Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-07
c R 0 W D S
PATRONIzE.
PARIS FOOD
Long Lines of Women Await
Turn at Stores Opened by
French Government to Re-
duCe Cost of Living.
By the Associated Press.


Paris, March 6.-The French gov
ernments offensive against the high
cost of living started this morning,
When nine barracks were opened for
the sale of foodstuffs direct from the
government to the consumer.
The barracks are situated in the
most congested and populous poorer
quarters of the city. A correspon-
dent of the Associated Press visited
several of them outside of which
long lines of women, hatless, with
disheveled hair, and blue from cold,
awaited patiently their turn to be
served.
The crowds we're kept cheerful by
the sight of great bills on the walls
of the barracks, reading: Rice, II
cents pound" "Beans, 13," Lard,
So" Ham, 56," Shoulders, 50,"
Fat backs, 50," Breasts, boneless,
co."
Everybody Seeks Fats.
At the barracks in the Eleventh
ward the correspondent was inform
ed by Inspector Pierre that already
500 persons had been served up>to
noon. He expected to serve as many
in the afternoon.
The population were neglecting
vegetables and asking for fats of
which everyone took the full quota
allowed-tWo pounds.
Mrs. Schmidt, manager of the bar
racks, asked the correspondent to
translate the marks on cases from
the United States and she led the
correspondent to a storeroom where
bags of beans, stenciled New
York." were piled besides huge stacks
of cases of lard marked Chicago"
She pointed to a case on which there
was conspicuous red lettering, and
asked: What kind of goods are
tlioscp
The stenciled words read Stow
away from boilers" :"
The correspondent translated, at
which the manager was greatly
amused. Then the correspondent
pointed to small black lettering,
reading: Hams, Wichita, Kan"
Pork Dollar a Pound.
To another store the correspond
ent asked a butcher the price of
pork. This was a dollar a pound,
and ham was $l.80. 1t was suggest
ed by the correspondents that The
same goods could be obtained at
half the price at the Nllgrain bar
racks, at which tie butcher disdain-
fully replied: Yes. but it is dirty
yellow American pork
But the customers departed for
the barracks, and the correspondent
was treated to a great verbal out
burst Of uncomplimcntary remarks.
One of the barracks is totally
American, being formerly used by
the American army. -Four of the
nine barracks opened belong to the
American army; the others were put
up by the French.
1t is expected that when the
stores close this evening $4,000 peo-
pie will have attended and not less
than $4,000 pounds of foodstuffs will
have been sold in Paris the first day
at reasonable prices.
A groceryman near one of the
barracks, in reply to a question,
said: Il am in favor of low cost of
living, but cannot meet thise prices.
Why should Vilgrain pick on me?"
He said that his receipts had fall
len off more than 50 per cent.
Returning, the>correspondent not
ed great line formed outside the
Theater Francois, awaiting an op-
portunity to buy reserved seats at
tonight's performance at s. each.
By a strange coincidence the play
on the boards was hitherto unpro-
duced comedy by Victor Hugo, enti-
tied Shall They Eat?"