Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-10
GERMAN FOOD .
OUTLOOK IS
STILL BLACKER
Bread and Meat Rations will
Have to be
Reduced.

ence Of the Associated Press)-The
month Of November marked probably
the blacklist period in the history Of
the German food supply. not indeed
in the actual supply. but in the out
look for the winter and spring. The
that the breadstuffs harvest was poor
and the fodder harvest bad, but
further revelations came rapidly dur
ing the month. which must have all
but catastrophe effect on thinking
people in Germany. The supply of
vegetables. it became known. is very
inadequate everywhere. there is
fish trade. and an alarming drop is
shown in the prospects OF the already
scanty supplies of milk, butter and fat.
. Finally. on top Of all this, it be-
came clear during November that the
potato harvest is disappointing in the
extreme. The quantity shown in the
official returns is indeed SO disap-
accept h revised estimates. declare
the farmers liars, and propose to call
in the military to requisition stocks.
Moreover the quality in different
parts of the empire is reported as >ex-
tremeN poor, SO that an unusual per-
centage of loss a be counted on with
certainty.
Must Cut Ra3dOnS.
1t is now regarded as certain that
both the meat and bread rations will
have to be reduced in the early
spring, despite a desperate effort to
gather up all the remaining foodstuffs
in the occupied territories. This lat
ter movement is to be extended to
extreme limits during the winter. with
the result that the Inhabitants of all
occupied territories face the prospect
Of absolute starvation for Germany's
benefit.
In an effort to stretch further the
supplies of breadstuffs, orders have
been given for a wider use of potato
-four, but this movement is found diff
fcult owing to scarcity Of potato
flour. To obtain more at this time is
not easy. for it is necessary. to dry
and mill the potatoes, which takes
time, and just now more than the
usual time owing to shortage Of labor,
coal and other requisites. Hence, un-
til February. bread must be stretched
with fresh potatoes, a measure of
doubtful expediency.
The failure of the foddep harvest
comedies with a generally unsatis-
factory hay crop. This is leading to
increased slaughter Of pigs, a falling
or in the weight OF cattle slaughter
ed. and a steady diminution in milk
and. milk products.
The place of meat cannot be taken
to any extent by fish. Tor the supply
of fish is very oor, and the authori-
ties hold out no hope of any inn
provement. The obvious emergency
food is vegetables, but there has see
a failure OF the market-garden crop
in many districts and the wholesale
sales have apparently left the market
almost bare.
Potato Crop Poor.
hopes Of a satisfactory potato crop,
and many people described the COM
Ling harvest as almost bumper"
EARLY in November the estimates
grew more sober, and during the lat
ter part of the month the truth came
out. The harvest Is almost a total
failure. OF course, the authorities
declare that the revised estimates
cannot be correct" the harvest must
land shall be at least a medium me-;
the farmers are lying. the military
will be called upon to the
boarded stocks, the farming districts
will be compelled to deliver the
quotas which they were assessed in
expectation Of a normal harvest
The German newspapers have
abandoned HI pretense that things
"A1A VIC % tAA1S kAoA 1oSS,
but they stitching to the hope that
prospects may be changed by some
miracle in Russia or Italy. The Berlin
correspondent of the Cologne Volks
Zeitung, discussing the prospects Of
the fourth winter,
"It will be the hardest yet. Every
household will feel its hardships
more, because all the small stocks in
storerooms and cellars have been used
up. The harvest has not turned out
WE'LL. Nevertheless, the nation can
hold out If three conditions are full
filled. Every possible surplus should
be brought in from Rumania, Bel
, GUM and France. All grain must be
seized for the common. store. Pota-
toes must be used for stretching the
bread stuffs.y'
. The. incrsasst of illicit trading is the
subject OF q fiery editorial in the
Brunswick volksfreund, which says:
"As o as an d is issued,
three-fourths of the population seek
lost faith in official promises, and the
fear of starvation has them in its grip
For ham, eggs. butter and honey
senseless prices are being paid and
the rich alone can get them. Barter
, is also playing a large part in procur.
? ing provisions. It Is well known tina,
all possible provisions car be obtained
! If one has other commodities such a,
: rice, Dap or petroleum to exchange
The shop keepers in the towns arr
good hands at this system. Though
they may have nothing on view in tn.
, shop, there lis always something il
the background which they will ex
change for other goods on favorabl,