davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-01-25
By MILTON BRoNNER.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-When an
ice foe jams up a stream, the water
that is coming down commences 10
overflow the banks and directly there
is a flood which extends back furtner
and further as time goes on. Usual
lv the remedy is to dynamite the foe.
so as to open a path for the penned
up waters.
That is the explanation by officials
here who are backing it OF tire Gar
field fuel saving order. They say tnat
If is dynamite intended to break the
ice foe jams up stream, the wafer
congestion of ships. freight cars ana
freight at the six great Atlantic sea-
ports. g..
Here is how it came about. Due TO
the German submarine campaign there
is a shortage of ships needed 70 carry
food and supplies to Persnins afniy
and to our allies.
This shortage has been made worse
nv reason Of the fact tfAat ships have
been held in harbOr for lack OF bunk
er coal.
also today and tomorrow.
edwin Carewe. director, took his
company of leading players to the
vicinity of Savannah, Georgia, for the
staging Of these plantation scenes.
with the exception of three pr1n-
cipal characters, who were obliged to
show marked dramatic ability, all the
colored people shown in the scenes
were secured in the immediate VI
cinity.
Dorothy Dalton at the Strand.
At the Strand theatre today and to-
morrow Dorothy Dalton in Love Let
ters' is the attraction. The tale deals
with an effort on the part of young
woman to secure from a man Win
whom she was infatuated before her
marriage, several incr1mlnatlng ietteTs
which she had written to him. Her
efforts to secure these letters leads to
the complications and the situations
which are woven into a most interest
ing story of love and intrigue.
OF course the young woman comes
out all right in the end and the re-
Cancellation with her husband leaves
good taste in the mouth of the atten-
tive audience, but not until they arc
lead through an intricate maze o
complications which hold the interes'
from the first flash on the screen te
the end.
At the Majestic.
| The latest edition OF the doioei
Crook Extravaganza Company, a.
the attraction at the Majestic for mex
Monday matinee and night. 1t Is NJ
exaggeration TO assert that this Is on
of the really. elaborate productions 0
the season. !.
The prime elements which go t
make up the program are comedy
an appetizing quality, music that SET
the ears a tingle.
A special dancing number is that
Hite and Refiow. pair OF n1mDi
steppers who combine the old Wit
the new in pleasing fashion.
/ Everybody knows Billy Arlington
! the classic interpreter Of tramp char
acter who heads the able cast. AT
lington has many imitators but n
peers in his particular line and n
work is refreshingly spontaneous: "a
is surrounded by a roster of princi
pals which includes Frank Devos
Eleanor Cochran, Harlio Mayne. IN
Pail Mall Trio, composed of Edwar
Hennessy, Walter Lafoy and Ca
/ Taylor.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Great New Industry
Resulting From War

This paper is cut into strips about
a half-inch wide, rolled together, and
then spun into thread and here we
have the simple elements or a grea,
new industry created by Germany
under stress of war. IN December
1916, I visited at Berlin the so-called
Ersat1 Ausstelluug. or exhibition Of
rious kinds made of paper. including
betting for heavy machinery. But the
paper goods industry was still in its
ncipiency at that time. Since then it
has become by far the most important
section of the textile trades of the
country.
= This was proved by another exhibit
ton which opened at Berlin about four
weeks ago. the Fibre Exhibition. Here
paper yarn and paper goods took pre-
eminencc over all the other exhibits.
Garments made Of paper were dis
played rather stiff, it was admitted
in press reports, but still wearabie in
default Of something better.
Dozens Of models of women's dresses
were shown. Paper dresses and suits
for men are said TO cost only about
$50, as compared with SIS to 500 for
wool. The exhibition is to be shown
in other German cities, after which it
will begin its wanderings through the
other countries of Mitteleuropa. Even
the Turks are to see it.
One of the novelties seen at this ex-
hibition was cloth made of so to 80 per
cent Of peat fibre, and the rest shoddy
Peat fibre? Just another war creation
OF the hard-up Germans. They had
been experimenting for more than
year in recovering fibre from the ex-
tensivc peat hogs of the country, and
already year ago g cloak made OF
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07

