The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-05
WASHINGTON IS ksi,, SURPRISED AT NEWS FROM DUAL EMPIRE Such Drastic Action on Part of Emperor Has Been
 Expected FOOD SITUATION IS
 KNOWN TO BE BAD But This Alone, in Opinion of Officials, Would
 Not Have Caused
 Course

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 of flcials here, who had expected some such drastic action since the news leaked out from Vienna of stormy sessions of the Reichrath and of the open defiance of the government by the elements in opposition.
 The debates connected with the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty were par ticularly acrimonious and it appeared that the government practically had its majority when the Polish dele gates, desperately resisting the ces-, sion of part of their provinces to Ukraine, joined with the C-echs and Bohemians, who had long persistent ly opposed the government because of the refusal to grant them national unity.
 FOOD SITUATION
 The difficulties in the way of secur- ing sufficient food for the population. the only cause given in the Amsterdam dispatch for the suspension of the Reichs- rath, have created a critical situa- tion throughout Austria Hungary, ac- cording to advices received here. In the early spring General Hoeffer, the Aus trial food controller declared that 6oo,- ooo,000 pounds of foodstuffs would have to be obtained somewhere to last until the next harvest The normal harvest of wheat in the dual monarchy has been reduced from 13,00000 1000 to 5000. 900 eo0 pounds through shortage of fertilizers and the willful action of the Czech peas ants who refused to SOW and harvest grain.
 FAMINE WAS NEAR
 Famine during the winter was said to have been prevented only by the acces- sion of 5o000 carloads of grain from Ru- mania, but even this was insufficient. as was evidenced by food riots in Prague, Pisen. Brun and Vienna In some of the prison camps of Austria the death rate from starvation was reported to have reached 40 a day
 The separate peace with the Ukraine Co; -1t,1 count of the difficulties of transportation and the fact that some of the active di- visions of the Czech -Slovak troops took along everything they could lay hands on in their retreat.
 The opinion here, however is that the food situation alone could not justify the government in dissolving Parliament Czech papers predicted month ago that the Viennese government contemplated a dissolution of the Parliament and a re- turn of the absolutst era which pre- vailed during the first three years of the war
 OPPOSITION IN COMPACT
 Ever since the convocation of the Reichsrath year ago the Slav deputies have shown decided opposition to the governments policies, hampering it in in- creasing the army and raising loans United action, however. was lacking and the government was able to retain a majority in Parliament
 Information reaching here now. how ever, is that the Czech, Jogo-Slav and Polish deputies have formed a compact block to oppose the policies of the Ger manic Austrians The adhesion of the three elements into cohesive group would give them majority and fear of this is believed to be the real reason why Emperor Charles has ordered Parli- ament dissolved