Omaha daily bee., 1917-02-25

of Russia, in addition to Serbia, Mon
tenegro and the biggest half of Rou-
mania. Only relatively small num-
Der Of cars captured in Belgium have
been added to the German rolling
stock.
AS the war has gone on the condi-
ton of this rolling stock has de-
Perforated steadily, and scarcely any
of it has been replaced. A shortage
of oils has not allowed the proper
care OF what cars there are; hot boxes
on both passenger and freight cars
are everyday occurrences. The en-
gines have to draw such heavy loads
that they are going to pieces faster
than they used to.
Feed and fodder conditions for Ger
man live stock improved somewhat
through last years harvests, but only
somewhat The cattle are still thin
and scraggly. The mich cows give
less than ever and there is little milk
that can be spared for cheese. The
cattle, when slaughtered, give less
meat than they used to, and so horse
meat has had to be resorted to in a
degree that is unprecedented.
A German Mistake.
The available supply of swine has
never recovered from the original
German mistake of 1914 and 1915,
when millions of pigs were slaugh-
tered to save the food that they de-
voured, only thereby reducing the
supply of fat to a dangerous point
The Germans have never forgiven
themselves for that short-sishtedness.
The same III measure holds true
of sugar There had been an over
supply in 1914, and solemn warn
ings went out not to plant so much
land to sugar beets and more to grain.
The peasantry followed the advice too
literally, and Germany awoke to find
that it had hardly more than enough
sugar for purposes other than food.
So the big cities are in part living
on saccharine now, and there isn't
enough of that.
The coffee Stretching" process be-
gan last spring, and has continued so
diligently that real coffee is an al
most unattainable rarity. and the aver
age coffee" that is available is SO
poor as to prove undrinkable for the
person used to real coffee. Substitutes
such as chicory, herbs, mixtures Of all
kinds, have taken coffee's place.
The most perfect organization and
system in the world has stepped in
and so regulated the food affairs that
every adult in the empire is pretty
we'll assured of half pound OF meat
week But nearly every ounce OIL
that half pound is lean meat The
fat rarely reaches the purchaser 70,
it is jealousy boarded by the gov.
ernment
System likewise has provided thai
there shall be no butter riots. or breat
riots, or meat lines. There is now
so-called Customers list" whereby
each resident of any large city is reg
istered with one, dairy store. and one
baker, and one butcher The Gus
toner has number, and on stated
days may purchase his or her quota
of food by number Government Sc
cret service agents have been bus,
ferreting out cases of extortion anc
overcharging, and heavy fines and i'm
prisonments have been salutary II
their effect Likewise the custom o
boarding, which the Germans cal
Transferring" after the animal, ham
stcr," or grounding, has been dis
couraged to great extent by fine.
and other punishments.
During the final months of 1olt
Germans of the weather. class helped
out their scanty larders with butter
eggs, cheese and the like, which the,
procured from convenient Relatives
whom they discovered in Holland an,
Denmark. Now that has been don,
away with. From the first of Januar,
= on the German government, through
its Central Purchasing company, vii
buy all the food in adjoining foreigi
countries that those countries will O
may sell and will distribute equitabl,
in Germany.