di nese two sources Of supply made tn
.ilo0hlng problem d rather easv one Il;
lne summer CT 1915. As late ~ A.
suss, 1915, had good wooleo suit.
MADE by Berlin tailor at prices that
no New York tailor would have dunli-
caIed even before 1914.
put about that time. however tho
exhaustion of stocks was visibIv an.
proachlng. It became necessary 70
oeal sparingly with what was left. and
so the government extended its hand
GO Go me cloth and clothing trades. It's
nrso act was the "calling in" of Ger
tam standard grades of woollen cloth
ipy the. appropriate war bureau. and
later the appropriation was extended
cc an kinds of woollen cloth.
MERCHANTS were compelled to turn
over all their woollens 10 that central
lied concern, which operated under
government auspices The bureau un-
dertook the necessary measures "or
conserving supplies and making an
eequal distribution of clothing. Hence
forth clothing could be bought only
upon presentation of a certificate from
the local authorities by the applicant;
and TO obtain this document he is re-
CURED TO make proof Of actual need.
Each citizens purchase is duly booked
20 make sure that he shall get onlv
the two probably now only one
allowed him yearly
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Problem of Clothing People
Almost as Difficult as FEEDING Them

'he government. They declared that
'"ey mad already given up as much of
'no'r linen as they could possibly
spare, and that it would seriously dam
age the prestige of Germany with trav-
eiiers from neutral countries if the
hotels should be compelled to seat their
guests at bare tables.
The incident is typical one. It
means that "Kultur" is reduced to the
necessity of taking it's scanty meals
from deal boards. 1t denotes one Of
the low-water marks in Germany's
steadily sinking supply of the com
monest necessities of decent living
The problem of supplying the Ger
man people with textile goods, with
clothing in all forms, from coats to
shoes. has proved hardly less diff
cult one than feeding them. Germany
was before the war the largest i'm
porter or cotton, next to England, in the
world; 1t manufactured much cotton
goods Tor export. From her 5000 900
sheep Germany obtained only small
part Of the huge amount of wool
worked up in her extensive woollen
mills. The larger part Of the fax con-
stunned came from Russia. But the war
cut of practically all foreign supplies
or these raw materials. and without
them Germans have found it most diff
cult to clothe themselves
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Great Scarcity
OF Sewing Thread

An intense scarcity of sewing thread
Rad added to the difficulties of keeping
decently clad. Women are writing
letters to the newspapers to show how
absurd it is for the authorities to urge
them to make over their old clothes
into garments for the children, where
as it is impossible to get thread to do
any kind Of mending even. Thread
has been sold clandestinely in Berlin
as high as s170 a spool. The situation
grew so bad that the Imperial Cloth
Ing Office finally took over on January
the whole thread business. but it
seems doubtful whether this has i'm
proved matters.
Still another embarrassm is the
lack of soap. It has become extremely
scarce and dear. 1t had been put upon
the card system before left Germany.
and even then the possession of a card
was no guarantee that you could buy
soap. How soap prices had risen may
be illustrated from bit Of my family
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
German Textile
Market Report

Here is how German textile mar
ket report now reads: "Muenchen-
Gladbach, February 20: Scarcely any
FOODS o. rire cotton is now produced,
even for the army, and there was very
llttle yarn 20 be had. Notwithstanding
the high prices and the lively demand
On the other hand, the working up OF
mixed cotton has greatly developed. in
consequence of the rapid development
OF ersatz raw materials it has become
possible to produce yarns and fabrics
from cotton waste, cotton shoddy, wool
shoddy, and SO on. Thus the majority
OF the ITO weaving mills were kept
running, and the needs of the army
and civilian population were partly
covered"
In consequence of the Unsuitable de-
mand of the market for wool, not to
mention the calls of hungry mouths
for meat, sheep raising has received a
strong impetus, and it is asserted that
Germany now has more sheep than
when the war began. SO great is the
demand of breeders that good ewes
now command $50 to $40 head
Of course animal hair of all sorts is
extensively used by spinners as wool
substitutes. At so-called "Durchhal-
ten Ausstellung" (hold-out exhibition
recentlv held at Leipsc, speaker
said that some 2O.0O0.0OO pairs
stockings had been manufactured from
thread spun from rag fibre, with mix
lures Of rabbit hair and combed wool.
Germany probably repienished some
what her wool supplies from Rumania
which, before entering the war, had
itself more than 100000 sheep.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
that material was shown at a meeting
OF the Society for Promoting Moorland

