South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-05
BERLIN PRESENTS
PICTURE OF PEACE
Zurich Correspondent Says
Germany Away From Front
Most UnWarIike Nation.
IIteTnatlonaI News Service:


study the internal conditions OF the
empire, writes from Berlin:
The further one gets away from
the front the less ne sees of the
awful struggle now convulsing the
world. Berlin presents a picture
or peace. Business Is almost nor
NAL, but the crowds in the streets
are smaller than before the war and
always Literally sprinkled with
'held-gray' Cafes. theaters and
moving picture shows are crowded
and the subway and elevated trains,
street cars and electric omnibuses
with their female conductors and
drivers run on schedule time. Here
and there lizzie groups Of captured
french. English and Russian off,
GERS can be seen who chat pleas
antly and are permitted to move
about freely. ThefaCes Of these
prisoners always express surprise
and show that they expected 10 find
the capital OF the Huns different
than it is. Most OF all the prisoners
are surprised by the fact that the
principal Paris, London and Petro-
srad papers are for sale at all large
news staEds
Travelling through Germany a
foreigner is struck by the inequality
in the distribution Of food and the
ignorance OF the population of the
different districts In regard 10 the
conditions in other parts of the en-
pire. The bread. meat aud soap
cards entitle the holders to the
same quantities everywhere. but as
far as the other necessities are con-
cerned the distribution is different
ia every province and city.
Told OF Food Shortage.
when / was in Munich / was
told that SaNony with its LARGE cities
and industrial centers, was suffer
ing more than any other state.
Don't go there. YOU viii starve. j
was warned, nut arriving at Leipzig
J found food there less expensive
than In the Bavarian capital and
not more scarce.
In Leipzig L was cautioned not
20 go TO Berlin. 'You will not get
anything there well meaning citi-
@cus assured me, but their warnings
we're as groundlcss as those OF my
friends in Munich i'm regard to
covered that 1 could get e. good
meal for 60 10 - cents. The So
called middle-class kitchens furnish
"a dinner consisting of soup, meat or
nsh potatoes and two kinds OF
vegetables for % cents For two
and q half 20 five cents a dessert
may also be had which IS served
under allurinS names one consists
of stewed turnips favored with ex-
tracts from different fruits like
cherries, pears, dates and pine
apples. The relief kitchens for the
poorest classes in the 81 9TH month Of
the war still sell one lipe of pour-
is1ing and we'll cooked stew for 10
90 / > cents.
Many Things Not Rationed.
Many articles OF food are not yet
ratiOned. CONDENSED soups. vege-
tables. fruit FISH anG sea food of an
kinds are sold without cards and
can be- obtained IN considerable
quantities by anyone who has the
money 10 pay for them. The wealthy
classes always manage 90 get meas
and all kinds Of delicaciCs ON the
sly by paying fabulous prices for.
them. but if their secret provision
ing is discovered they invariably are
drassed To court and sent 20 prison.
Their social rank and money never
saves them.
The neutral foreigners are bet
ter off everywhere than the natives
because they may import food from
home. and do so freely. Tho Swiss
government furnishes II pounds of
provisions per month 10 every one
OF its citizens working i'm Germany
or living here for some other rea-
SON
During the last four weeks Il
have traversed the empire IL diner
eut directions and am compelled
% State that l saw no actual hunger.
but the population is undoubtedly
uuder-nourished. The principal
reason for THIS is the lack of fats.
All Germans have lost their rotuud.
rClky shapes for which they were
known once They are slim now
with few exceptions. Those who had
fat reserves cnoueh I'm their bodies
are healthier today than formerly.
but The others have been Weakened
and many are hardly able 20 per
form the strenuous labor demanded
from ALL
Organization Improving.
The organization OF the food Gfe-
tributiou throughout the empire has
proved faulty i'm many respects. but
il j. improved steadily. one OF the
greatest mistakes the government
made was that il cncouraeed the
raising OF cattle boss and sheep 90
ah abnormal deEree The result of
this policy IS that Germany today
has more heads II cattle shan be-
fore the war. but TO fodder for
them TO Kill the animals i'm their
half starved condition would mean
an enormous less. They VIII have %
be kept alive somehow until the
harvest comes. Then they viii bc
fatteued up as quickly as possible
and sent 10 the slaughter houses in
large numbers This assures a con-
siderable increase OF the meat ra-
tious late 81 fan and during the
winter The fodder question for the
next year seems 20 DE solved in spite