more determined as
they have held an exalted opinion OF
the power of their submarines.
The price of food in England is
higher than it is in the United States
There is a shortage Of all necessaries
so great that England would have
been better off With a food and drink
dictator for the past year. The sub
marines have contributed to the Brit
ish shortage But the English are
not in danger Of starvation. and they
are not fearful of starvation as a re-
suit OF the latest campaign The best
the new U-boats have been able to do
in their new campaign is 10 per cent
OF the shipping in transit. If they
continue to destroy as large a proper
ton Of ships for year as they have
been destroying since February I
they will do all the shipping nations
Of the world tremendous amount of
damage, but they won't have England
starved into submission York
sun.