that material was shown at a meeting
OF the Society for Promoting Moorland
Cultivation.
Development went forward to such
an extent last year that some TOO car
loads of peat fibre were produced. and
q statlsticlan soon calculated that the
moors of Northwestern Germany con-
tanned tibre worth over $4,000 600 900.
Evldently the Germans are dependia o.
partly upon those boys for covering
their nakedness.
Other yarns and goods shown at this
exhibition were made Of various kinds
Of reeds and grasses, and of course
nettiF nbre was extensively exhibited.
Nettles awakened great hopes even as
early as two years ago, and they have
helped little in supplying the urgent
needs for fibre, but this help has hard
~ been appreciable in the huge de-
mand for clothing. Nevertheless, the
industry is still expanding. A nettle
spinning company, founded a year ago,
has recently raised its capital to near
~ $4,000 900, and will plant $4,000 acres
IN nettles this year. Municipalities
are giving land to nettle growers. and
many tons of the fibre are gathered
from forests and waste lands
1t is confidently predicted by German
textile mon that paper cloth has a
future, even after the war. and that
foreign markets will open their gates
to it. Very many cotton spinning
mills have already adapted their ma
chlnery for spinning paper yarn. which
Is SAID to require no considerable
changes, and the paper yarn trade al
ready bulks largs in reports of the
textile markets.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Shoe Problem
Has Grown Acute

The shoe problem mas also grown
acute within year, although Germany
mad been before the war a great ex-
porter OF leather goods. The annual
imports Of hides had reached the mum
Der OF 1000. 600, whereas the home
production was only $500 900. Even
the tanning material was chiefly i'm
ported. But now the tanneries have
been thrown upon the home product
entirely, and It has become necessary
to fx maximum prices for tanbank.
The present dearth of footwear is
rejected in numerous newspaper para
graphs, The authorities in December
gave notice that every buyer of a pair
OF new shoes would be required to de-
liver two pairs of old ones, and this
rule also applied to chiidren's shoes. It
was further required that the old shoes
be still N repairabie condition. Finer
QuaNfles were no longer to be sold
at all
The use of wooden sole5 began about
year ago owing to the great shortage
OF leather But matters have gone
from bad to worse, and many shoes are
now made almost entirely Of substitute
materials, with little or no leather.
People were warned at the beginning of
last winter that there would be no
leather for half-soling, hence they
should save their old leather soles bv
having wooden ones nailed over them
in time
The use of these wooden soles, chiefly
OF beech, has already assumed great
dimensions. A company at Berlin gave
an exhibition of it's products last No
vember and announced that its sales
would reach 25,0o0,ooo pairs of soles by
March. At this exhibition various
kinds Of substitutes were shown. Strips
of ilorn were also used in making soles
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Shortage Is Growing
More Acute Each DAY

Cotton clothing, hosiery, in fact
nearly everything wearable, was put
upon this certificate system Yet the
shortage Of clothing Of all kinds is
growing more acute every day The
highly significant fact was mentioned
last week in one Of the war dispatche s
that the Germans were completely
stripping not only their fallen enemies
but even their own dead in order to
get clothing and shoes for the living.
The critical scarcity of clothing is also
reflected in a recent advertisement Of
the War Ministry warning the public
against responding 70 appeals for rags
for charitable purposes, inasmuch as
the War Ministry had proclaimed a
monopoly Of rags: hence nobody could
thereafter be allowed to sell or even
give them away
This urgent demand of the military
authorities for rags is explained in
this way. Immediately after the out
break Of the war q leading business
man, with a shrewd provision Of com
ing events. went to the Minister of
War and convinced him that it would
be necessary rigidly to conserve raw
materials, both for military and civil
ian needs. The minister saw the poins
at once and put that captain Of indus
try IN charge of new raw materials
DIVISION OF the War department. 1t Is
this division that is now securing the
country for every old garment, every
rag. What is still wearabe is dis
tributed through the appropriate chan
mel: the rest is converted into shoddy.
Old material is thus a main source
for solving the shortage of ordinary
raw materials. Every old thing is
worked up into shoddy, not only once.
but several times. Cotton shoddy, a
thing not known before the war, is
now made on very large scale in
Germany. It is used alone or in mix
ing. Orr form OF mixture is little
pure wool. with a filing of cotton
shoddy. Another is cotton shoddy and
wood pulp for producing a strong
paper.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07

