Gilpin observer., 1917-05-17
FOOD VERY SHORT,
GERMANY ADMITS
Inquiry Shows Almost No Butter
and Sugar, With Short
Potato Crop.
LITTLE AID FROM ROUMANli
Supply From That Country Almost
Negllglbie-sIs Cities Suffer the
Most-Perfect Organization
Regulates Food Supply.

Berlin Correspondence of The AS
sociated Press).-A summary of the
German food situation today shows
very little butter with little IL any
prospect that there will be more in the
immediate future. An equally small
amount Of margarine or other substi-
tutes for butter. A supply of meat
that does not bid fair to increase be-
cause there is so little feed on which
the cattle can be nourished and fat
tened. A minimum amount of sugar,
since less than the usual supply of
sugar beets was raised in 1915, and n
part Of the supply has to go toward
making chemicals. An almost COM
plete failure of the potato crop, so
that the bread ration is to be
stretched" with barley instead of po-
tato flour, to the consequent diminish
ing Of the beer production. An almost
negligible supply Of coffee, and very
slender amount of tea.
On the credit side of the ledger
stand the vegetables that were raised
in great quantities during the last sum-
mer, and that with German thoughtful
ness and system have been dried in
great quantities, and will be available
for the winter. Likewise there are
great quantities of marmalade, or near
marmalade. which have been stored up
as substitute for butter, The sub
stitute Is very poor, but better than
nothing.
The average German will insist that
Roumania stands on the credit side
Of the ledger, too, and that it is
big item. But 1t is extremely probable
that the amount Of food found in Rou-
mania is far smaller than had been
anticipated. Turkey. Bulgaria, Hun
gary and Austria, all also have claim
on whatever there may be. Although
Germany is running the military situ-
alton In Roumania, Germany is very
far away. Her authorities have
known for weeks that there was little
to expect from Roumania, and have
tried to break the evil news gently.
First came the announcement that the
size Of the supplies captured was un-
known, then the word that whatever
might be found would not be used but
kept as q reserve,
German Cities Suffer.
It Is, of course, the big German cit
les that are suffering. and that are 60
ing to suffer increasingly as the war
continues. Lack of transportation IA
cilities Is an increasingly important
factor.
Germany, which before the war had
somewhat more than ample freight
cars for its own needs now has to
make the same number Of cars, ap-
proximately, do for all Of the German
empire, nearly all Of Belgium, north
ern France, all Poland, and big
piece Of Russia, in addition to Serbia,
Montenegro, and the biggest half of
ROumanla. Only a relatively small
number of cars captured in Belgium
have been added to the German rolling
stock.
As the war has gone on the condi.
ton Of this rolling stock has deterior.
ated steadily, and scarcely any Of II
has been replaced. A shortage of oils
has not allowed the proper care of
what cars there are hot boxes on both
passenger and freight cars are every.
day occurrences. The engines have
now to draw such heavy loads that
they are going to pieces faster than
they used to.
Feed and fodder conditions for Ger.
man live stock improved somewhat
through last years harvests, but only
somewhat. The cattle are still thin
and scraggly. The milch cattle give
less than ever, and there Is little milk
that can be spared for cheese. The cat
tie, when slaughtered. give less meat
than they used to, and SO horse meat
has had to be resorted to in n degree
that Is unprecedented.
The available supply Of swine has
never recovered from the original Ger
man mistake Of 1914 and 1915, when
millions Of pigs were slaughtered to
save the food that they devoured. only
thereby reducing the supply Of fat to
a dangerous point. The Germans have
never forgiven themselves for that
shortsightedness.
The same In measure holds true
of sugar. There had been an oversup-
ply In 1914. and solemn warnings went
out not to plant SO much land to sugar
beets and more to grain. The peas
antry followed the advice too literally.
and Germany awOke to find that she
had hardly more than enough sugar
for purposes other than food. So the
big cities are In part living on sacchn-
rine now, and there isn't enough
Of that.
The coffee-stretching process began
last spring, and has continued so dill
gently that real coffee Is an almost un-
obtainable rarity, and the average ''cof-
, fee" that Is available Is so poor as to
be undrinkable for the person used
to real coffee. Substitutes such as
chicory. herbs. mixtures Of all kinds,