The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-04-24
CHAPTER XVII.
The Economic Situation in Germany.

' 'S W.
BY the spring of 1916, butter and
meat had become extremely scarce In
Berlin. My wife had remained In
America, where she had accompanied
me In the summer of 1915, and during
her absence l dined at hotels and res
taurants where the food was still
rather good. In June, 1916, | left for
America again and just rs | was lcav-
ing meat cards were issued for the
first time.
/ returned to Berlin with my family
in October, 1916. Conditions had
changed considerably for the worse
during the summer. l found that
every one who had the money had
bought up every available pound of
food and soap which had not already
been Communicated by the govern
ment. Butter, potatoes, eggs, milk,
-four, sugar, soap, bread and meat and
dry groceries were all rationcd and II
was now no longer necessary for wom-
On To stand In line In front Of the
shops, sometimes all night, TO await
the morning opening.
Shopping by the card system wac
very complicated and the quantities
permitted by the ration cards 50 small
that n wcll-balanccd meal was an i'm
possibility. To dine In II restaurant II
was necessary to take n whole pocket
full of cards and make n careful analy-
sis of them before ordering the mea.
ger meal which the law allowed.
Empty boxes we're used TO decorate
the depleted show windows OF the
shops. The fact that they were empty
was not known to the public and very
often the windows would be broken by
hungry mobs who couldn't resist the
sight OF what appeared to be so much
food. This led the government to or.
der the ShOpkcepers To label the boxes
Empty Boxes" in order to avert such
disturbances and riots.
There was simply nothing to buy In
the food line except substitutes, and of
these there were hundreds, each worse
than the last. The remark: III things
get much worse, we shall soon be eat
Ing rats as the Parlsinus did in 1870
'A'tEhN wv i'J'llll'l WI, llldll
wouldn't be so bad what I'm drcadlne
is the time when we shall have to be
content with rat-substitutc!"
When w finally had cards for cot.
fee-substltutc | gave up interest in
substitutes and commenced to patron.
lie the spectators, figuring that 1t was
better to risk the penalties imposed by
the law for such violations of the food
regulations than TO ruin our health
through CnGcrnOurlShmcnt.
For n long time we were permitted
to receive presents" Of bacon, ham
sausagcs, eggs and butter from Den,
mark, but this was finally prohibited
through the influence of the Central
Elnkaufs Gesellschaft (1hc Central
Society for Buying Food From Other
COuntrlcs) which found that II was
interfering with their graft.
This society was formed by Il com,
pnny Of clever Jewish business Inen "a
buy food from foreign countries and
sell It to the people, n small percent
age of the profits going to the govern
ment. IL not only developed into q
most successful enterprise from the
standpoint OF profit, Its prosperity be
Ing augmented by graft, but 1t provided
a haven for the Stacker sons Of the
proprietors and stockholders. Just be,
fore I left Berlin, this company, "a
hide their war profits. bought a build.
ing for three million marks. which they
! claimed was needed for the business.