Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-05-01

CLOTHING MADE
Practically No Factories
Running, Except Those
Engaged in the Making Of
: War Supplies, and Re-
sources Getting Low.
CARDS REQUIRED TO
PURCHASE CLOTHING
No Cotton and Wool Sup
plies for the Past Year
Factories Starving More
Than Are the People of
the Country.
BY CARL W. AckERMAN.
Copyright, 1917, The Tribune Asso-
oiation.)
Last January, while in
Berlin, l wanted to buy a
shirt. | saw in shop win
dows shirts of all kinds and
varieties, and went into one
of the big department stores
to purchase one. When l
told the clerk what l want
ed, she asked:
"Do you have a 'bezug-
schein?''
This was new to me. ! asked her to
explain. She said it was now impos-
sib!e for any one to buy shirt with
out special card from the city mag
istrate. She said 1t would be useless
for her to show me the shirts for sale
unless l had this card.
LONG LINE IN WAITING.
Because I lived in Wilmersdorf. a
suburb of Berlin, l had to go to the
city hall of that suburb. Arriving
there, I was told the ticket office was
located on the fourth floor of another
building. Arriving there, ! found a
long line Of men, women and children
awaiting tickets for clothing. Finally
when I reached the desk where tickets
for mems clothing We're issued, / was
asked for my registration slip, which
the police issue to all foreigners and
al xvv1,n +1l- actI d.,
Berlin. This slip did not have So
was informed that l could not have
a ticket for Il shirt until brought my
police. registration card with me. 1
went home. obtained the card, and re-
turned to the magistrates ticket Of
flee to find that it was open only
from 8 o'clock in the morning until l
o'clock in the afternoon. This was
just one of the means of discouraging
people from doing anything except the
most necessary buying.
The next morning, at o'clock, l
was standing in line. In due course of
time ] was ushered into the little
room where the tickets were issued.
When ] again informed the woman
that / des.red a shirt. she asked me
whether l had purchased any other
clothing recently. After my reply in
the negative she handed me a card to
fill out with my name. address. age,
business, wife's name, the
in my family and my nation
ality. / returned this card. She mark |
ed on the back: Ticket for one dress
shirt given January I. 1917" and
handed me a card emitting me to one |
shirt.
This is the process one must follow
mall German cities today II one
wishes to buy clothing Of any sort. |
Should one desire a pair Of stockings,
shoes, gloves, shirtwaists, suit Of I'M
or anything else, one must
go to the magistrate. explain tho nee
essity and have it recorded on the city |
card.
FORCED TO LIMIT SALES.
The number Of these articles which
one can obtain depends entirely upon
the officials issuing the ticket. At one
time no one can buy more than two
pairs Of stockings, or two handker-
chiefs, or three towels, or one shirt. or
two collars. Raw materials In Ger
many are so scarce that the govern
ment is compelled to limit the sale of
Ill clothing.
Cotton and wool supplies have long
ago been exhausted. New clothes
which have been made during the last
year have been manufactured from
cotton and wool yarns made of RAGS.