The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-20


whether Germany as nation, can
he starved into submission. Every
thing depends upon the next harvest.
the lcaEth ~ the war and future
military operations. The German
government. I think can make the
people hold out until the coming har-
vest, unless tHere is "a big military de-
feat
In their present uudernourish-
cd condition The public Could not
face IA defeat. II the war ends
this year Germany will not be so
starved that she viii accept any
peace terms. But If the war con-
Times another year or two Ger
MANY will have to give up.
entered Germany AZ the beginning
o. jhe allied blockade. when one could
purchase any kind. and any quantity
o. food in Germany. TWO years later,
when ] left. there we're at least eigh-
teen fGodstufis which could rot be
purchased anywhere, and there We're
twelve kinds Of food which could be
obtained only ny government cards.
That IS what tire allied blockade did
10 the food supplies II made Ger
many loot like a grocery store after
closing out sale,
THF ROOD SiTT ALTON
IN GERMANY
Suppose in the United States YOU
wanted the simplest reakfast-coffee
and bread and butter. Suppose you
wanted n light luncheon Of eggs or
a sandwich tea aid fruit. suppose
for dinner you wanted a plain menu
Of soup, taeat vegeta bles and dessert,
At any grocery or lunch counter you
could get not only these plain foods,
but anything else you wanted.
Not 50 in Germany. For breakfast
you cannot have pure coffee. and You
can have only very small quantity
of butter with your butter card. Hotels
serve coffee substitute, bat most
people prefer nothing. For Luncheon
YOU may have an egg. but only one
DAY during two weeks. Hotels still
serve n weak. highly colored tea and
apples or oranges. For dinner you
may have soup without amy meat or
fat In II. soups are just mixture or
water and vegetables. Two DAYS n
xeek-xnu CANCEL n small piece or
meat With meat card. other days
you can get boiled flsh.
People who keep house, OF course.
have more food. because as rule
( they have been storing supplies, TAX
/ the Christian scientists as an instance.
Members Of this church have organiz-
I ed semi-oficial club Members
/ buv eli the extra food possible. They
~then divide, and store away what they
want Tor the "siege'-.the time when
food will be scarcer than ii is today.
Two women practitioners IN Berlin,
! who live together. bought thirty
pounds OF butter from an American
/ who had brought II In from Copen
/ hagen. They canned It and planned
/ to make this butter last one year, IN
! I'll "a few weeks ago people with money
- w {; 10, e. g zaTland Holland Rnd
j Denmark and bring back food with
them, either with or without permls
sion.
Some wealthy citizens who impor'
machinery and other things from out
side neutral countries have their
I agents srnuggle food st the same time
While the Dutch. Danish and Swiss
governments try to stop smuggling
there is always some going through
The rich have the money 70 bride Dor
der officers and inspectors when
was In Dusseldorf last October me-
The owner of a number OF canal boats
who shipped coal and iron products
from the Rhine valley 10 Denmark
He told me his canal bsrges brough'
back food from CopeEhaNen every
trim and thaE the DcCuti ah'ia'' AN4N'
were not very careful in making ar
investigation of his boats.
IN Dusseldorf too. as well as In Co
logne. business men spoke about tne
food they got from Belgium. The,
did not get great Quantities, OF course
but the leakage was enough to enRufs
them to 1--we better than those wht
/ had -aeHAaa upon the food In Ger
many. ,
when the food supplies began &c
decrease the government instituted
the card system OF distribution. Bread
cards had been very successful, so the
authorities figured that meat butter
potato and other cards would be
equally so. But their calculations
were wrong,
/ When potato cards were issued
each person was given nine pounds
week. But the potato harvest was
big failure The supply was sc
much less than the estimates that
seed potatoes had to be used to keep
the people satisfied. Even then the
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