The Washington herald., 1920-05-09
veus Al the World Flashed Direct the National capital u uek
German Food Requirements
Balanced Against Nations
Crop Production This Year

/ figure for German supply too low.
| In the report Of the consultative
food committee the figure for the
German crop Is placed at 7,259.000
tons; the figure given me was $780,
900 tons. This was the crop of the
present Germany. the best in four
,, years. This agrees with surveys
made last summer. The pre-war
average was stated at 15.400.000
tons; in fact 1t was 100000.
Frost Destroyed Potatoes.
Potatoes are very scarce. The
! early frost of last fall destroyed
many and the crop was not particu-
larly good. Germany Is importing
| potatoes from the East. but Il Is not
| expected that the ration can be con-
| tinued after the first of June. and a
month will eiapse before the ap-
pearance OF new potatoes on tns
market. This situation the Ger
mans have become rather accus-
| toned to. since it has occurred three
times since 1914.
The ration OF sugar is now 430
grams per mouth. The early frost
! OF October had the effect of de-
stroying many beets and the scare
!ty of fuel has reduced the opera
issued in manufactured state to al
most as large an extent as direct
ly. l was advised that the crop did
not yield more than 100000 tons ia
| terms OF refined sugar. so that il
Will be possible to carry the pres
ent ration and use, of sugar up TO
the first of October but proha bly,
not until the coming OF the new
crop upon the market.
The ration of meat varies from
| 100 to 200 grams per week. depend
ing upon the size of the city. 1t
frequently falls below that, and on
the other hand, Illicit traffic in
meat is universal.
Bacon Costs Dearly.
The issue of bacon is to be 125
grams per capita per week. 1t has
often not been possible to issue this,
but on the other hand bacon is ev
who can pay the extremely high
price.
The total issue of fat is supposed
to be 500 grams per capita per
| month, in the form OF lard, mar
garine and butter. The issue or
milk Is supposed to be limited in
cities over $4,000 to expectant and
nursing mothers. children under 6
years of age and invalids. Butter.
margarine. lard. milk and cheese
are everywhere to be had in Illicit
traffic. though at extremely high
| prices.
Butter in Be- Rim during one week
retailed at so marks per pound
Illicit foodstuffs go. of course.
| largely TO the 10 per cent of rich,
| next to the workers whose wages
are high. and least, or not at all
to the middle class and civil SER
wants, whose diet is the lowest Of
any in Germany.
German officials say it is not
their intention to import any meats
or dairy products from overseas
unless they can purchase condensed
! milk in the United States'for IS per
case, under which circumstance
they would try to secure a moder-
ate amount, They rely entirely for
the meats and fats required to
maintain the present ration. or to
increase il. upon importation from
the surrounding countries. Sweden,
Denmark, Holland and Switzerland
are again active producers and will
be SO to much greater extent with
the oncoming of fresh feed. They
all are carrying considerable stocks
whose financial burden is being
borne by the banks. These stocks
they cannot at present sell to the
UHited Kingdom. France or Italy
on account of price and exchange.
They are, therefore. compelled to
sell them to Germany on credit.
In recent negotiations with the
officials of these countries. they
have been found willing to sell the
same commodities to Poland. Czecho-
SlOvakia, Austria and Hungary.
How these credits are to be ma
nipulated, to what extent they rest
upon neutral securities, and in
what volume such purchases are
contemplated, was not stated, and
could not be determined.