ways. The existing mines in Germany,
which are not very rich. were worked
under pressure to increase the output
Later valuable mine in Serbia, after
that country was overrun. added appre-
clably to the stocks. After the war
had been going on for about year the
government made its first call for
household supplies Of copper. Cooking
utensils, wash boilers and other objects
were called in by the army administra-
ton. Later much copper was obtained
from breweries and other industrial
plants that had been shu; down. partly
for that very purpose.
More recently church bells have been
extensively melted down for bronze for
cannon, and this has proceeded SO far
that recently the biggest and most ia
nous one in Germany, the KAISER
Ben" Of the Cologne Cathedral, was
sacrificed along with bells of less re-
nown. The copper stocks have been
further repienished by taking roofs
from public buildings. and there are
apparently still considerable stocks Of
the metal available in that form.
Up TO the present time, therefore.
the munitions plants have not been
greatly embarrassed for lack of copper.
The yield OF it from kitchens and
households was very large, and it had
by no means been exhausted when I
came away from Germany. Moreover.
the copper and brass in manufacturing
plants and business Offices had already
been ear-marked for future requisition-
ing, and it was known that very large
stocks would be obtained from those
sources.
Wood has been converted to other
novel uses, besides making shoe soles.
Germans now comb their hair with
wooden combs, and they clean their
teeth with brushes whose handles are
OF wood. Many common articles are
also now made Of compressed paper.
The Germans, in fact, are getting
down to paper basis, IN other things
than their money. What with the huge
demand of textile mills and other move!
forms of paper consumption, the pres
sure for paper has become so heavy
that it cannot be met. Months ago the
newspapers had to reduce their size
owing to scarcity of paper. The author
tues are now vylng with each other in
discovering new ways to economic
paper. The Minister of Education has
issued precise instructions for saving
paper in the schools; the pupils must
write on both sides of their paper;
sheets must be flied to the bottom.
even though the teacher must make his
corrections in the margin The rail
way authorities have reduced the size
OF tickets and bills of lading and insist
upon other economies like those lust
mentioned for the schools.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
uotelkeepers Protest Against
Confiscation of All
Their Linen
Low Water Mark
In Decent Living
paner Garments and Wooden
Soles for Shoes Used;
Monopoly in Rags

NOTE.-UntA the outbreak of
uay bstiqee,s the United States and
Germany M. Dreher had been for
ysys The associated Press cor
rss5ondent ct Berlin, specaaliStnc
IN financial, economic and political
subjects. He hos, therefore, a rery
ride hnouJedge Of the sources and
nature Of Germany's Industrial
poscer. md also an unusual under
staadvg Of Geraanys emotions.
IN tiis and succeeding articles he
wiu digest all aoaila5le etidence
as to the conditions nolc enisttng
in the land Of the enemy and drow
such conclusions as seem to him to
be scarrGnted.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
F ire Threatens Police
Headquarters in Brooklyn
Bug!
Liberty
Bonds.
NE Sell Them

\ stubborn FIRE. in a factory build
ing next door. threatened TO spread to
the Brooklyn Police Headquarters yes
terday morning. More than enc hun
dred police reserves weer sleeping III
the dormatories.
The fire was confined to the two up
per stories of the Thompson & Bon
ney Electrical Supply Co.. $ and 20
Henry Street. The factory has been
working for some time on government
contracts for automatic electrical ap-
pliances.
H. l. Holbrook, superintendent Of
the factory, said ne did not believe the
fire was CT Incendiary origin. but the
Fire Marshal ordered an investigation.
The loss was $500.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Shoe Industry
Under Central Board

