New Britain herald., 1917-02-13
WAR PRICES KEEP
 THE GERMANS THIN
Health of Country Improved by
 Scarcity Of Food
HUNGER STALKS AHEAD
Poor Face to Face With Serious Situa- ton But Rich Can Have Everything Smiles,

Smiles.
 Berne, via Paris, Feb. 13, 12:50 a. m.-Americans who arrived here from Germany with Ambassador Ger ard are congratulating themselves on having escaped further wrestling with Germany's food problem. Butchers windows, we'll stocked with assorted meats, such as are seen here, are an unusual sight in Berlin. Meat is now so scarce in the German capitol that it is never hung in windows to attract buyers but it is speedily distributed without advertising. Customers keep in close touch with the butcher so as to know when the next meager supply will be on hand.
 Virtually all meat is sold on a card entitling each person to half a pound weekly but dishes made of kidneys, lungs and other scraps can be bought in restaurants without a card. Game and poultry are exempt from the card system and command high prices. The maximum prices of pork and mutton range from fifty to seventy cents, but a dollar more is paid at back doors for, despite GermanyS genius for organ ization, much surreptious dealings pre- vail. Even German officials, usually models of the strictest obedience to the laws, give hungry children the advan- tage of a loose interpretation and do not put awkward questions.
 Rich Have Sufficient Food.
 The rich, Of course, suffer compara- lively little. They are still able to buy high priced poultry or fish. Turkeys, geese and chickens still are displayed in poulterers' windows and bear labels announcing that they can be pur- chased at from $130 to $1.60 pound. Cases have been even reported where a fat goose brought more than $50. The poorer people especially in Berlin undoubtedly are suffering from hun ger as their food is confined mainly to bread, potatoes, turnips and low grade n1armalade. It is generally as- serted that in the country districts the food problem is less pressing than in the big cities, producers retaining sup plies for home consumption.
 Tn spite, however, of the fact that food is very scarce. one seldom sees any one visibly showing marks of un- derfeeding. Some elderly persons and some anxious mothers look emaciated and reduced weight is quite general A common question asked when friends meet is: How many pounds have you
 
 medical journals that children are now evidently undernourished, par ticularly lacking fats, yet the merry sledding throngs in the parks during the last months never suggested lack of food.
 War RationS Improve Health.
 The general verdict is that the health is now better than before the war when overeating had almost as- sumed the character of nation beset with sin.
 The big crowds at the variety shows laugh heartily at topical songs turn ing upon shortage of food and the pre- valent issue of substitutes. Men in auth ority, however, recognize that Germany is confronted with a problem of, growing difficulty. The next four months are regarded as especially crit ical because the supply of vegetables, except potatoes and turnips is near ly exhausted. Even sauerkrout cannot be bought in shops but is only doled out by the authorities at intervals. The boarding houses posted placards last week announcing that half a pound of sauerkraut was assignable for the week on the section of the food card calling for general provisions. The difficulties of the sitCation how 1 ever, have not altered the confidence 1 of the authorities that the existing supplies will suffice until the next crop by careful husbanding. They admit , that the situation must be met with | earnestness.
 l Germany Tired But Determined.