Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-22
FOOD PROBLEMS IN
VIENNA ARE YEXING
Appointment of Minister of
Public Subsistence Expected
to Relieve Situation.
RICH GET WHAT THEY WANT

Vienna, Feb. 26.-The recent ap-
pointment by Emperor Charles OF a
minister of public subsistence in the
person of Major General Anton
Hoefer, formerly a member OF the
general staff and known as an ex-
pert in army subsistence matters, has,
so is the universal belief here. been
the best measure YET adopted to
meet the constantly increasing food
problems. Though already in the
care of a central food bureau and
subject to many government regu-
lations, public subsistence in Austria
threatened to become hopeless
chaos because the men charged with
It's administration lacked the neces-
sary ability.
The new powers charged with pub
lie subsistence matters have set up,
and in part already enforced, new
program, most OF whose aspects are
decidedly military, as was suggested
by the training and experience OF
Major General Hoefer 1t is felt that
the food problems will be near final
solution on the day on which it will
be possible to suppress all private
sales to consumers, transactions car
ried on in defiance OF the law and to-
tai disregard OF maximum price regu-
lations. Persons willing to buy at a
rate far above the maximum price
have been able to get food in un-
limited quantities, at the expense OF
the small consumer who must look |
upon maximum prices as the sole |
means of getting food at reasonable |
cost under present conditions. The |
effect OF this has been that the con-
sumner willing to pay the price has
been able to get all the food he |
wanted, while the poor man, often
after standing in line for hours, has |
been turned away empty-handed, be-
cause private sales on the speak
easy" plan had depleted the stores on
hand, the private purchaser buying |
more than the law allows at a price |
far above the maximum set by the |
government.
To Protect the Poorer.
1t is the plan of the new food ad-
ministration to proceed against this |
practice with all the severity the law |
permits. In the past this has not been !
possible. The Vienna public is ex-
tremely good-natured and averse to
the role of informcr or police spy.
a fact which has been exploited by
those with means and the storekeep-
ers. But even the patience OF the
small consumer in Austria has limit
it seems, and court records of recent
weeks show that greater number of
food law transgressions are being re-
ported. In disposing OF these cases
the courts have shown no mercy and
an appeal has generally had the SUR
prising result OF punishments being in
creased. Thus dealer in foodstuffs,
sentenced to imprisonment for three
weeks and fine of 200 Crowns aug
mented his punishment to imprison-
ment for three months and fine OF |
1000 Crowns by having his case re-
viewed by the appeal senate, which |
body found that the lower court had |
been altogether too lenient.
Despite this, usury in food prices
continues, evidence OF the fact that
defying food regulations is highly
profitable. So great seems to be the
lure of making money OF general
misfortune that nothing suffices to
check it, as was shown already over
q century ago when the French revo-
lutionary government made usury in
food sales a capital crime and was
obliged to execute goodly number
Of shopkeepers.
Much Food Stored. o.
Much of the food bought at pri-
Sate sales and delivered clandestinely
is not intended for immediate con-
sumption. 1t is stored. There are
thousands of families in Vienna who
have on hand, stored in cellar and
garnet, lockers and chests, food sta
pies for two years. For the sake of
appearances, and in order not to use
up their hoard, the same families meet
their present daily need in the open
market, increasing in this manner the
daily consumption to the extent in
which they buy for boarding. Only |
those with means enough can afford |
this, so that the shortage due to the
prartice falls altogether upon the
poorer classes.
Rapacious storekeepers favor this
course, because it nets them prices
often 200 per cent above the maximum
price set by the government. Whether
the store be large or small makes no
difference. Each has its private buy
ers, to whom food is sold at any
price and in any quantity, regardless
of regulations. While thousands are
unable to get butter and fat in the
quantities prescribed by the govern
ment cards, other thousands buy as
much as they want and when they
want. The households which as yet
have been without meat on a meat
less day are few indeed, provided
the family treasury can bear the
strain. While the bulk of the popu-
lation eats very poor sort of black
bread, many enjoy full wheat bread,
as before the war, because they have
the price and money still buys any,
thing in Austria. The storekeeper
recognizes in the present situation
fine opportunity to make money and
is not letting the chance go by.
In the end the retailer is little
more than the agent of the whole
saler in this mulcting of war-worn
public. Not so long ago shipment
of more than a million eggs spoiled
in Vienna railroad yard because the
prevailing price did not suit the own
ers. Today it is impossible to get
eggs at even 50 hellers apiece. But
this is merely one instance of illicit
price promotion, as the practice is
called here.