The entire shoe industry has, of
course, been organized under a central
board. Many factories have been shut
down, and their owners are compen-
stated by those still in operation. Be
sides this organization there is a So
called supervising committee of the
shoe industry, consisting of experts
Sc -ected By the government, whose task
it IS TO see chat manufacturers. work
ing on army contracts. keep their goods
andArd IL eas worked ont
specifications for the so-called war
shoe" with "soles OF wood. the vamps
Of good strong paper fabric, cloth
waste, tarred sailcioth fr- gn,ents, ships
sa.s. CT similar Old materials" The
trimmings are of good leather or splie
leather, and the lining of paper fabric.
But even this motley footgear is dear.
Journalists recently visiting the head
quarters of the supervising committee
were told that shoe thread had risen
500 to 700 per cent, and laces and lin
ings 1000 per cent. The price for
mems sizes is 81 to Sc. The committee
said that city ladies are still fighting
hard to keep their feet out of this war
shoe. but they would have to come to
It soon. For the present all the capac-
ity Of the shoe organization is taxed
~ VIZ Is HGO h.H4tS SI ouocc tOI me
peasantry and common work people OF
the country. 1t will get around to the
city ladies' later.
The shortage of materials has been
felt in many other directions. Metals
for war needs especially have been
lacking. and substitutes have had to be
found for some, and old stocks of
others, existing in what seemed perma-
nent forms, had to be drawn upon. For
many military uses steel and alumni
mum were used in place of copper,
nickel and brass. Steel also took the
place of copper in making electric
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07

experience. Ny wife was foresighted
enough to see that there would be a
soap famine and SO laid in a considera-
Die stock during the first winter of the
war. When we came away she sold
what was left. She was merciful to her
friends and took from them only ten
1910 the price she had paid. Strangers
were glad to paw seventeen-fold. and
the hole lot could easily have been
sold at even higher prices.
Soap Is even harcer TO get row, and
people are complaining that it has be-
come impossible to clean their clothing.
Sharp chemicals have been used. to the
great injury of the clothing; stiff
brushes have also been tried, with even
greater injury. Somebody has found
that boiling clothing in water in which
potatoes have been cooked helps a little
in cleaning it, and other make shift
methods are mentioned.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Copper Obtained
From Many Sources

But copper for making munition
parts has been obtained in a variety of
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
Had Large Supply
When War Began

The problem did not press very
severely upon them during the first
two years of the war There were two
reasons for that Germany had or
hand when the war began large re-
serves OF raw materials, besides large
stocks of manufactured goods awaiting
expectation or consumption at home.
Besides this, early in the war large
stocks OF cotton and wool were capt
ured in France, Belgium and Poland.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07

and heels, and old rubber and paper
were worked up into shoe material.
So great is the production of wooden
soles that the price of beech wood has
risen prodigiously. The latest price
mentioned was nearly 500 a cubic
metre. In order to secure an adequate
supply Of soles and get them properly
distributed company has been organ
lzed at Munich under the auspices of
the Imperial government to take in
hand the entire trade in the kinds OF
timber required
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07
CSsrs1lth Article
By William C. Dreher

The hoteIkeepers of Germany met at
Berlin several weeks ago for a pur-
pose without parallel, doubtless. in the
whole history Of the hotel business.
They came together to protest against
the conhscation of their tablecloths by
The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-09-07
SOME HOME GUARD

The Vanceburg Sun says: Hats off
to Mrs. w. II. Ruggles of near Cove
dalei One day last week neighbor,
who could better be employed at some
useful productive job of work, stroll
ed to the Ruggles home and engaged
Mr. Ruggles in conversation along
war lines. It wasn't long until he
opinionated that they (the Germans)
getting good many of our boys, in
fact more than were being reported
and that the claim that we were going
to get the Kaiser was all bosh but that
he~would get us. Here's where the
lady enters the story and asks him to
repeat what he had pust stated which
he gladly did and before you could
say scat, she kicked him in the ribs,
grabbed him by the collar with the
! left hand and soaked him in the jaw
with her fist and as he started to
move his frame outside the danger
zone, she landed with her right foot
where his pants are half soled Here's
to the lady in behalf of all the pa
triots of Lewis county. Talk about
Home Guards, who wants better?