Evening star., 1941-05-26
Germany Declared
Draining Italy Of
Vital Foodstuffs
Nozis Striving to Keep
Own Diet at Safe Level,
U. S. Report Indicates
By BLAIR BOLLES.

The Agriculture Department re-
ported today in study of the
European food situation that there
have been indications that certain
foodstuffs vital to the Italian diet
are being exported to Germany in
quantity" This is the first dis
closure here that Germany is drain
ing t.er Axis partner as well as the
Axis-conquered nations Of Europe
for food to keep the German diet
at q level high enough to stave OF
the general undernourishment which
contributed to the German sur
render in 1918.
The report told Of popular dis
content" in Italy over the dimin-
ishing amounts Of food distributed
there, although no details were sup
piled about what foods the Ger.
mans are taking. The reports gen.
eral conclusion was that under
present rationing, food supplies in
most European countries are ex-
pected to be sufficient to prevent
serious distress at least until the
harvesting of the new crop, even
though diets are already consider
ably below normal.
AN outstanding characteristic of
the continental European food situa-
tion," the Agriculture Departments
ONCE of Foreign Agricultural Rela-
tions said, "is that Germany's food
problem is not likely, in the near
future. to become critical, as it did
in 1914-18. The war has not rs yet
seriously interfered with agricultural
production in Germany.
Germans Declared Well Fed.
German food rations since the
outbreak Of the war have been main
tanned on virtually unchanged levels.
Despite a 20 per cent reduction In
the meat rations just announced.
the people continue to be consider.
ably better fed than they were in
the last war-particularly soldiers,
workers and children. Germany's
wartime diet. however, is by no
means up to a peacetime standard,
and fats constitute a serious prob
lem.
Malnutrition, widely present even
IN peacetime in almost every country
IN the world, will very probably be-
come more widespread in Germany
as the war goes on. - Yet on hal
ance, 1t seems unlikely that the gen.
eral food position within a year or
two will become serious"
The report paints a different pic
ture for Italy:
ITALY is less favorably situated.
though there is normally 4 high
degree Of good self sufiiciency. Dis
tribution appears to be less efficient-
1y organized; the army must live
largely on home supplies; precau-
tionary reservation Of stocks for the
armed forces and for future con-
tlngencies is deeply cutting into the
flow Of food supplies to civilians, and
the accumulation of reserves before
1taly's entrance into the war was
not on large scale.
Discomfort Widespread.
Recent reports have indicated low
rations, high prices, inequitable dis
tribution and a very unfavorable
food position in some regions, with
resulting popular discomfort. Even
in the case OF Italy, however, it is
unlikely that total available food
supplies will soon be reduced to
dangerously low levels. The Italian
food problem Is thus in some re-
spects one Of organization rs well
as one Of available aggregate sup
plies"
For other European countries the
report found these conditions:
France-Destruction and disorsan.
ization in agriculture, industry and
transportation have created a serious
food situation. This existing bar.
rier between the occupied and the
unoccupied zones has added to it's
severity, as normally the two zones
complement each other German
acquisitions and the takings of food
stocks, livestock and draft horses
have intensified the country's
plight"
oCiSiu" III STItlCAI Tu&nt.
Belgium-COnditions critical since
the country is basically so much de-
pendent on imported foods and
feeds"
The Observation-Disclosures adjust
ments in agriculture will be better
OF than Belgium, but still the situa-
ton will be unfavorable and severe