Evening journal., 1919-04-08
BY FRANK Y. TAYLOR.
rnlled Press sIall CorrespondenL

United Press Stan Correspondent
BERLIN. March 20 (By Mail Feed
tng more than nifty million hungry Ger
mon mouths is the immediate problem
OF the new republic. The people ex-
pect their new government TO do won
ders in getting food for the hungry, and
The uprisngs that have taken place
have been Immediately the results Of
hunger, through farther back a po-
litical cause can almost always be
found as the aim Of leaders.
Germany's hungry arc many, perhaps
as many as fifty million, perhaps some
what less. Owing TO the underground
traffic, or "schleichhandel," as il is
called, the best experts i'm the country
do not know exactly how the food sit
uation stands. The starving are OF
course far fewer than the hungry. for
Germany is still organized for emcr-
gencies.
There were authorities who said
when the war ended that Germany
would be starving completely by
March, unless enormous quantities Of
food were sent i'm by the outside wo, Ia.
March is here and there Is no evidence
Of food decreasing or stopping ab.upt-
~. The situation remains much the
same, with not enough food and with
the qualities poor for the most par. in
cities, and with prices far Ovec the
heads OF the poor people.
The fact that there is food does not
necessarily mean the food authorities
were trying TO deceive the world. On
the contrary, they were probably hon
e.. H.
demonstrate how little anyone knows
as 20 the actual amount Of food i'm Ger
many. Nor does this indicate that there
is enough food, or that Germany does
not need more.
During the last two months food has
come from many sources in small
quantities, but in the aggregate large
enough TO keep the market good for
those who have money, or know how
10 get supplies. 10 is not sold in the
open market, where cards arc ;cquir-
ed TO get what you want 10 buy. But
no one who can afford 10 live depends
upon the open market. III ! live upon
what / could get in the honest and law
ful way by means Of cards. / would
starve, that is all" is a statement you
hear often, especially in Berlin.
Almost the whole. or certainly the
majority Of the population, Of Berlin
lives on food secured in the unlawful
way, and gets practically everything
through the greatest business in Ger
many today, "schlcichhandel." "Sci-
lelchhandcl' means business on the
sly.
There are thousands IN the business. I
Regulations prevent offices OF stores
from selling goods on the sly. Hence
most Of the "schleichhandel" dealers !
ply their trade in baskets or solicit
business from house to house, in
hotels or in the streets. always keep /
.ng as much under cover as possible.
Usually, before you have been in a |
hotel many days some waiter who has 1
been watching you closely viii some in
your room and whisper, Docs the gem |
lleman want 10 buy a ham? / know /
where I can get one, for only a hun /
drtd and eighty marks" That makes |
some twenty-five or thirty dollars in
real money. Or he will know how 70 /
get dozen eggs for nifty cents an /
egg. or butter at five dollars a pound, !
all on the sly.
How the "schleichhandel" merchant |
plies his trade In the suburbs was told /
by a cultured, well-to-do woman, who |
answered the maids request to see n !
gentleman who had something very
personal and confidential 10 talk about" /
lie had a side Of beef TO sell and half /
sack Of white flour, which he h0d |
smuggled in from the country. The |
woman. who would have disdaine1 such /
call during the first three years Of /
teh war, said apologetically, "You have |
to come to It, or else be hungry. Since |
eevrybody does it. we have TO-"
There were and still are thousands I
Of "schleichhandel" artists who make
it a practice TO go TO small country
towns. buy what they can carry, and
bring it 10 cities to sell at eXorbitant
prfices. In many small towns, guards
have ben stationed in depots TO search
the baggage Of those taking trains, es-
pecially suspicious characters. The re-