New-York tribune., 1920-02-08
German Food
Prices Double
I'm 3 Months
Astonishing Jump Recorded
in Period Between August
and December as In
creases Still Continue
Cost of Beer Goes Up
Supplies Become Shorter as
Means of Buying From
Abroad Steadily Diminish
By William c. Drcher

BERLIN. Jan. 20.---The new year has
| brought harder times for the hungry.
| The prices of bread, potatoes. lcgumes.
marmaladc. butter and margarine have
| been raised this month: and the statis
ticians figure out an increase on these
items alone of 114.50 per cent in the
cost Of living this year for each per-
son. The price of beer, too, which is
| classed among foods by the Germans,
has been raised. 1t probably will be
put higher again, for the government
is holding back barley till it sees how
much is needed for bread; and the
price or hops has risen to 5000 marks
the hundredweight.
Besides the higher prices. the sup
pines OF food are growing .visibly
shorter. This week the city govern
ment, owing to the failure Of potato
supplies, introduced turnip cards again,
and 1t now looks as if the country might
have repetition of the famous "turnip
winter of l916-17, which still fingers
as horrible experience in the memory
of every German. People are still talk
ing here about the nauseating effect of
favlng to eat turnips three times a
day. The American must not think of
our delicious table turnips; the Ger
man "kohlriibe"-a big, coarse product
CT the iields--is a very different propo-
sltlon, so far as palatablc qualities are
concerned.
Appeal to Government
And this week the Mayor of Berlin,
heading deputation of municipal of
hcias from the other towns of greater
Berlin, has gone to the government to
make earnest representations regarding
the threatening food outlook. They
| {oJ hot
Office has supplies that will last. only
about two weeks, and that under the
most favorable circumstances these
will be exhausted by the end Of the
month
The Chancellor replied in more hope
ful terms than the Mayor had used,
but even he could not say moro than
that supplies in sight will last till the
middle of February. The Chancellor
further expressed the hope that the
system of premiums on early deliveries
supplies from now on and that the gov
ernment would await the result before
adopting more energetic measures.
But how any considerable increase in
deliveries can be looked for is not clear.
The present trouble is that very few
farmers can get coal to drive their
steam threshers, and there is no pros
pect that their wants will be met soon.
On the contrary, the shortage of coal
will almost certainly grow worse. in
view Of the strikes of railway work
men now spreading over the country.
Cost Of Living Doubled
But the present crisis is only an ag-
gravation of conditions that had been
steadily growing worse and worse for
some months. This week Professor
Silbergleit, the statistician of the City
of Berlin, has given out some highly
after protracted investigation of the
cost of living in Berlin. His investi-
cations covered the month from July
Is to August 10, and he compared the
month of November with that period
The astounding result reached was that
within that short time the cost OF
living fell just a little short of being
doubled. He reckoned that an average
able bodied workingman would spend
l,38060 marks a year for food, with
prices at the July August level, but he
would spend 2,72o.12 marks with prices
at the November level. Since then the
necessary cost of living is more thar
twice as great as last summer.
II is significant fact that the in
crease was almost wholly in food no.
allotted by card. The daily cost Of
card allotted food in July was Ia,
marks and rose to only | 81 marks in No
vember. But food bought in the oper
market rose in the same time from IL.
to 3.55 marks, while that bought IL
"sneak trade" rose from 1926 to "a
marks.
Food Allotted Is Scart
The workman must buy extra fooe
beyond his card allotment, Or he vii
starve. Silbergleit mentions the fac
that the Allied conference. held a
Paris in March, 1918. fixed the dai,
man at a quantity representing $500
calorles, but he took a lower figure
3,o0o-as the basis OF his investiga
tions, although 1900 was generally re.
garded as normal in Germany before
the war.
But the food allotted by card amounts
to only 1,100 calories, or a little more
than one-third of what the average
workman requires. The food allotted
is only about enough for child under
ten years. While the government regu.
lations kept the allotted food--bread
potatoes and certain quantities of meat
fats, legumes and cereals--from any
great change in prices, the movement OF
prices in the open market and in clan
destine trade was unrestrained and cor
respondingly violent Thus potatoes
in 'sneak trades" were twice as high as
those bought on card, and foreign
-four was sevenfo!d higher. The in.
crease on meats, lard and butter ranged
between those extremes
Sea Fish Lacking
One of the most serious factors in
the general food situation is the marked
lack Of sea fish. This is due, in part
to the coal famine, which just now
keeps nearly eighty fish steamers tied
up in the Elbe and Weser; in part tc
storms around Iceland, which make
fishing difficult, and partly to the Brit
ish blockade of the Baltic Sea ports
which still prevents fishing in that
sea.
Some weeks ago the agricultural or
ganizations of the country presented q
memorial to the government in which
they pointed out that the official har.
vest estimates of last year fell short
by 100000 tons of the country's re.
qnirements assumed by the National
Grain Bureau. Yet, notwithstanding
this sorry showing, the government has
persisted in taking rather cheerful
view of the food situation.
II probably will be necessary to i'm.
BROOKLYN AMUSEMENTS