Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-18
GERMAN PAPERS Devote
SPACE TO FOOD MATTERS
Sidclights Indicate That Distribution
Is Still Far From Being Perfect
In Many Respects.
REGULATIONS ARE TOO RIGID
Reports of Thcfts In Newspapers
Arc Free OF Denunciatory Spirit,
Showing Growing Popular Sym
pathy With Offenders.

ing sideiigh:s upon Germany's or
Eanixcd starvation" arc contained in
German newspapers just received here.
Food Galleries. "undcrfeeding."
'profiteerinE." sneak trade" and Iron
ration" are the chief topics OF discus
sion, every bit of newspaper space not
taken up by military or political SUBJ
jects being devoted 20 articles and OFF,
cial announcements and admonitions
concerning food.
Although organized TO the nth degree.
the German food distribution is still
imperfect in many respects. the news
papers at hand show. and many col
umns OF advice for still further I'M
provement are offered daily by persons
In all walks of life.
The consensus appears to be that
the German nation can squeeze
through" for years. but only IL the
authorities take prompt measures TO
make the necessary improvements. One
chief complaint is that there is too
much uniformity in the distribution,
Individual needs. due to strenuous out
door work or other cases, being over
looked.
q significant fact is that newspaper
reports and discussions of food thef,sl
are almost entirely devoid of the bitter
dcnuncia;ory tone that characterized
such Items early in the war.
COURTS IMPOSE THE
MAXIMUM PENALTIES
The tendency is rather TO syrnpa-
thize with the Offenders. particularly
where their need is shown to have
been SO pitiful as TO almost compel
dishonesty. Nevertheless. as u deter
rent. the courts arc imposing maximum
penalties Il, ninc-tenths OF the cases.
ProfteerinG. both in a petty degree
and on large scale. Is rampant
throughout the empire. the papers
show. But even in cases where pure
greed was the Offenders solo motive.
little animus is shown In the news
paper reports.
a prominent mining official. Herr
Wittc. begins an exhaustive article on
the food problem. published in 4 recent
issue OF the Berliner TaGcb!att. thus:
The efforts of tho authorities to
suppress the sneak trade tschleich
the rations that obtained during the
past year. because everybody considers
his natural right TO still his hunger"
YOUNG WOMAN STEALS
FROM rosT-oFrICE
One recent case Of criminal hoard
ing" conspicuously reported by the
Berlin papers was that of mother and
daughter in Charlottcnburg. n suburb
Of the capital. The daughter was en-
ploycd in a Charlottcnhurg post office.
in the parcel post division. She wa,
arrested when the disappearance Of
scores of food packages, containing
sugar, coffee, ducks. geese, etc. was
traced to her. II developed that her
mother made daily trips with 4 baby
carriage in front OF the post office, the
girl hiding the stolen packages be-
meath the blankets. 4 search of their
home disclosed huge stores OF food in
Guiding delicacics OF every description.
They ate butter with spoons" one wit
ness in the case testified. The mother
was sentenced to one year at hard labor
and the daughter TO nine months i'm
pr!Sonment.
Another conspicuous case was that Of
two printers apprentices working IN
government establishment where bread
cards are printed. They stole alto
sether 1000 cards, selling them by the
hundred TO prcHtecring agents. \
method Of cheating cheaters" led 10
their discovery. and the two boys, az
we'll as all purchasers Of stolen cards,
received severe sentences.
POTATOES AND CEREALS
MUST FORM BULK or DIET
Herr Wittc in his article points on,
that owing TO tho lack OF means and
fats, cereals ana potatoes must form
:ourGfths OF the food OF all German
gTown-ups.
a daily ration Of $50 grams of
bread and one kilo potatoocs. the
writer saya. Is Indispensable for
grown-ups II is equivalent, he adda,
10 1000 Galleries. Additional fare con-
sists Of meat. fat. sugar. vegetables
and fruit. adding 500 Galleries. This. he
asserts. is sufficient for a full-grown
active man. provided he does no heavy
physical labor.
The average woman, according TO
Herr Witte, needs about one-fifth less
food than the average man.
IMPORTANT TO MAKE
ALLOWANCE FOR OUTDOOR WORK
He then points 10 tho necessity Of
making allowances for outdoor work
especially in winter. and for individual
peculiari,ics. such AS extraordinary
length OF body. lie commends tho
French system OF governing the RI :
tons according 10 individual deciara-
lions Of absolute need. In Germany,
lie says. there is still too much iron
uniformity. In the Iron ration" 4
drcssmaker. for instance. who needs
only 1000 calorios. actually gets 220O,
owing to her membership IN tho trades
union. which allows her certain
amount Of bread a day In addition TO
What she obtains under The govern
ment regulations. This. he says, de-
privcs 81 Woodworking man or SO many
much-nccdcd calories
Tho writer figures that the German
nation. or the basis OF 3i4 grams OF
bread per head daily. regardless of age.
needs S,532.000 tons of bread, or $3.50 =
COO tons Of -four. per year, and that, al
together. 100000 tons of cereals an
huany are absolutely imperative. lie
points out that in peace time the crop
yielded an average Of $1,000 600 toms
and that since the outbreak OF the war
they have never yielded less than To-
100000 tons, He argues that, with the
necessary improvements. the rationinS
system can fully take care OF all, the
same being the case with potatoes
NOW FACES POORHOuSE