Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-02-02
Misery Pushed
Back Europe
Hunger and Cold Retreat
Slowly-Shortages
Still Severe
By WHliam B. King

Still Severe
By William B. King
LONDON.-Hunger and cold beat
a slow, almost imperceptible, retreat
across the wide stretches of war.
wrecked Europe in the first month
Of 1947, but inevitable misery still
faced millions in the weeks of win
ter before the spring harvests.
The last of UNRRA-furnished
supplies were still on the shelves Of
retail stores in Central, Eastern and
Southern Europe, but people already
were wondering how severe would be
the jolt Of the withdrawal Of this aid
which prevented millions from
starving.
The coal outlook-inseparably
tied with food in the battle-showed
slight improvement, but mainly be-
cause the United States continued
the essentially uneconomic shipment
of fuel from America. Despite the
drain on. shipping and European
dollar credits, these shipments pro.
vided the vital stopgap to the diff.
Eculties caused by Europe's still err
ratio distribution system.
/ Currently Europe's saddest picture
Of human misery is presented by the
Moldavian provinces of Romania,
where, unofficial reports say, hun
dreds are dying daily from starva.
ton and exposure. There are fears
that the spring months, instead Of
bringing relief, will unleash series
Of virulent epidemics, unless suff1--
cient drugs are made available to
prevent the spread of disease.
The Romanian government i'm
posed drastic measures to curtail
food consumption in all parts of the
country and pressed for vital grain
imports.
Cereal Stocks at Zero.
While the Minister OF Agriculture,
Prof. Traian Suvlulescu, issued re-
assuring statements that available
food would last until March and
promised that timed meat soon
would reach the market, the Asso-
ciated Press learned from the Min
istry Of Supply that cereal stocks
were down to absolute zero.
The frozen Danube prevents de-
livery OF 2,OOO tons of corn and
10000 tons OF potatoes from Yugo-
slav1a and CzechosIovakia. Three
hundred tons OF potatoes lie frozen
at Bazias on the Danube.
Meanwhile, Romania was awaiting
the result OF its appeal to the Allied
Emergency FOOD Council in WASH
ington for an ALLEGATION OF at least
50U,UOO tons.
To prevent grain being used for
animal iced the government has
ordered the slaughter of all pigs
except breeding stock.
Bucharest has been reported
without bread tor more than two
weeks ana the town of Ias1 in Mol
davla for two months. Almost all
fuel production Is going to industrial
consumption ana hot water is al
lowed only three hours weekly.
SpaIn in Fair Condition.
At the other end of the map OF
Europe there Is a brighter picture.
In Spain the working class has
benefited since the first of the year
from a government order increasing
the quality and the allotment Of
bread while reducing It's cost. The
new olive oil crops allow a quarter
liter ration instead of an eighth.
Portugal has received coal ship
ments from the United States and
meat ana 1ats from the Argentine
recently, creating an atmosphere Of
prewar plenty. Coal has aided fish,
ing and thousands of tons OF fish
have reached the portuguese market.
In the rest of Europe the food and
fuel situation varied from hopeful
TO hopeless, but nowhere did house.
wives escape the daily worry Of
eking out rations to prevent hunger
and hardships.
In France, beef, lamb, veal and
mutton disappeared from neighbor-
hood shops as meat handlers from
arm to wholesaler baked at Pre-
nier Leon Blum's per cent reduc-
ion in living cost. Even horsemeat
vas skinny, but pork continued in
Usual ration amounts. Vegetables
,ost more and milk became hard to
ind even in ration amounts. The
fright spot for the French was an
Increase Of about half pound in
ne monthly sugar ration. Coal
continued in short supply and all
uels have skyrocketed In prics.
In italy there was hope that
'romised food shipments from
america would bring soaring black
(see KING. Page C-50