The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-01-04
Various Members Of Allied
Naval Commission Person
ally Saw Conditions and
AIlege There Is No Evi-.
dence of Food Shortage.
Q.ondon Times Cable. Copyright, 1918,
by Public Ledger Coz

by Public Ledger Coz
LONDON, Jan. 3-Whi!e the Ebert
government in Berlin is proclaiminE
that Germany is facing famine and Is
appealing for a modification Of the
armisticc conditions, official evidence
is at hand that at least a large part OF
the fathcriand is as we'll off. II not bet
ter than arc the Allied peoples. A mem-
Der of the Allied naval commission In
German waters in an article In the
The German government and the
press from the moment the ink was dry
on the armistce signatures. made
concerted appeal for food on the ground
that otherwise great numbers faced I'M
minient. certain starvation. This even
,, went the length of n call from the
womanhood Of Germany TO their. sisters
in France and England. to intercede in
behalf Of the dying children OF thu
! fntherland. In response to this ap-
! peal. comprehensive plans for the re-
;ictualing of those parts Of Germany
actually in need Of food has been part
of the Allied program ever since the
signing OF the armisticc.
1T would be absurd to draw conclu-
sons on conditions In all parts OF a
| country like Germany from those obj
! served in one region, however e1tensp~::
and that 7 am cndeavorinS not to =.
I am confirming myself in detailing at:
the various members Of the icd
! naval commission saw with the /own
eyes. in n very considerable a ca OF,
northwestern Germany over which their
work of inspection took them. But II
the food conditions in the rest OF Ger
! many are not worse than in Oldenburg
| MccilenburG and Schlcswig-Holstein
Their, certainly Is no need for Taste or
the part Of tho Allies in going to thelr
! relief. Members Of various sub-com
, missions Of the Allied naval commit
sion who covered many hundreds. o.
miles Of country and saw tens OF
thousands of people at close range re-
portcd having noticed no evidence o.
underfeeding among any Of the inhabit
ants. Indeed, they are Of the unani
nous opinion that the population %
Crban and Ural arc Ted near enoughtt1
normal requirements to keep them fulIp
| physical vigor.
LAS member OF the intelliccnct
staff who spent quite a few years.
the country before the war put 1t. :Yol
do not see so many people with roAa'
of fat on them rs five years ago. Dut;
you do see more healthier. harder and
generally more fit looking popuiaN
ton
The results Of really bountifu
harvest arc seen in bulginS barns am
| sheds. plcthorc haystacks and fodde
! piles. tho surcst evidence Of an over
| supply Of vegetables was the carclcs7
way in which cabbages. potatoes ant
hccis were handled in transport.
starving people do not leave food o,
this kind TO rot along the roads. nor IN
station yards While on journeys
through OldenburE I saw endless evil
dence. not only Of intensive .cultiva-,
ton. hut also Of careful, scientific fer-'
tilization. There is clear proof that the
supply Of artificial fertilizers. besides
| phosphatcs. nitratcs. and lime. was
! fairly we'll maintained. Trucks on the
| station sidings showed that. so did tho
! state fields for fresh young winter
wheat which I saw everywhere was
rushing up. taking full advantage OF
tho mild, early winter weather. and
showed no trace Of the hungrincss 1
have noted for the last year or two in
some ovcr.cropprd. under-fertilizcd
fields in ENGLAND. Tho people there
abouts are Danish. but are producing 4
| huge supply OF good food. enough to-
keep the people IN less fertile regiopsI
! far from want" -.