New-York tribune., 1918-05-21
Berlin's Efforts to Tell the
World of Situation
Cause Suspicion
Motive May Be
To Mislead Foes
Reduction of Bread Ration
Creates Excitement, AS
serts Berne Dispatch
Especial Dispatch to The Tribune)

WASHINGTON, May 20.-State De-
partment officials have been mystifed
by the apparent pains to which Ger
many had gone in order to get the in
formation about her food condition be-
fore the world. In addition to putting
it out through the Wolff Bureau, it
was sent out also by the official wire
less.
1t was assumed that either Germany
desired to anticipate what the world
would soon learn through other chan
nels, or else that the situation is not
quite so bad as is represented, parallel
ing this respect the reports of strikes
and revolutionary activities in Ger
many, which, it is now believed, were
put out by the German government to
mislead it's enemies concerning her
strength and the unity of the German
people.
Official advices in regard to the food
question in Germany were received
from several sources to-day. A dis
patch from Zurish says:
"The announcement of the reduction
of bread rations in Germany on June
Is is creating a disastrous impression
in Austria, where it was hoped that
Germany would be able to provide an
efficient help in order to prevent fam
inc in the most tried regions in Aus
hold out while waiting for the next
crop.
"This hope is now vanishing. 1t is
not probable that Germany, constrained
to undergo very severe restrictions
should be ready to divert any of her
supplies in favor of her ally"
A Basle telegram states:
according to the 'Norddeutsche
Zeitung,' the Secretary Of State of the
Supply Office, Herr Won Waldow, ac-
companied by Under Secretaries Braun
and Graewenitz, left for Kieff with the
purpose of hurrying the exports from
Ukrainia to Germany"
A dispatch from Berne follows:
"The announcement of the reduction
of bread rations has created in Ger
many great excitement. The 'Vor-
warts writes: The government OF
taking a step which is pound to dis
turb the life of our war diets. Up to
now they were distributed in very
small quantities. 1t seemed too dan
gerous to start in reducing these ra-
tions, and the danger is greater in the
fourth year of the war than in the
third and second, when it was easier
to obtain other food and when the
general condition of the population
was better. The physical and general
force which helps in supporting the
hardships of this fourth year of wal
is greatly diminished.'
Surprise to German People
"The 'Volks Freund,' of Carlsruhe
writes of the surprise which the Ger
man people will feel when they realize
that they must suger new deprivation:
while they were counting on an i'm
provement of the food situation basee
from Ukrainia and Rumania. The
paper adds: Last year, at any rate
there was more meat. This year th'
lowering of the bread ration is coun
terbalanced by nothing
"The paper accuses the German gov
ernment of having failed to take all th'
necessary steps to seize the stockssstil
held by the peasants, and concludes
The situation will become difficult, yer.
difficult, if the authorities do not in
terfere with pitiless energy
"The tone adopted by the govern
ment press is no less characteristic
The official 'Norddeutsche Allgemein
Zeitung' gives a weak expression to tn
hope that the measure will not endan
ger the resistance of the interior front
The 'Germania' does not hide its de
spondency. 1t declares: we hav
never been optimistic, but our pessim
ism was not great enough.
The advices state that last year, be
ginning with April, Austria Hungary re
ceivcd $4,000 tons of cereals frol1
Rumania, while Germany obtained onl
10000 tons from that country.
The dispatches add that this year tn
as the harvest was bad, only maize bein
obtainable; it is not dry and the tran:
portation season has not opened.
addition, famine threatens the Ukrain
from which the Central Powers calc,
lated upon receiving great quantities
foodstuffs.