Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-09-20
FAMINE in .
AUSTRIA IS
KILLING MANY
People Actually Dying Of
Hunger, Medical Rec
ords Show.
Fish Supply is Short-sea-
faring Males Called to
the Front.

,Ls
the Front.
Rome, Sept. 2O.-There Is now no
further doubt about the desperate eco-
nomic conditions in Austria, where
people are actually dying of hunger.
Deaths from starvation are medically
attested, and the certificates OF the dis
trict medical officers cannot be kept
secret as they must be produced by
the relatives Of the deceased person
to the local authorities in order to
have the body buried without an in
quest and a ~postmortem examination.
The Arbeiter Zeitung recently pub
lished a facsimile Of the certificate
of death Of a laborer named B. Haup-
tig, native of Reichenberg in Bone
mia, whose body was found in a field.
The district medical officer of KRAFT
a attested that the man a died
of hunger. Similar certificates have
from time to time been published in
provincial papers, but as a rule the
great majority remain unknown.
Moreover doctors often use the ex-
preston nervous exhaustion to
plain deaths from hunger, and thus to
g certain extent appearances are saw
ed. The fact remains, however, that
people are starving to death n Aus
tria, and evidence Of the appealing
economic conditions is afforded by
two speeches delivered in parliament
by Deputy Blanchini Of Dalmatia and
the German Socialist Renner of Vi
emma.
Dalmations Aroused.
Deputy Blanchini, who despite his
Italian name is a Croatian and noted
for his loyalty to Austrian rule, open
ly accused the military authorities of
dispoiling the Dalmatians Of every
thing n condemning them to star
walton. "All u fishermen rave been
called to the colors," he said, land if
some of them were sent home and
provided with boats, ropes Inc nets
they would provide enough fish for
the population. It is useless to send
Hungarian fishermen who know the
sea by hearsay and cannot fish. The
military authorities have been requis-
itioned salt from Dalmatia, with the
result that eve when fish is plenti-
full it mo be sailed and kept for
the winter. Another mistake commit
ted by the authorities has been the
wholesale requisitioning of oil. Oil is
indispensable as an article of food to
Dalmatians, as it replaces every kind
Of fat. Besides, like salt, oil is need
ed to preserve fish and vegetables.
The people are suffering tortures from
lack of oil. Denutrition las reduced
them to skeletons, and now in man,
districts Of the province a terrible
unknown epidemic is raging which
the doctors attribute to lack Of oil
and fat. This epidemic is most vio-
swelling of the feet, which in most
cases is followed by death within "a
hours.
In the island of Curzoia over 100
fatal cases ave been reported in a
couple of months. Evidently there is
no remedy for this epidemic except to
improve the diet with the addition of
pal products of the country oil a
not be had. as the military authori-
ties have taken it all and only allowed
q quart a person, which naturally has
been consumed in a few weeks.
Livestock has been requisitioned
without any system in Dalmatia.
Horses, mules and oxen have been
sent to Serbia, Montenegro and Al
baniaf for military transport and mel
over so years old and boys of IL and
IA were sent as drivers, and few of
them ever returned. The Austrian
army has been fed with beef from
Dalmatia to such an extent that the
10000 head of oxen existing before
the war have now fallen to less than
oo,VVu, anu as Cdllie is par
alyzed the number is diminishing
daily. Sheep and goats have been
practically extirpated. Besides fod-
der. which is very scarce in Dalmatia,
wen straw has been requisitioned,
sc that now it is impossible to feed
cattle of any kind.
Bread and Meat Scarce.
Bread is even more scarce thar
meat in Dalmatia. The wheat grown
in the province is hardly sufficient to
feed the population for two months
in normal times, yet all the wheat has
been requisttioned INC paid for sc
low that the farmers lost money be-
sides being starved. The bread now
supplied Is of such an inferior quality
that 1t cannot be eaten even by starry.
ing people. Occasionally small con-
signments Of potatoes are sent to Dial.
malta, but as transportation by sea
is most Difficult and by land very slow
when the potatoes reach their destina-
tor tney are generally rotted and un.
lit for human food.
A food is scarce and lear it Is nc
exaggeration to say that before Ions
a regular famine with all Its terrible
consequences will inevitably follow ir
Dalmatia."
Deputy Renner denounced ii
stronger terms the hopeless economic
conditions in Austria. IT do not ap.
peal to the row to the government
and to parliament as national institu.
tons, but / speak as man to men anC
appeal to your intelligence and to YOU
hearts" he said. While we are talk.
ing here people outside are dying O.
hunger. We deplore that some prov
inces are worse off than others anc
debate as to whether the middle class
es are suffering more than the lowel
ones, and yet all the people are des
perate. The bread ration is INSULT
Gent. but what is worse the mini
mum fixed for each person often can
not be had, and more often still tn,
distribution of bread is irregular. w,
ought to realize the meaning OF tn,
fact that to mos citizens of Vienn;
1t lis impossible to procure any kin,
OF vegetables. The Iaboring classe
are so badly fed that 1t is s~erfoI1sl,
compromising their capacity for work
Industrial inspectors and even con
tractors affirm that Iaborers are viii
ing enough to work, but they canno
work because their strength is failin
owing t. insufficient nourishmeni
Their 1ifeSis unbearab1e. 1t lis a won
der then they have resisted so fa
M still more that they are patientI
resisting, but Hi impossible for Their
to keep resisting for much longer,
All the members Of the Austria
parliament, eve those who supper
the government and are bent on re
eistaIce to the very end, denounce
the hopeless economic situation an
ven when optimistic they admitte
that h war could not be pro1onge
more than three months without risk
fns regular famine.
cANNx SANDY.