Evening star., 1917-01-07

partially was removed from discussion
Of Germany's political ~ well A. eco
nomic necessities, . better gauge to
has been almost ~ foroibie IS the So
cialfst group in excoriAting the govern.
ment and dep1oring the sufferings Of
the mass Of people. A warning was
burg that the armies in the field could
not be expected to win unless the
workers at homo did their share. and
that the workers at home could not
perform the tasks expected Of them
aniess they had the proper portion Of
fats. The Won Hindenburg plea for the
toilers has been echoed largely by the
German press and Its Importance e1ab-
orate1y emphasized.
Just how sweeping the food shortage
dicated by the Berliner Tageblatt.
which declares editorially in one Of
its issues:
After the experience Of six months
1t 10 hardly possible to imagine that the
war nutrition ONCE II capable Of per-
forming It's task any better In the fu-
ture than in the past. Shall one point to
the fact that the potato rations. which
originally were intended to be one and
been reduced in Berlin to six pounds a
week. and that general reduction Of
the daily ration to three-fourths pound
will take place January 4? Is one to
call attention to the disturbing fact
1890 grammes (about four pounds)
week can, in many cases. only be OBJ.
tained with difficulty? Is It possible TO
overlook the inadequate supply Of meat
hope that the meat ration could be
increased has been disappointed, al
though game. and to some extent poui-
try. can now only be obtained by ticket.
Why. in many places one can no
longer obtain even ESQ grammes (about
one-half pound) Of meat. but only 200
grammes or less.
IF one 10 lucky. one gets sixty grammes
"a little more than two ounces) of but
ter a week. For months past cheese has
become something almost unknown for
the mass Of the people. Milk is sup
piled at best only TO little children AID
sick persons. Every now and then the
war nutrition ONCE issues a consoling
are not followed by deeds On the other
hand 1t fs ones almost daily experience
that foodstuffs which hitherto could be
obtained have vanished from the mar
ket. And all that can still be bought
costs impossible prices."
Then In discussing possible remedies for
the prevailing situation. the Tageblatt In
another issue declares:
According to information which we
have gathered in authoritative circles II
II but to introduce a system Of COM
pulsofy mass feeding, whereby families
will be supplied daily with breakfast. din
ner and supper in fixed 9uantities De-
be taken as certain that compulsory mass
feeding will be of general application. and
that no single section Of the population
Will be exempt from its operation. We
likely to avert the menace Of under, or
rather unequal, feeding that hovers over
ds. with all its attendant horrors"
Those onicials In charge Of the pur-
chase and distribution of German food
- suppl les, and
Officials Under upon whom falls
x- n~:A:. the burden Of
manys food problems. have not been
exempt from bitter criticism designed, In
hearts and minds Of the people who are
chaffns under the terrors Of hunger. This
is indicated by the vorwaerts comment,
running In this manner:
IF everybody else is obliged to
tighten his belt to still the disauietfuR
clamors % OF ms stomacn, ma the 600 Gentle
ing Society are faced with no such
necessity. For in the restaurant at.
tached to their Offices in Berlin they
dine extremely well. There they revel
daily in veal outlets. potatoes, rice.
beef stew, sauerkraut sausage, cod
fish, herring. dried peas, beans and
other fare the very mention of which
| lis enough to turn even person of
most angelic disposition green with
envy.
1--WE would ask the purchasing soci-
ETY. how Its canteen Is so plentifuliy
provided with the very products which
the population cannot procure even al
fabulous prices The general popula-
tion. which depends for its sustenarice
on this organisation and is Obliged TO
pay monstrous prices for food, ls en-
Titled to insist on an explanation"
That the German people are NOT
only at odds with the government ~
to the best methods of handling foods
during the shortage. but class pre1u-
dices have been aroused to the point
Of bitter exploitation may be gleaned
! from the comment OF two German
papers:
The Mulhaussn voikssettung says:
There evidently are men who can
still afford iuxurfes and enjoy axpen.
/ siye slows while the hungry and q.
hEusted working people have 10 ncur-
fish themselves on ofIsl, Whan a,seh