South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-05-05
WASHINGTON
SEESTROUBLE
FOR AUSTRIA
Officials Have Expected Some
Drastic Action Since News
Leaked Out of Defiance
in ReichSrath.
Associated Press Service :

Associated Press Service;
WASHINGTON, May 4.-Press
dispatches from Amsterdam saying
that Emperor Charles was about to
prorogue the Austrian parliament
were read with deep interest today
by officials here, who had expected
some such drastic action since the
news leaked out from Vienna of the
stormy sessions of the reichsrath
and of the open defiance of the gov
eminent by the elements in oppo-
sition.
The debates connected with the
Brest-Litovsk peace treaty were
particularly acrimonious and it APP
peared that the government prac-
tically had lost its majority when
the Polish delegates, desperately
resisting the secession of part of
their provinces to Ukrainia, joined
with the Czechs and Bohemians.
who had long persistently opposed
/ the government because of the re-
fusal to grant national unity.
Critical Situation Created.
The difficulties in the way Of Sc
curing sufficient food for the popu-
/ lation, the only cause given in the
Amsterdam dispatch for the suspen-
sion of the reichsrath have created
| a critical situation throughout
| Austria Hungary, according to ad-
vices received here. In the early
spring, Gen. Hoeffer, the Austrian
food controller. declared that 60O.-
| 10000 pounds of foodstuffs would
have TO be obtained somewhere until
the next harvest. The normal har-
! vest Of wheat in the dual monarchy
/ has been reduced from 1900. 000,-
600 to 5000, 900 pounds through
shortage of fertilizers and the wilful
action of the Czech peasants who
refused TO SOW and harvest grain.
Famine during the winter was
said to have been prevented only
/ by the accession of $4,000 carloads
Of grain from Rumania, but even
this was insufficient as was evil
| denced by food rios in Prague,
! Pilsen, Brun and Vienna In some
OF the prison camps Of Austria the
I death rate from starvation was re-
/ ported to have reached 40 d day.
No Relief from Ukrainia.
The separate peace with the Tx
raine failed to relieve the situation
on account Of the difficulties Of
transportation and the fact that
some of the active divisions Of the
! CZech-Slovok troops took along
everything they could lay hands on
in the course of their retreat. The
opinion here, however, is that the
food situation alone would not jus
tify the government in dissolving
parliament. Czech papers predicted
a month ago that the Viennese gov
eminent contemplated a dissolution
OF the parliament ard a return to
the absolutist era which prevailed
during the first three years Of the
war.
Ever since the convoeation OF
the reichsrath a year ago the Slav
deputies have shown decided oppo-
sition to the governments policies
hampering it in increasing the army
and raising loans. United action
ilO" ever NdS ldChthg anu the gov
eminent was able TO retain a ma
jority in parliament
Information reaching here now
however. is that the Czech, Jugo-
Slav and Polish deputies have form
ed a compact block 70 oppose the
policies OF the Germanic Austrians
The adhesion Of the three elements
into a cohesive group would give
them a majority and fear Of this i.
believed % be the real case or
which Emperor Charles had order.
ed the parliament dissolved