The Washington herald., 1918-01-31
(Copyright, lsls.)

SACNSAduu IlCoo.
t, 1851
OF course there is not now, nor
has there ever been. an actual starva-
ton in Germany or Austria,
What happens is that the individual
Is weakened by long lack of nutritive
food and becomes prey to disease.
The commonest of all disease in
the central empires now is a new
malady which the newspapers call
famine-dropsy. 1t Is not unlike
dropsy, which had its origin In
famine, as we see the disease In
America.
The chief victims of this disease
are persons between the ages OF 40
and 80. The only cure for it is plenty
Of nourishing food. Only the poor die
Of 1t. l saw medical reports for one
section of Austria concerning the
startling. These reports stated that
in the villages of Asch, Graslitz,
Haida and Rumburg there were 4,45s
cases Of famine-dropsy. One out of
every ten persons was i'll with the
disease.
Germany has a disease which the
people call hunger-typhoid. 1t, too,
has its thousands of victims.
The Vienna Arbeiter-Zeitung, q
Socialist newspaper. calls both famine
dropsy and hunger-typhoid PRO
letariat sickness" and poor folk sick
ness"
Tuberculosis Ravages.
tuberculosis, too, ravages the under
fed everywhere. particularly in Aus
tria, which is poorly equipped with
sanitoria for treatment OF the dis
ease.
In one week the deaths from tu-
berculosis in the city of Prague ex-
ceeded the total number Of births in
all Austria for the same period.
This statement was made in the
Austrian parliament and appeared in
the report OF the proceedings in the
Munich Post.
1t Is not recorded that the Kaiser
partook largely of COW beets and
stlaw bread. Nor anyone else with
money in his pocket. Intimate ac-
quaintance with the COW beet and
straw bread is the exclusive privilege
Of the very poor.
An Austrian told me he had never
been long without anything he really
wanted. though sometimes he had to
pay SO pound for coffee.
In Berlin at the present time the
weekly food allowance for each per-
son is as follows:
Potatoes, pounds
Bread, 41-3 pounds.
Meat. . ounces.
Butter or oleomargarine. zl-2
ounces.
OF these articles only potatoes and
bread can be counted upon. Meat is
frequently unobtainable and only on
certain days is there butter.
The meat. Of course, IL to be used
for soup making.
Milk Is allowed only to children and
old persons.
Occasionally one may buy carp in
the fish market.
There is little coffee or tea.
One is entitled to an egg a week,
provided he can find the egg.
Only the soldiers and the very rich
are sure Of tobacco.
Almost the entire production Of sugar
is taken over by the government for
war-making purposes. Glycerin is ex-
tracted from 1t.
Chocolate is procurable at times. Its
sale is supposed to be restricted to
children between the ages of 5 and u.
The rich beer brews for which Ger
many was SO famous in the past have
gone out Of existence. The only beer
now obtainable Is called duennbier,
and 1t is exactly what 1t is called
thin beer The supply is small and it
is distributed sparingly.
In the larger cities Of Austria, vi
emma for instance, duennbier is on sale
hIif l.
equal to the demand.
German bread at present is made
mainly OF rye. 1t Is hard and almost
black, but not unpalatable. 1 tasted
some at Basel. Into that Swiss city
the Germans twice a day were bring
ing trainloads Of French and Belgian
refugees-old men,Lwomen and child
ren-from territory fallen to the Kai-
ser's men. The Germans provided
these refugees with bread and water
on the trip.
Food Ban Lifted.
At Basel, however, the trainmen
went through the cars and wherever
person was found with his rations
uneaten, they were taken from him
at once an illustration of the food
scarcity and the scrupulousness with
which Germany is conserving what
she has.
Even the seemingly humanitarian
act Of bringing the refugees to Swift
zerland, to be sent thence into France,
was a measure Of economy, Of food
conservation-the Germans did not
want the burden Of feeding these peo-
pie. 1t was noticeable that among
these refugees there were no able
bodied men or young women.
About a week before Christmas the
German government announced a re-
Taxation Of food restrictions to permit
small measure of family cake and
candy-making at Christmas. The fol-
lowing extras were allowed each fam