The weekly tribune. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1918-1919, 1918-10-25
All but Six at Famous Monastery
Killed to Save Meat
Supply.
HOW PARIS IS REGULATED
Bread Shortage Affects the French
More Se-iousIyS Than Any Other
Meat Scarce and Costly
in Belgium.

Of that ancient monastery in the Alps
have been killed. Shortage of meat
caused by the war led to this mas
Sacre.
The st. Bernard pass is of historical
renOwn. y connects the valleys Of
tie Rhone ana the Dora. Baltea. 1t
vas traversed by Roman legions thou
sands of years ago. In medieval times
the pass served the armies of conquer
Ors ald the bands of mercenaries. Ma
pCieon crossed the Alps at this point
| in 1900.
The great monastery was built in
| the middle of the sixteenth century.
IT was maintained for the relief of
| travellers who were surprised by snow
storms while crossing the pass. The
| St Bernard dogs We're used to find the
| frozen victims of the storms in the
| snowtlrifts. They were specially train
| ed for this work of relief and carried
fine first aid to the injured in little
basket attached to their collars. These
dogs rescued thousands of human be-
ings. many of whom We're of historic
| prominence And for the first time in
| the history of this famous monastery
| the dogs had to be slaughtered for
want of food.
Human Food First Interest.
At other times report of this sort
| would create profound interest in
PARIS, but at present the human race
| Is thinking of its own necessities ard
cares less about dog heroes living
rore than 500 feet above the surface
of the sea.
To-day the people of France are re-
Stricted in the consumption of meat,
bread or any other article of food in
The making of which dough or -four is
used, and sugar. There are three
meatlesS days and to prevent anyone
buying meat in advance the rule re-
stTiCts purchases to- 200 grams Of
meat Oh day preceding meatless
day.
The sale of meat is prohibited
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
In hotels and restaurants no guest is
entitled to more than 100 grams of
meat as part of meal Tuesdays. This
restriction is aimed at boarding.
Even slaughter houses are entirely
closed the meatless days. Thus the
attempt is made to prevent as far
as possible any violation of the rule.
OF course any attempt at enforcing
restrictions of this sort in the prov
:rces would be needless. French peas
ants eat little meat, once or twice n
week at the most. if at all.
The average Englishman consumes
much less meat. England had three
meatleSs days week, applied to res
taurants and similar dining rooms, be-
ginning in the summer of 1917. How
ever, these meatless. days were abOl-
ished, the order taking effect May II
this year. In place of the former re-
StrictiOns meat card was issued.
This card entitled the holder to GER
tain amount of meat, which he may
buy four specified days in the week.
Englishmen are consuming about
double the amount Of meat eaten by
the same number of Frenchmen at
present.
French frugality in meat is tho
more remarkable as 1t is accompanied
by similar and much more drastic
restriction in the consumption of
bread. "a Frenchman," according to
Deace-time wit, ''is gentleman who
wears a decoration and orders an eX-
ira portion of bread" Bread has been
the staff of life of the French people.
Still France is in better position
than adjacent countries. Meat is very
scarce and costly in Belgium. In Ant
werp one has to pay 20 francs for q
POUND of meat and 80 francs for a
pound of bacon. In Merle, near Ant
werp, butcher paid 1925 francs for
two-year-old steer. Cows are sold
for 5000 and goats for 500 francs.
Swiss Regulations Strict.
At Val de Travers, Switzerland, two
butchers were found guilty of having
violated the government rule regu-
lating the price of calves. The butch
ers were fined 1900 francs each, and
|
while Is farmers, TO whom the butch
ers had paid more than the maximum
price allowed, were acquitted by the.
jury.
In the course of proceedings in the
court it was shown that an army Of
fcer of the commissary department in
buying cattle for the army had also
paid more than the maximum price
| permitted. Now the states attorney
Is going to prosecute the army officer
for the same offense for which the two
butchers were found guilty.
In Vienna meat ratiOns for hotels,
! dining rooms and boarding houses
we're cut 20 per cent, beginning July
1. Even meat supplies for hospitals
were reduced 10 per cent. This
caused increased prices.