Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-03
RESTLESS GERMANY
DUE TO FOOD NEED
German Official Cites Impos-
sibiIity of Obtaining Ade-
quate Food and Clothes.
BY GORDON STILES.
to The Star and the Chi.
cagO Daily News. Copyright, 1920.

Cab!eGram to The Star and the Chi
caEo Daily News. Copyright. 1920.
BERLIN. May 1.-Some of the actual
conditions governing the German
workers were explained to me by DR..
George Flatow of the German min
istry of labor. who also is the author
of "Das Recht der Uebergangszeit''
claw of the Transition Period"). 1t
is hard to condense into snort cable
dispatch all of the interesting things
he said. but the following statements
may convey some idea OF why German
labor is restless and to a certain *
tent explain the arguments of radical
agitators. who point out that they
have nothing to lose and may. per
hapsr gain by desperate measures
LIE. US begin with DIR. Flatow him
self. who holds an official position and
has a wife and child to support. He
aud his family look ii half starved, rs
indeed, he assured me they are. His
salary is 500 marks :. mcnth. which. a I
the present rate of exchange is about
SIS.
Food Prices Pr0hibitive.
1T is impossible for people such as
] to buy foodstuffs at the prices which
now obtain" he said. Butter costs
at least 35 marks (normally / mark
equals nearly % cents. but now is
worth little more than e cents) a
pound; meat, Is to rs: flour, to s, and
so on. No clerk, official or workman
can earn enough to feed and clothe
himself. despite the fact that skilled
workmen earn the tremendous wage
OF from 1000 to 1890 marks a month.
1 and my friends do not know what
1t is to fee! satisfied.
One reason for the universal hum
ger is that the food is not uo,rishiny
had I,a .,I,,
UNBEATABLE, and the sausage, when OBJ
talnable, is mostly made from goat
nesh. which is almost fatless. There
is no better, except the 20 grams q
ounees) a week allowed by the gov
eminent ration, which is not enough
TO butter one slice of bread. The ra
tons now distributed are about the
same as before, except that the uuan-
tfty or fats issued has been slight,
reduced.
We have worked out the minimum
amount required TO buy the actua
government ration for family q
father. mother and two children "a.
141 marks weekly. Here is a cas-.
IN point The man earned 1871 marks
He is granted 10 marks extra by !:
charitable institution which enables
him to buy just what the law allow:
at hXed prices and in addition thrc,
pounds OF vegetables. Then he face
the problem of buying clothing ans
paying ms rent and other bills on
OF nothing at all Where are thos
other necessities to come from
Plight Of Brain-Norkrrs.
II is matter Of common knoWlcd;:
That braIn workers receive less none
than do the manual !aborers and Dr
Fiatow told me that their plight wa
desperate.
They are able" he said 10 buy II,
new clothes at all. Suits COS. from
2."0o 70 1000 marks and boots from
500 to 1000 marks a pair. The onl.
way they able TO get on is b.catIs,
compared with the labori,e classes
who never have more than one suit o
clothes. until now they have had extr
clothing to fall back upon. The mid
die classes ar. now wearing out thei
extras. but what they Will DO afte
that remains to be seen
Dr. F'latow then pointed out that tn
children were the greatest sufferer:
Those up to one year Of age" he sal,
are supposed to get one liter ton
quartz OF milk :: day up To two year
1hree-fourtEs of a liter and from tire
to four years one and ouc-lalt liter.
At that the milk is watered. for Their
Is no such thing as unskmmed mil
III Germany today. For months II
fresh meat has been distributed o
cards: nothing but salt or cured mea
"t Il very poor quality and perfect
useless for children and sick people.
Milk situation I'm berlin.
in the whole of Berlin. containin
1000, 600 inhabitants there are Gnl
seventy persons who receive as niue
as threc-quarterS of n liter OF mil
day. AT present there are apple:
tons from oUuDpD sick IcDple Tor