The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-09-17
CHAPTER XVII.

The Economic Situation in Germany.
BY the spring of 1916 butter and
meat had become extremely scarce In
Berlin. My wife had remained in
America, where she had accompanied
me In the summe, of 1915, and during
her absence I dined at hotels and res
taurants where the food was still
rather good. In June, 1915 l left for
America again and just as was leav-
ing meat cards were issued for the
first time.
/ returned to Berlin with my family
In October, 1915. Conditions had
changed considerably for the worse
during the summer. I found that
every one who had the money had
bought up every available pound of
food and soHp which had not already
been commandecred by the govern
ment. Butter, potatoes, eggs, milk,
flour, sugar, soap, bread and meat and
dry groceries were all rationed and 1t
was now no longer necessary for wom-
en- to stand in line In front of the
shops, sometimes all night, to a-ro,t
the morning opening.
Shopping by the card system was
very complicated and the quantities
permitted by the ration cards so small
that well-balanced meal was an inn
possibility. To dine in a restaurant It
was necessary to take a whole pocket
ful of cards and make careful analy-
Sis of them before ordering the mea-
ger meal which the law allowed.
Empty boxes were used to decorate
the depleted show windows of the
shops. The fact that they were empty ,
was not known to the public and very
often the windows would be broken by
hungry mobs who couldn't resist the
sight of what appeared to be so much
food. This led the government to or
der the shOpkeepers to label the boxes:
Empty Boxes" In order to avert such
disturbances and riots.
There was simply nothing to buy in
the food line except substitutes, and of
these there were hundreds, each worse
than the last. The remark "If thingsh
get much worse we shall soon be eat
Ing rSS as the Parisians did in lS7Qs'
brou1 the rcjoinder: "Well that
wouldh .'be SO bad what I'm dreading
Is the time when we shall have to be
When we finally had cards for cof-
fee-subStitute l gave up interest In
substitutes and commenced to patron
lie the spectators, figuring that 1t was
better to risk the penalties imposed by
the law for such violations of the food
regulations than to ruin our health
through undcrnouriShment.
For Il long time we were permitted
to receive presents" of bacon, ham,
sauSagcs, eggs and butter from Dem
mark, but this was finally prohibited
through .he influence of the Central
Einkaufs GesellSchaft (The Central
Society for Buying Food From Other
Countries) which found that II was
interfering with their graft.
This society was formed by COM
pany of clever Jewish business men to
buy food from foreign countries and
sell 1t to the people, a small percent
age of the profits going to the govern
ment. 1t not only developed into n
most successful enterprise from the
standpoint of profit, its prosperity be-
Ing augmented by graft, but It provided
haven for the Stacker st ! of the>
prOprietors and stockholders. Just bS {
fore 1 left Berlin, this company, to
hide their war profits. bought build
Ing for three million marks, which they
claimed was needed for the business.
rn.