Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-11
CONDITIONS IN ENEMY
COUNTRIES DESCRIBED
Armies Are Murmuring, Yet Spirit
Of War Is Growing, According
to Own People.
SCARCITY OF FOOD TELLING
Hungry Hun Becoming More Articu.
latc-Austria Unable to Obtain
Many Supplies From Ukrainc-Ra-
tons Reduced.
international News nureau.l

international News Bureaul
THE HAGUE. August 3--The fol-
lowing account of the economic situa-
ton OF the peoples of the central en-
pires at the present time goes far to
Justify the presumption that Linden
burE's ruthless sacrifice OF the lives Of
immense numbers OF men in the pres
cnt attack is due to doubts existing in
the minds of the authorities at Berlin
and Vienna as 10 whether Germany and
Austria hungary can bear the strain
of the hunger they are enduring until
the next harvest. The evidence here
offered of the bitter struggle going on
III Germany and Austria Hungary to
keep body and soul together is de-
rived exclusively from statements made
by the enemy and published in his
rewspapcrS in the course OF last
month
1t has to he borne In mind tina, the
various journals quoted are open to no
accusation of eXaggerat1ng the facts.
ON tho contrary, their statements rep
resent the degree of revelation or adj
mission permitted by censorship
which is VIGOROUSLY Of the most rlgor-
Gus character. Its rigor. however.
docs not prevent an occasional attempt
at circumvcntion. sometimes with the
aid of rather heavy humor. as in the
case OF the Prague newspaper Bohc-
mia which. on March /. printed the fol-
lowing from It's medical correspon-
dent:
Much might be written about the
sanitary condition OF our town and
country. Special instructions for the
wording of sanitary reports would he
most helpful. saying which statements
are censored and which are not.
could then use a code and mean ex-
actly the opposite OF what ! wrote. For
instance. l could say: There is no
more oedtma "a disease induced by lack
of nourishmenD in German Bohemia:
FOOD is cheap and plentiful in Prague:
supplies are quickly distributed. thanks
to official lists and to the zone system
tuberculosis. that sure sign OF under
feeding. Is on the decline" But until
such code exists, it is extremely dir
hcult to say anything.
VIENNA NEWSPAPER DESCRIBES
CONDITIONS IN AUSTRIA
An account OF the conditions pre-
VallinS in Vienna at the present time
Is given BY the Arbeitcr Zeitunc of
March 10, Socialist newspaper widely
read by the workmen of the Austrian
capital
Life has reached the limit Of misery
poverty. and wretchedncss. Bread is
ocher yellow. and is more like a dry
uhcooked pancake than loaf The
hour ration is lowered Potatoes hay.
accidentally failed this week Theorct
icaly, meat is rationcd in three de-
sEees. but in practice it has almost dis
appeared. Vegetables and fruit ar,
noneNistent. Milk is hardly suricient
.or children and sick people. and Their.
! is TO he less fat than ever
II Ia pointed out that the gaze OF
VIENNA is intent on Roumania and tn.
Ckraine. But nothing can be OK.
peS'eo ,or many weeks yet" The prob
rem Is now TO tide over the time until
! corn comes from the Ukraine
II is possible that Germany win ho,n
uH out. or that Hungary Will remem-
ccr hcr obligations and let us have n
tcw 'ruck-loads, but what avail these
concessions when 1850. 600 souls hava
10 be considered?
And the writer adds no;,,. -
tail:
The fact OF the terrible nerco,t,
OF children's deaths is enough TO show
mat there can be no healing for such
sorrows. oN'i
nat the Socialist newspaper WAS
ho' cNaSGeratins or trying to make on.
use IN order to stir up the masses ia
cFidcnt from the statement made RI
ioiIowing day by DR.. Paul. who b.d
JuSt peen nominated president OF the
rood bureau by the Vienna govern
me most important part OF
'h!s ofiiciafs report on the siiu,t;op
as given in the morning edition Of the
Neuc Frieu Presse of March - No.
AS follows: "t'
There were no provisions: il wac
case of living from hand to moptb an,
"h'ii the next harvest, there could n.
no material change. The Goyr
ration was dependent on supplies fron,
abroad and on Roumanian maize. ara
hoPea 10 exchange wheat -four for
'haiHc ana so obtain better broad H
warned them against hoping for SIM.
pies from the Ukraine. at All events
20 any large extent. 1t was hopcd I'M.
the potato supply was more or la
secured. For the spring il Womb ~.
necessary 10 cut down the ration Of
inc scf-providcr in the productive di.
tricts. The meat supply b,I $500,
an acute crisis 1t was supposed ma,
TINS was due to centraliZation. bu, ia,
was not SO. He hoped for supplies fro,,
hungary. AS to fat. vegetables lam
ana sugar the only hope of bettcr.
iieht lay III rise OF production. TIE
.s,ueht concluded his speech by CON
icss'hS mat things were not satisf,,
'orE. lie and his assistants would no,
give up hope. ii only the population
preserved it's quiet sobrety.
PATIENCE OF AUSTRIAN PEOPLE
MAY BE EXHAUSTED
The last words would seem to indi-
cate the fear that can hardly he an
sent from the mind of any Austrian
statesman that the patience of the
people may at last be exhausted. on
March bread and -four cards were is
sued to the public. but on .arch IL the
Aroeiter HeitunS states that the au
thor'ties have already found IL neces-
sary to cut down the ration. Each
member of n household was entitled n
tnree pounds one and Il half ounces
OF prcadstuffs per week but this was
reduced 10 two pounds eight and one
half ounces.
inc shortage OF bread and it's poor
puaii'F made II doubly important that
thcrc should be good supply of pota-
.oeS' put TINS was not the ease, as
'hS heichspost of March 10 shows:
1t is really an unhappy fact ,ba, No
sooner is Some ono fondst,.nf :. - l.. -.