Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-23

tain much bread he does without one. for the
waiter will dignifedly detach coupon and
will then meticulously set before the customer
many grams of bread, the prescribed by law.
Yet without the card apparently a visitor receives
a better deal.
This same American made a tour of certain
number of French towns and cities-Paris. Tours,
Troyes, Barbecue, Orleans, Nancy and others
under the auspices of Minister of Food and Agircul-
ture Boret, and discovered that in large number
of local authorities and hotel and restaurant
proprietors ignored the food regulations issued from
Paris.
Many observers declare that the absence of a
working system of decentralization is largely re-
sponsible for this. In the United States. Mr..
Hoover has his. state food administrator in every
state of the union, who in turn has representative
in every county in his state, who in turn has
sponsible representative in practically CITY
town and village. Much the same system start
ed by Lord Rhondda in England although the local
food authorities in England given author
y than local authorities in this country In France
such a scheme of decentralization has not been
adopted. In many the project of police or the
mayor of a town has been made representative OF
the ministry Of food but most Of the orders for all
OF the e1ghty-seven departments of France are
mulgated in Paris and there few representatives
of the government in the remote communities
to see that the regulations are carried out
In numerous communities, boarding has been
prevalent and the ministry of food has yet ade
quately met this situation. Especially in commune
ties where American soldiers in training. where
there is an American aviation field or an admins
trative branch much of this boarded food has been
brought out and sold to the Americans at prices
which the poorer classes of French people simply
cannot afford to pay. For them food prices are
simply prohibitive and they compelled to eat
what they can get. The government has had small
success with price fixing.
In the town of Barritz the mayor and project of
police agreed between themselves that they would
not enforce the regulations of the ministry of food
in Biarritz. They declared that if any shortage of
food were known to exist in Barritz the summer
visitors who yearly flock down from Paris would
steer clear and spend their money in the popular
resort of San Sebastian, across the border This is
only example of how the edicts of the ministry
of food are ignored. Other towns and communities
have various excuses, differing according to the
not think of Furnishing offenders but feels that thev
are merely naughty irresponsible children who will
surely see the error of their way and finally gain
some common sense.
There are communities in France devoted
exclusively to manufacturing, where industries alb
soutely vital to the prosecution of the are car
ried on The government fears that acknowledg-
ment of a shortage of food in these communities
might result in strikes and the consequent tying
of government contracts, so, at the expenses of
communities which be trusted to remain quiet
food is diverted to the more turbulent districts.
Today Paris is filled with shops in which horse
, meat is sold exclusively Paris paper, advocating
a more rigid conservation of food that rationing
might be warded off, showed pictures of animals
that eaten in Paris during the Hun siege of
1901, when horses, mules, rats, cats, dogs
elephants and birds of all kinds, fell victims the
butchers knife