The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-17
u. S. CAN BENEFIT
FROM FOOD ERROR
or The GERMANS
Two Years of Boosting
Prices and Riots Preceded
Present System


tator' in control
That such a person was not appoint
ed at the start may have been due to
political reasons, to existing legal diff
culties, in the way, perhaps to lack OF
foresight, and maybe because Germany
is not so efficient after all as we ina
CINE her to be.
We of the United States want no die
tatorship, food or other kind. Such a
thing is unthinkable for America. But
we can avoid any possibility Of 1t what
every by taking profit from Germany's
mistakes.
Like our own country the German
empire is composed of number OF
states. There is variation in their To-
cal laws. For that reason the first at
tempt at regulation failed. The gov
eminent machinery was not adequate
to overcome the conflicting forces.
The next step tried was virtually an
administration by martial law. For the
purpose the empire was divided into
eight military districts. This was an
but it too failed to solve
the problem.
In spite of all that could be done,
there were variations in production,
supply and distribution, and there
were successful attempt made to evade
the law, hoard and boost prices.
In two or three of the larger centers
early in 1916 supplies Of certain food
stuffs ran out. The housewives
thought they faced famine. They riot
ed, a la New York, but not SO extern
sively that the police couldn't handle
the situation without the help Of the
military.
The workings Of the military control
under eight administrative districts
workings Of our own prohibition laws
as to "wet" and "dry'' territories.
In one district, for instance, there
none. Consequently individuals would
their attempts to obtain the supplies
in which they found shortage in
their own district.
It was not until June, 1916, almost
two years after the war started, that
the present system of control was put
in effect A central food office, known
as the War Food Board, was created
and placed in charge Of the entire
problem of the food supply Of the ma
ton.
It is the president Of this board, Dr.
Adolph Won Batocki, who is known to
the world as Germany's food dictator"
The board is composed of experts in
the production, transportation, distri-
button, wholesale and retail Of food
stuffs. They are operating officials
with an efficient expert operator at
their heAd.e~ sssSs ess ~
Had their appointment followed i'm
mediately upon the report Of the find
ings Of the /Eltzbacher commission,
Germany would have experienced few
er difficulties than she has in feeding
herself
The rules and regulations of Dr. Ba-
tocki and his board are law. They
are supplemented by regulations OF
the local authorities according to gen
era1 provisions and enforced by the
machipery of the government
His power is absolute in food mat
tiers. He dictates what crops shall be
planted, or live stock raised, the por-
ton the farmer may keep or slaugh-
ter for his own use, the price he shall
get for what is sold, how much he
shall sell and how much hold in re-
serve, for Germany is creating re-
serves wherever possible; he dictates
the price of the wholesaler and the
retailer shall charge, who shall handle
it and how much each may handle
and finally he regulates and restricts
by card the amount each person may
consume of articles in which there is
scarcity, the card system insuring to
each individual his or her share.
This looks like an impossible task,
and it would be impossible were it not
for all the work that went before. It
could only be done by having available
the exact censuses or populations of
various districts and exact information
as to available supplies.
There are still attempts made to
beat the system, but on the whole the
German people are playing the game
and there is little murmur save from
the Socialists.
The control exercised does not
mean, however, that every individual
in the empire is subjected to one fixed
and rigid diet, like the prisoners in
a penitentiary.
They are not all eating the same
things at the same time In SO far as
are variations in the food consumed
in various localities And as far as
possible local deficiencies in produc-
ton are overcome by transportation
In this the canal system Of Germany
is a great factor in moving cheaply
non-perishable foodstuffs.
Not every article of food is restrict
ed as to consumption. In the main
only the staples are controlled and
each in varying degree. On fruits,
most vegetables. fish, poultry, etc.,
there is no restriction, but the prices
are in some cases high
Goose, which is the Germans tur-
key, has for instance, gone up 1000
per cent. "A goose that formerly sold
for eight marks now brings 80, or
more, rise from $500 to $4,000. 1t
makes it a luxury for the well-to-do.
But the things that are necessary are
controlled rigidly as to price and are
kept within reach. or given away.
There is no starvation.
Germany might have avoided hav-
Ing food dictator, if she knew at
the start all she knows now We know
what she knows. Why not fortify our
selves by the information? Why not
prepare to avoid the pitfalls ahead
Let us have food preparedness.