The Washington herald., 1918-08-25


the f,rst opportunity. finding that the
high wages do not mean that they
get enough food to sustain life. Con-
diticns have been getting worse dur
ing the past few weeks. they declare,
and the reduction Of the flour ration
has aroused bitter discomfort. which
il not expressed only because the
workmen fear the cosequences Spo-
radio strikes have occurred, but have
been speedily repressed. Even at the
great Krupp works In Essen. returned
Dutch workmen report underfeeding
Is serious and dysentery prevalent. I
Legislation Is powerless to put q
stop to boarding. extortion. secret
sales and profiteering, Crime In
creases everywhere by leaps and
bounds. especially burglary and high
way robbery.
No Early Surrender.
Can the German people be starved
out? In. spite OF what has been said
above the opinion of the official
circles which have furnished the mate
rial am using. and In which as much
is known about Germany as can be
known by the use Of All the resources
and brains available In the allied coun-
tries. is that Germany cannot be
starved this year. Great privations. /"
declared the principal authority on
this subject here. will undoubtedly
have TO be endured by the German
people during the next few weeks. and
these privations may be aggravated
II Germany has to come to the assist
ance Of starving Austria with pro-
visions from her own half-empty
store. but still Il n inconceivable that
the position during the next two
months can become 20 bad as TO MAJ
terially alter the conclusion which !
have Just stated. Apart from military
and political considerations, Germany
VIII not be starved into surrender
this side Of the 1913 harvest. whatever
the future may have IN store for her"
The possible starvation of Germany
must be put on, then. until next
year. The bearing upon the duration
Of the war Of the German harvest
Of 1913 IL most important. That har-
vest. reports before me show, IL
very poor. The tone even of the Ger
map crop forecasts Is distinctly more
moderate, with a marked absence OF
that exuberant optimism which mark
cd forecasts OF the last three springs.
The existence Of the German people
depends on the harvest now ripening;
people cannot fight without food:
hence o snowstorm like that which
covered the Brocken to q depth OF
three inches in June may save the
lives Of thousands of American boys
by shortening the war.
Gre Hurt By Frost.
n Is known definateiy that frost
occurred in the middle Of June in
Denmark. Bohemia. other provinces
OF Austria, Poland, Switzerland, and
the same frosts must have affected
all Germany, with the possible ex-
ception OF Westphalia- It is regarded
as most significant that the German
press, evidently on order. maintained
complete silence concerning this most
unusual natural phenomenon. which
may have disastrous consequences for
their food supply next year.
Not only has the weather been
against the German crops, but the
shortage Of labor, draft horses. seed
and fertilizer has been moro felt this
year than before, and must exercise
an influence on the yields Of food
stuffs.
Germany is primarily dependent on
the menaced German harvest for the
maintenance Of her population, and
only In q very secondary degree on
the supplies which abe can obtain
from outside.
The Ukraine and Rumania offer the
only sources OF foreign supply. Both
Of these have bean q disappointment
Practically no food is being received
at present from the Ukraine. al
though It was officially stated last
spring that 10000 tons. OF Ukranian
grain would have reached the Father
land by the end Of May, and that be-
fore the end of June, fourteen food
trains q day would be running from
the Ukraine. Now. the Ukraine
flasco" Is openly discussed.
Informed German opinion is by no
means sanguine even about the help
to be expected from the Ukraine after
the next harvest. In spite OF forced
labor and high-handed proceedings
against the unfortunate peasants. it
Is admitted in Berlin that the culti-
walton in South Russia this year 10
limited in extent and inferior in quail
ity. Herr Won Braun, under secretary
OF the war food misistry. who will be
annoyed that his words have reached
enemy ears, said recently that the
prospect of supplies from the Ukraine
after the summer were very poor. that
the spring sowing had been sadly neg
lected owing to the revolution and
the appropriation of land. and only
20 per cent of the land has been
sown."
Troubles In Ukraine
The action Of the German authori-
ties in establishing in the Ukraine
what amounts in practice to a mill