Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-11-29
CHAPTER XVII.

The Economic Situation in Germany.
By the spring of 1916. butter and
meat had become extremely scarce in
Berlin. Ny wife had remained in
America, where she had accompanied
me in the summer of 1915, and during
her absence I dined at hotels and res
taurants where the food was still
rather good In June, 1916, / left for
America again and just as was leay-
ing meat cards were issued for the
first time.
returned to Berlin with my family
in October, 1916. Conditions had
changed considerably for the worse
during the summer 1 found that
every one who had the money had
bought up every available pound Of
food and soap which had not already
been Communicated by the govern
ment Butter, potatoes, eggs, milk,
flour, sugar, soap, bread and meat and
dry groceries were all rationed and it
was now no longer necessary for wom-
en- TO stand in line in front of the
shops, sometimes all night, TO await
the morning opening.
Shopping by The card system was
very complicated and the quantities
permitted by the ration cards so small
that a welI-balanced meal was an i'm
possibility. To dine in a restaurant it
was necessary to take a whole pocket
full of cards and make a careful analy
sis of them before ordering the mea-
ger meal which the law allowed.
Empty boxes were used TO decorate
the depleted show windows of the
shops. The fact that they were empty
was not known to the public and very
often the windows would be broken by
hungry mobs who couldn't resist the
sight of what appeared to be so much
food. This led the government TO or
der the shopkeepers TO label the boxes:
Empty Boxes" in order to avert such
disturbances and riots.
There WIS simply nothing TO buy in
the food line except substitutes. and OF
these there were hundreds, each worse
than the last. The remark: IF things
get much worse, we shall soon be eat
ing rats as the Parisians did in 1ST0'
brought the rejoinder: swell, that
wouldn't be so bad; what I'm dreading
is the time when We shall have TO be
content with rat-substitute
When we finally had cards for eof-
fee-substitute l gave up interest in
and commenced TO patron
ize the spectators. figuring that it was
better 10 risk the penalties imposed by
the law for such violations of the food
regulations than to ruin our health
through underncurishment.
For long time we were permitted |
to receive presents" Of bacon, ham,
sausages, eggs and butter from Deg
mark. but this was finally prohibited 4
through The influence of the Central /
Einkaufs Gesellschaft (The Central I
Society for Buyieg Food From Other 1
which found that it was
Interfering with their graft
This society was formed by a COM
,any OF clever Jewish business men to
'uy food from foreign countries and
Tell 1t to the people. small percent
&c of the profits going TO the govern
nent- 1t not only developed into a
most successful enterprise from the
standpoint of profit. its prosperity be-
ng augmented by graft, but 1t provided
haven for the Stacker sous of the
rcprietors aud stockholders. Just be-
ore I left Berlin, this company, TO
ide their war profitS. bought a build
ng for three million marks. which they
lained was rcc1ed for the business.