Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-25
AUSTR|A'S FOOD WOES
GROW DAY By DAY
Dinh Gil,v, Famous Baritone, Says
Famine is Spreading
Through Empire.

New York. June 25-Dink Gilfy. the
fopons baritone of the Metropolitan
Opera House Company, who at the out
br.,k of the war WAS at a Bohemian
resort has lust been released from an
Aust rian prison, and is now IN Swit1er-
land. After three years ot captivity
he is broken in health, probably hope
less invalid.
He talks interestingly of Austria and
| c;,-os an intimate estimate of the Austri-
ans character.
AUSTRIAN NEVER GENTLEMAN
CAN that the Aristrians do, Giily
told his interviewer, "is totally devoid
| of fond They are quite as barbarous
as the Germans. But they wear mask,
| a thin veneer of civilization. They try
| to pass as gentlemen, and the mask Is
always falling off
Nothing you can have read or heard
can convey true idea of life IN Austria
as it is today" he said. Not only
| are the people in the large towns starving
| for want of the common necessities OF
| life, but also among the farming classes i,
| with perhaps the exception of the very
rich, ife is every day becoming more
unbearable"
Tea may now only he had in Austria
at $50 francs the pound, and even at
that price is very difficult To procure.
In the cafes nothing may be had ex-
| cept had coffee, which has not even the
| remotest resemblance to the deicctabie
| hean Restaurants have almost ceased
| TO exist Ordinary sewing thread Is
| sold hv the ward and buttons consist
of strange apparatus. not unlike a
paper fastener Even the matches are
| r,s>fy ynlptr
| not to tie had.
NO SEED FOR PLANTING
The prospects for the next harvest arc
| almost nil for half the corn which was
| intcrded for sowing purposes has already
| been commandecrcd for immediate con-
sumption hv the army Moreover, tn"
peasants, more avaricIous than patr: =,
have for a long time been sowing plants
which are used for distilling alcohol,
instead Of potatoes and other Lccessary
| vegetables doing this with view 10
obtaining bigger prices
The government is, officially at all
ever ts unaware of this, but will hnd 1t
out when IT is too late TO remedy.
During last winter the cold WAS very
kcenlv felt. as practically no adequate
| means OF heating were obtalnahle Even
the very rich suffered IN this respect
and IN the bctter-ciass quarters OF Vienna
it was not unusual to sec windows accl-
| dentallv broken replaced by pieces Of
| boards with view to keeping out the
| cold. for glass is almost impossible TO
get now in Austria. 1t WAS estimated
that In January. 1918, over thousand
persons died every day IN Vienna alone
from hunger, or owing TO disease caused
| bv hunger and cold. Such Is the eco
nomic situation III Austr1a-iungary
LACK OF COURAGE TO RESIST.
/ With regard to the possibilities Of a
/ general strike, Mr.. Giliy is of the opinion
/ that the average Austrian has not the
| moral courage TO strike. Nor Is there
/ among the people that unity and conf
/ dence IN each other which are necessary
| for a successful strike.
/ That the authorities, however, fear
| a strike is we'll known In Vienna, for s
! system OF terrorizing has been adopted
| BY the police which is calculated TO sup
| press any such rising Noodless 70 say
| that machine guns figure largely rs a
| means Of Intimidation. According q
the Austrian police agents, hundreds Of
these deadly weapons arc always trained
on the towns but, according to Mr.
| GiIly. the Austrian police are not noted
!
Of few machine guns which are carried
| through the streots occasionally by way
| of display, the majority of such guns
possessed by the ABtrans arc NODDED
| on the front
GERMANS NIGHT INTERVENE.
In the event of general rising o.
| strike. Gilly believes that Germany might
intervene, but only In Bohemia. Fol
| the Aussrians hate the bohernians
| and would be glad of an opportunity tc
| show their hate. Thus, should Germany
intervene in Bohemia, the strikers would
be divided into two camps, with result
which may be imagined for the SUCCESS
of their movement,
AS for the German Socialists, who
have nothing in common with thed,
| Austrian brothers, they would probably
| Join Germany in supprossing tho strikn,
or else remain en- tirely Indifferent,
The nuocsss or failure OF strike
/ depends, of course, 70 g great extent on
| the LOYALTY Of the strikers thsfnssi ves
| In this connection q piooe of information
which | gained during my intorviow with
/ Gi1lu sroke ysnttIrpr~