Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-21

d. " d.
| perfect. II has many defects and manN |
weuk poin:s. IT Is greatly improved
| In the lnst two months. II was no
! easy task and no light Undertaking
suddenly 10 take over the feeding or
Ia.0O 900 people by one centralized
| Office. The twenty-Six independent
stntes. as independent and rs Jealous
| of their rights M our own states.
! which make UP the empire. made the
task a very difficult one.
Roumania Is regarded, by many In
! Germany as the salvation OF Germany
| economically this winter. There are
| those who say, had the allies not been
SO unwisc ms to push the Rounanians
| into so disastrous war the time
| might have come this winter when
Germany. had tou,nania" remained
neutral aud persisted in refusing to
sell TO the central empires. might have
| had to deliver an" ultiIpatum ito Rou-
mania sell to US or VIC declare war"
| The supplies captured In Roumanin
was told, upon. what have always
| found reliable Information. will more
tina" suffice to carry Germany through
! the most critical months-Mnrch. April
and May. 1, Will. .,wus told. moro
than tiGo Germany over that period L"
! thr NOW crop. ~
! 1t WAS calculated from the figures
then ut hunc that hundreds OF carloads
Rounania ia January.
| Based upon these figures. 1t was call
! culated that Germany could give 49,
! 100000 OF her population Il weekly In
! crease OF -four OF one pound per capita
per week. equivalent. with other insre-
| dirnts, to more than two pounds OF
| bread. This for the period until the
! new crop comes In.
The Rounanian wheat harvest comes
about six weeks earlier than the Ger
I man crop, another very important fac
tor in bringing over" to the new
| harvest. I was about two. weeks with
| Falkcnhayn. Immediately behind his
| invading armies. coming from the West
through the Red Tower and other
passes to the southwark and from tho
, northwest through Tleerzburger and
Predeal passes. came an'"agrtcultural
! general staf" under Major Praschna.
who Is an officer of the reserve.'a pcnl;-
Der Of the Reichstag and an expert ST.
| lesian farmer and agricultural special
| list.
1t was his task to take census of
all supplies captured in Roumania. or
ganize for their transportation to Ger
many. and set subStafrs at work plow-
ing and sowing Roumanian soil to
wheat. and other grains where this
had not already been done by the Rou-
manians themselves.
OCCUPIED COUNTRY rs.
DIVIDED INTO DISTRICTS
The occupied country was divided
into districts and an expert soldier
! farmer was placed In charge Of each
district with necessary assistants
| Every horse. COW. goat. pig. chicken
and goose was counted and listed.
second. but smaller. staff from the
Ministry Of the Interior was on the
Balkan train with me when went
f; to Bulgaria to see King Ferdinand
| They were on their way to take charge
of the supplies captured at C4nstanti-
nople.
The German farmer, even If he has
| geese and live stock. has not great
advantage over the city dweller in the
matter of meats. He may not slaugh-
| ter a pig. calf or steer without gov
eminent permission. He must turn
animal butchercd by permission. and
the meat card" liz taken away from
| him for the length Of time that tho
meat he has been allowed to retain
will furnish his family and household.
The farmer may kill all TIM chickens.
geese. turkeys and rabbits that he
wishes. or may have. but he must turn
over to the authorities portion OF
the eggs laid
Lard is scarce and dIficult to OBJ
tain. All Germany Is drinking sub
coffee" which is chiefly grain coffee"
Tea is m ore plentiful and still to be
had. Chocolate and coco are scarce
and 1car There were when I left
still about 10000 persons. mostly girls
and women. employed in the chocolate
candy industry. Chocolate candy va
ried in price from $3.50 to $3.50 per
pound. The government was still al
lowing sugar to be used in the maxi
Ing of candy. Sugar Is scarce In Ger
many. but was still fairly plentiful in
Austria and Hungary. Even the large
hotels of Germany no longer could fur
nish sugar for coffee. Everybody car
ries little tube OF saccharine. In
Vienna and Budapest the hotels had
plenty of sugar.
In Germany II you don't eat all the
bread that you have ordered il is
quite proper that you stick into your
pocket what Is left.
Soap Is very dear in Germany. It
is sold but one day in the month and
then hut one cake upon presentation
of your bread card This Is done large
ly to conserve the supplies on hand and
TO reduce the manufacture OF soaps,
which consume quantities Of fats In
pursuance OF the policy OF economy in
this direction, there was much talk
Of doing away with white tabiecloths
and substitute for linen napkins paper
ones In order that less soap would be
used In laundry work Very little
soap Is to be had under 40 cents
/ cake. Even at that. laundry work la
cheaper in Berlin than in New York
SHOES ARE CHEAPER
THAN IN NEW YORK
There is as yet no shortage in shoes
They are cheaper. than in Now York
A good pnir Of shoes may be had at
$3.50 to 50. To save leather the high
tops OF ladies' shoes are being made
Of cloth.
Eigid conservation OF clothes and
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