Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-02-10

barren, and tn7 factories lie in TiIin5 Consequently sugar can scarcely be obtained by civilians, much less by men in uniform. Pastries and con fectiOns containing sugar are rare since the French government has re stricted the consumption of sugar. In bakeries and cOnfectiJn factories the use of sugar in large quantities
 is fOrbitten. Sweet chocolate is not sold in large cities on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The soldiers tea goes sugarless as a rule. Children are for bidden sweet meats often times, and when candy is sold, the price defies purchase. The German a,rmen have taken advantage of this condition ac- cOrding to reports, and have dropped pieces of poisoned candy in some of the cities that the next generation in France might be obliterated.
 In southern France, though l have not yet been there, the industries are practically dcmoralized. One may well assume that industries operated by women, children, and those physically unfit are subnormal. As have said, northern France is blighted; all of Frances native pro- duce must come from central and southern France and industry there is crippled by scarcity of men and the character of the present labor.
 Children Beg Bread.
 What is the result of these serious conditions? We ,at the front who have not yet felt the weakness of hunger for any length of time, who have seldom stood in the shadow of want, cannot speak in the appealing languages of personal experience. We can only make deductions from our observation. For a short time we stayed in rest camp on the coast where food was somewhat scarce. The grimy faced street gamn (who would have been sweet little French children had they been fed and wash ed properly) would come to the wire fence around our encampment to Dee for crusts of bread. Had we given them a, tin of preserved meat for their pains they would have felt all of the
 hrills that a hungry tramp nisl; experience it he were suddenly in vitcd to a sumptuous feast at the "Naldorf Austoria." One must hard ell his heart and turn his head as h. | walks down the street of a French | city, if he wishes to keep 6 franc tC 1 himself. The miserable little wret ches, more through hunger than braz CT impudence, pull at ones coattails and beg for pennies at every corner l have seen boys picking bits of de 1 at.,h l the refuse in the gutters. One earl! morning. while the streets were ye
 dim with twilight, I saw old women
 bags they were wild-eyed and em aciated, come to the refuse piles il the market for food where the stree shoppers came with their carts, am' you must know that one deserves tin
 edible he picks from a pile of garbag' in France. I have seen men conten
 themselves with dry biscuits for
 days meal. have seen dozen me1
 attempt to dine on a can of mea
 which we who are used to full stom
 achs would not think efficient t(
 grace one plate.
 Whole Nation RatiOned.
 What has been done to ameliorat
 these conditions here. you may asl
 The restaurants haev been put upo
 a ration basis; the government reg, lates the food allowance to each pel son. As l have mentioned in di' cussing the sugar problem, certa1 days are sent apart for sacrificin such incidentals as candy and pas res. 1t is made a crime, not theor, tically but actually and legally crime, to waste food of any kind. Tn
 storage of foodstuffs by individuals
 fOrbidden under penalty of law.
 But even these measures do nc
 solve the food problem in Franc : The panacea is not to be found her so the people think. It lies not l England and it's, strict food regul e tion, nor in Italy nor Russia. It lis } in the United States. On the pr, 5 duction and conservation of food 5 the United States do we most rel 3 To the thrift and sacrifice of thos 3 across the sea do we look for aid i : this great problem.
 I have tried to give you briefly 1 few of the things I have learne through my own observation. It 3 meagre: I hope that you may prof by it. although what 1 have given i for the most part, "a superficial su 4 vey of the obvious.
 When you get this letter the me year will be we'll in it's career. wish you strength in your undertal ing through this new year and t. { war. It is little to say and hope, b, it is sincere. I will try to write yo more often Ii is SO eaSv tO nao1o4 k correspondence and a great tempt