New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-05

that he had lost thirteen packages in
three months. The postoffice authori-
tles say IN explanation that they have
mad to take on many new employees TO
supply the places of men called into
the army and it was impossible to keep
up the old standard of honesty
There appears to be a special wave
of crime among the young. DR.. Neu-
kamp, one of the judges of the I'm
perlal Supreme Court at Leipzig, has
published an article on the subject, in
which he said that 355 youthful crim-
nails had been sentenced in the first
/ four months of 1917, as against 359 for
the entire year 1914. He assigned sew
eral causes for the deterioration of
morals among the young. He said that
morals generally had been lowered by
the war; that the absence of fathers
had left many boys without firm CON
troll, and that in many cases youth
were led into temptation either by
their unaccustomed high wages or by
, scarcity of food. The reduction of the
police force was mentioned as another
cause of crime by the young.
Police Powerless
The Police Department of Berlin has
also just been celebrating upon the
growing frequency of crime and
reached conclusions similar to those of
the Leipzig judge. Discussing The fire.
quent burglaries and "show window
thefts," they agreed that the criminals
were mostly youngsters grown hungry
under the rigid system of rationlng and
lacking paternal restraint. The Police
Department, with a force reduced by
1000 men, found itself quite unable to
cope with the evil.
In a country so hungry as Germany,
of course, there is an enormous adul-
teration of food in various ways. Milk
is watered, or skinned milk is sold as
full. fraudulent limitations of every
eatable thing are offered for sale, par
ticularly in Illicit tlade. Many are the
lodges of the backdoor merchant. One
of his least dangerous tricks is to offer
at fancy price food produced in Ger
many, pretending that it is imported.
That is because imported foods are
mostly exempt from the card system
and maximum prices, which leaves a
loophole for a vast d-al of crcumven-
ton Of the regulations. There has
never been SO much so-called foreign
food sold in Germany as now The
seller can operate, too, with COMPARE
tive impunity, for how can a court pro-
coed to prove that his wares were made
in Germany?
The hunger offensive has thus made
serious inroads upon German morality
But has all this any significance as a
war factor? Does it show any weaken
ing of the German people that may af
feet their attitude toward the war? &c
indicates beyond doubt a loss of morale
on the part Of the home population; it
expresses one phase of their WEAKNESS
with the war; it shows relaxation
of that patriotic fervor that was dis
played in the first year of the war. And
it may all tend somewhat toward wear
ing down the spirit of Germany's
fighters.
1t may we'll be doubted however.
whether its effect goes SO deep as to
make any perceptible difference in the
fighting power of Hindenburg's troops.
The "hamsters" and other transgres-
sors Of the food regulations feel them
selves as good patriots as anybody
else when the flags are hung out to
celebrate German victories. They do
not intend for moment to stop sub
scribng money, real or imaginary, for
/ the further prosecution of the war.