The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-07-07

allowance has been reduced to one
third Of the normal, and some of my
friends there have written 10 me that
they did not know how they were 60
ing 10 live. especially as the one-lnlrd
they now get costs rs much as the
full allowance Of other days.
For sugar the card system is in
force throughout the country. Per-
sons taking three meals Il day at home
are allowed pound and half or
sugar month, while the allowance is
reduced half pound month for each
meal taken customarily away from
home. No loaf sugar can be Sold only
the granulated variety, and such an
extravaganza as wrapping little blocks
OF sugar up separately in pieces OF
paper would be very likely 10 cause
rioting.
Petrol is. now sold by the card Sys.
tenn. A private family Is allowed one
litre-a little less han quart-of
petrol week Owners Of automobiles
can have a card permitting them TWEEN
five litres Of petrol week. provided
they can convince the authorities that
the use Of the automobiles is neces-
sary and not merely luxury. There
Is, however. a large eff in the petrol
card system. The petrol card entities
its possessor TO his limited supply. II
he can find a dealer who will consent
10 sell il to him. 1t does not mean that
he can demand a certain quantity Of
petrol. 1t means merely that he Will
not be arrested for being found with
that quantity in his possession.
Army Seizes Forage, Meat Extremely
Scarce.
Meat Is very scarce and rapidly be-
| ID Nf n n
country have been reduced far below
the points at which they are threatened
with extinction, and In this case a
peculiar condition exists which aggra
yates extremely the scarcity brought
about by the consumption OF meat and
the inability 10 import.
Normandy has always been one or
The great cattle producing regions or
France, and by consequence 1t has pro-
duced, also. a great quantity Of forage.
The army commissariat has gone into
Normandy and seized the forage for
the army. There has not been enough
left for the cattle herds, and forage in
Normandy has gone up to five and SIX
times and often ten times the normal
rate.
In Touraine, on the other hand, there
not being so many cattle, and. there
| fore. not so great demand Tor forage,
the price has only little more than
doubled and there Is an excess. But
there are not the means of transporta-
ton to take the forage from Touralne
to Normandy. and the Normandy herds
! died last winter BY the hundreds
week from starvation
Meat Cards Likcly-Coal Problem Acute
To cope with the meat scarcity there
are now Nv" m+atleSS days n wecH-
Monday and Tuesday - throughout
France. Whenever the government gath
erS the necessary courage to put the
order In effect instead OF two meatleSs
days q week, there will he meal cards
Fuel is another problem OF the high
est Importance. Last winter there were
many coal riots in Paris. Not extensive
riots. but enough to show the temper n
the people and what might easily hap
pen. For example. four soldiers came
homo on seven days leave from the
front They found their families shiv-
crlug before nrcleSs stoves. The four
soldiers armed themselves and went 10
the nearest coal office. broke in and sciz-
:, cd from the small stock what they want
ed for their families Will" a crowd gath
cred and chccrcd. them on. The police
wisely made no attempt 10 Interfere.
|. In another Cusc L dealer who had
managed To get hold of few hundred
pounds OF coal tried sell it at $50 II
hundred pounds. The people tore down
the front Of the building and began "a
help themselves. Whcreupon the police
,stcpped In and sold off what remained
TAT $3.50 hundred pounds.
There were several districts in
France last winter that were without
, either electricity or gas because there
was no coal To run the plants. In
. Paris we had our gas cut down 10 al
average of nne-third III" normal con-
sumption. with penalty Of double
price for going over tie allowances.
while for 4 second orfcnsc the gas
would be cut off entirely Electricity
was put under the sam" regime. Both
coal and COX" had 10 BE- seized ny the
government for tho munitions plants.
Coal $50 and SIS Ton.
There WAS no coal To be bought for
private consumption. Tho. price went
up TO $50 and SII Il ton. when coal could
be had. | huv" paid $50 = ton for coal
100 pounds At Il lime. The city OF
Paris put it's rcS-rv" stock Of coal at
the disposal Of lii. people. establishing
distribution drpot%. where one stood in
line for hours al Il lime and the limit
to be had was 20 pounds of coal day.
Wood went TO SCI Il ton. Old build
ingS were torn down and broken up Tor
tho wood To burn. aud even then the
wood supply ran out early in February.
ter We had neither coal nor wood. and
were prohibited from using either gas
or electricity. | know families who
were three and four d!>.I AT 4 time
without hot food without even so
much as q cup nj hot coffee.
The outlook Is for even worse rOndi
tIuns mex; wie,rr unless America makes
ur tn" deficit.
1t l. Gn In America.