Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-21
u. S ARMY
TO GUARD
SHIPMENT
OF FOOD.
Troops Chartered in Hotels in
Berlin, Says Copenhagen Re- !
port; Germany in Urgent
Need Of ReviCtuaIIing.


London, Feb. 2O.-American
troops have arrived in Berlin and
been quartered in different hotels
says a dispatch to the Exchange
Telegraph from Copenhagen, quot
ing the Extrabladet's Berlin cor
respondent.
The troops are said to belong to
the "One Hundred and Thirteenth
New York regiment" and their daty
will be the protection of expected
transports of food.
"Under-secretary of State Braun
says" the correspondent declares
that during the negotiation at Spa
and Treves the allies refused to
give Germany credit on the ground
that she was unable to pay. A new
agreement was reached under which
Germany is to get 235,000 tons Of
food for $11,833,000.
The government is negotiating
with Berlin and Hamburg banks
to get the money. A kmiIlion marks
is obtainable by the Export of Ger
man goods and other money can be
obtained by the seizure Of neutrab
and British and French bonds in pri-
yate possession"
Unit in Doubt.
Washington, Feb. 20.-War de-
partment officials tonight were un-
able to identity the American troops
reported in a Copenhagen dispatch
via London to have arrived in Ber-
lin The designation of the troops
as the "One Hundred and Thir-
teenth New York regiment" puzzled
ofiGsrs, as there is no such unit of
New York troops in the army.
1t was suggested by some officers
that the unit might be the One Hun
dredth infantry, which is a portion
of the Twenty-Ninth (National
Guard division, composed of troops
from New Jersey, Delaware, Vir-
ginia and District Of Columbia.
Food Need Urgent.
Paris, Feb. 20.-The need for re-
victualIing Germany is really urgent.
according to the report just made
by a group of IA British officers.
who visited various parts of Ger
many recently for the purpose Of
conducting a special official invcs-
tigation of the situation.
The officers declare that the
country is living on its capital as
regards food supplies, ard that
either famine or bolshevism--pro
ably both-will ensue before tile next
harvest, if outside help is not forth
coming. The need for fats is rs
pec;ally urgent.
ut is still impossible 10 gauge
the period within which Germany 5
military power could revive, al
though there is no immediate dan
ger on this score" says the report.
"The social and political condition
of Germany is sufficiently stable
to guarantee the orderly distribution
of food, but so long as Germany is
still an enemy country which has not
signed peace, it would be inadvis-
able to remove the menace OF star
vation by to sudden abundant sup
ply of food"
Disturbances Diminishing.
The officers believe that the aliot-
ment of foodstuffs could be careful
ly controlled, but add that, provided
they are delivered to authorized rep
resentatives of the central go ern-
ment at port of entry or from
tier station there would seem to be
no reason for anxiety as to their
ultimate equitable distribution.
The chief places visited by the Sc
officers were Berlin. Munich. Ham
burg, Hanover, Leipsic, Dresden.
Madgeburg and Cassel. Unrest and
disturbances are said to be dimin-
ishing, owing to the more stable
political conditions and the firm line
adopted = y Gustav MosRv, minister
of defense, whose position has been
greatly strengthened against the
Spartacan movement by the large
combined social democratic major
ity in the new assembly.
At the same time unemployment
and the cost of living are on the
increase. The number of unemploy-
ed in Berlin is reported to he more
than 100000 and is increasing By
5000 a day
In Hamburg the number of unena.
ployed is $1,000; Eunitis $1,000.
Leipsic $4,000,
Unemployment Dangerous Element.
The great and constant increase
in unemployment is due to the rapid
rehabilitation of the army and
war industries, coupled with the in
ability Of peace industries to Gel
started owing to dearth of raw ma
terials and coal. Lack Of will on
the part of the workers is also a
factor.
The increase in unemployment. =
says the report, forms the most
dangerous element in the present
situation. Unemployment and hun
ger are the chief-predisposinE causes
Of bolshevism, and il these are re-
moved there will be no chance of
bolshevism gaining a foothold n