The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-30
AUSTRIA NEARING |
STARVING POINT
Crops in Empire Past Sum-
n1er Almost Failure Due
to Severe DrOuth.
MEAT MINUS QUANTITY
Letters From Dual Mon.
archy Declare That Wars
End Is Approaching.

London. December se.-cprfespond-
encc of the Associated Press,-The
food situation ia parts of Austria, no.
tably Bohcnus, is at present more crit
'eA uaE at any previous period of
we war. according to letters which
have been received by Czechs here,
after evading the Austrian censor
ship. Bohemia, both owing to her
geographical situation and the con-
cs'nssatson of her population in the in
eFsflal districts, has always been de-
uendent on outside assistance as far
as her food supply is concerned,
You can't conceive what a dcsper-
ate plight we are in" SAYS one letter.
and 1t VIII ne even worse as winter
e'sssses Ell, for there has been no har-
N@ss TO speak of. Owing to the
Wrought. everything has been burned
up; there is no wheat, and soon there
VIII be no potatoes, Nobody sees how
we can endure another winter. Even
the peasant farmers have not enough
Tor themselves. There is practically
u" heat--Sou can perhaps buy scrap
eiies week after standing for four
hctrs In line. There are strikes and
demonstrations everywhere, but the
newspapers are not allowed to say
anything about them.'
Horse Meat Soup.
Another letter says: The ratons
ger head are now: Bread, two pounds
WccsslS6 flour, for married people only.
oAs pound weekly: potatoes one pound
weekly; sugar, one half pound week.
~. But in reality it is practically i'm
possible to obtain ones full allowance
OF anything. Food is issued on Fri
days and Saturdays every week, but
1t frequently happens that those who
have finished their rations too soon or
VINO have no money to buy something
ny undefhand means, die OF starvation
oh thursday. The management of the
1000 bureau attempts to satisfy our
appetltes by providing the most ter
ribie bread, the mere sight of which
often upsets the starving stomach
1T is true we have the uch-vaunt-
ed soup kitchens, which provide a mid
day meal But the meal is no longer
anything nourishing, but only water
containing beets, clover and turnip,
The war vegetables are occasionally
supplemented with horse meat when
things are going badly on the front.
mus when the italian offensives were
so'iiS oaolS against us, many wagon
'oaas OF dead horses were brought to
the factory kitchens to be made into
soup. These kitchens supply the in
NadlnS soldiers, and also the foreign
Workmen, the latter mostly Poles.
Good Men Vanishing.
Whenever a report came in that the
Italians were winning, there was great
rejoicing among these slaves at the
prospect of getting meat soup. These
Wfetched creatures, who are con
scrlpted Tor work in the mines and
'actorles, are literally slaves. Not
ohis is Their personal liberty restricted
~ corporal punishments are inflicted
tor the slightest retort; the offender
Is logged and shaven close, like a
convict, as a mark of humiliation.
y good many men may still be seen
II, 'ne industrial towns, but there are
absolutely none in the villages. A
lew sons of rich landowners have been
aple TO escape military service by
suddenly becoming Indispensable TO
some mine or factory. There are very
Jew soldiers left at home now, al
though there were plenty last March.
The end is nj hand"
Gorroboratiye evidence of the crit
ical situation in Bohemia is found in
several more official sources. In the
austrian budget committee. the deputy
III. Zehker, declared that the shortage
VI Ilour and bread was now almost
complete. If the government really
ueslres to continue the war" he said.
IL VIII have To take some very ureen.
measures. We will afterwards have
something to say about Hungary
"hlch would be well advised to give
way and let us have some of her
stored-up food If She does not want TO
see u "nrrent of overwhelming OPINION
rise against Budapest to the great
uetriment of the dual monarchy."
In the Austrian upper house On
oe'oper ~ Dr. Gilbert Hemer, lord
appol OF Iepl. ana one of the most
influential -churchmen in Austria
hungary said; "Tcrriblc want reicns
In the districts Of Gablonz, Hamburg
and Warnsdorf. and in the Erzgebirge.
conditions in the last-namcd district
are appalling. owing to the failnro of
me '2ech population to do their duty
70 the community in handing over
1oodstuffs. 1t is even widely reDortod
that the failure of the Cyacbs - ,s.,
over their food boards is due to re-
bellious nationalistic aspirations"