The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-12-04
GERMANS
ARE NOT
STARVING
Plenty Of Smoked Horse Meat
and Sauer Kraut for Those
Who Have Any
Money.
MANY UNDER NOURIsHED
No Fat Men and Streets Full of War
Babies Who All Have an Un-
healthy Appear
ance.
MANY UNDER N0UR1sHED

by Webb Miller, United Press Staff
Correspondent
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY
OF OCCUPATION IN RHENISR
PRUSSIA, Dec. 4.-Despite the har-
rowing stories flowing out Of Ger.
many regarding shortage OF food
during the past few months, those
portions OF Rhenish Prussia which
have been occupied by the Ameri-
cans do not seem to be suffering
very severely.
Unquestionaby there is shortage
and some of the poor are probably
suffering, but the masses of the peo-
| pie are not starving by any means,
although they are undergoing rather
stringent priyations, judging from
investigations conducted at Treyes.
i At an ordinary hotel l was able
to obtain vegetable soup, two slices
of roast beef, a goodly helping Of
boiled potatoes, some meat gravy
and q really palatable coffee substi-
| tute, although I got no bread.
| This meal cost five marks-about
$l.25.
| At a second class hotel, I ate pea
SOUP, smoked horse meat, sauer-
kraut and mashed potatoes, and got
e. glass of passable beer, for four
marks.
/ Charges for meals at the first rate
hotels run from three to five times
above those at the ordinary hostel
ries, but there is q greater variety
of food, which is OF better quality
and better served.
The laboring classes are undoubt-
edly under-nourished. Eggs and
milk are practically unobtainable,
excepting from farmers. There is
little butter. Although sugar can
be obtained, it is very expensive.
The bread is mostly unpalatable. 1t
Is dark brown and Of sawdust con-
; sistency.
The effect of the general under
nourishment is clearly seen in the
villages. / did not see a corpulent
person, and most Of the people ap-
peared sallow The streets Of the
: villages are filled with children be-
tween the ages Of two and four
years, born during the war. Nearly
all have an unhealthy appearance.
: The most noticeable feature Of the
: appearance of the people is thei1
!; apathy and lack of interest, which
: is probably due to discourasemen'
and lack Of nourishment. The Amerl
/, can soldiers have shown no lack OF
, pep" and ginger in their move
ments about the villages, in striking
!, contrast to the action of the towns
{ folk. In Treves and Saarburg the
s streets are almost wholly w1thou'
: traffic
In two days there saw only two
automobiles. One was owned by the
hurpomaster. The other had iron
Ar;r hu
officer. There are few horsedraw1
, vehicles. most Of the carriage beins
} done by hand-drawn carts.
Nearly all the children l saw wore
homemade clothing OF a makeshif
character. Many wore wooden shoes
/, The shop windows are scantll.
|. stocked. where little food and cloth
ing are on display.
:. The windows of some of the cloth
!. ing shops contained only three o
four suits of shoddy material, tn
: prices of which are equivalent t.
from fifty to seventy dollars. AS
!, rule, the people are very poorly clad
although the wealthy class shows n
signs OF privation, the rich men &C
ing about in overcoats with fur co
, lars and wearing fine shoes.
Conditions in Berlin.
EE,RidN, Dec. 4.--The food situatio
lin Rerlin is rapidly becoming NOR
D. lserious. Since Friday the price of a
y iordinary meal has increased 81
MARKS.
The military governor OF Berlil
a, commanding 10000 republican troop
has the only force available to pr
serve order in case of disorders. In a
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