Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-23
ALLIES BLOCKADE
OF GREECE IS REAL
UNCENSORED LETTER FROM Attn.
EMS TELLS OF HARDSHlPS
SUFFERED THERE.

Athens. Jan. rs Correspondence OF
The Associated Press>.-This mes
sage is sent by hand on the first ship
carrying passengers for America that
has left Greece since the declaration
of the allied blockade Of Greece on
December s. The only persons al
lowed to depart were Greeks who had
previously obtained permission from
the allied authorities and Venizelists
released from prison in compliance
with the terms of the allied ultimatum
of January s. For permission that the
Americans SO desiring might be al
lowed to leave Athens. the American
minister made personal requests of his
entente colleagues. which were grant
ed in each instance. 2
The blockade OF Greece. Is absolute!
The Only vessels of any nation allowed
to make Greek ports are the rarA
Italian ones. themselves forbidden to
discharge foodstuffs or mails for that
part of Greece which is not Venizelist.
The grain ships originally cleared for
the Piraeus, which had been waiting
seven weeks in the harbor for the
blockade to end. SO that they might
dock, have all been ordered to pro-
coed to Salonik to disc>---ge their
cargoes for the use of the Venizelists
in Macedonia. Were the blockade to
end tomorrow, no foodstuffs from
abroad could reach Greece under n
fortnight. The price Of ordinary can
ned goods has gone up 500 per cent.
The banks refuse to accept drafts on
/ foreign countries.
The blockade was officially declared
on December but has been in practi-
, cal effect since the first Of December
No measures were taken to conserve
the food supply until December 90
Then bread cards were issued, the
bread ordered mixed with cornmeal
flour and barley and seven-tenths of a
pound allotted per person per diem.
No definition of the entente condi-
lions for lifting the blockade was forth
coming until January 8. Meanwhile
the Greek government was forced to
issue in addition to the bread cards
first sugar then potato cards. To
save coal the restaurants were ordered
closed at 10 p. M, the moving picture
theaters closed in the evenings and
the electric street lamps were discon-
tinued Shops and stores were shut
at o'clock instead of $50. as usual.
A sudden cold wave a week ago pro-
duced great suffering amcng the poorer
classes throughout Greece. Both the
prime minister and the king received
hundreds Of messages from all over
! Greece begging that coal be sent to re-
| lieve the suffering Of the people. The
king gave permission that the royal
/ forest OF Tatoi be cut to provide fuel.
| After a week from the, establish
ment of the government control q
| foodstuffs, bran was ordered mixed
with the bread -four. Today the bread
| is two.thirds bran. The prime minister
| informed the Associated Press cores
pendent yesterday that twenty-nine in.
fants between the ages of 3 and 10 had
died in Athens alone Of intestinal
troubles due to the unfitness of the
bread as food for children. BY mid
December the hospitals of Athens were
compelled to refuse TO accept further
patients as they could not feed them.
All the wheat in private hands In
Greece has long since been contiscated
by the government.
On December Q the Hellenic gov
eminent sent a formal protest against
the blockade to the neutral govern.
ments through their diplomatic repre-,
sentatives in Athens Mr. Diapers,
the American minister forwarded the
protest to Washington by mail On
December IL the Greek government
protested for the second time to the
entente powers against a continuation
of blockade, the conditions Of raising
which had not yet been formulated. y
COPY of this protest also was sent TO
the neutral ministers in Athens.
Under these conditions Athens is
and has been perfectly calm.
The demands OF the entente powers
for reparation and guarantees made in
their ultimatum OF December IA and
| finally formulated h%-the supplement.
ttary ultimatnm of January s. are. 40