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Show HELFFERICI1 HOPEFUL. N ice Chancellor Heli'lerieh has delivered deliv-ered a most optimistic speech. He finds that the health oil the German people is surprisingly flood and that infant mortality mor-tality is lower than in peace times. And vet he warns the people that it is necessary neces-sary to "hold on" despite the fact that grain prices are lower than in any of the other belligerent countries. Grain prices are comparatively low in Germany beoause the government has fixed the prices. They offer no criterion cri-terion as to the amount of food. The allies are no doubt wondering at the fact that the Germans have "held on." It is one of the chief wonders of the war and shows what can be achieved by sclentitie organization oi a uuuuu q food Bupplies. The lessons which have boon taught may prove useful to Great Britain and France now that they are confronted by, a starvation blockade.. It is true that neither of these countries can be cut off from the world's food supplies as effectually as Germany has been cut off, but on the other hand they must import from one-half to two-thirds of their food if they wish to "hold on," whereas Germany, as has been demonstrated, demon-strated, can do practically without food importations. Life has not been pleasant in Germany Ger-many and one may be permitted to doubt that the health of the people is moil. There may be some significance in the use of the term "surprisingly good." It is surprising that they have not become a nation of invalids. The allies should be able to Icarn some enlightening facts in the recaptured recap-tured district of France. A systematic iii(uirv among the repatriated French pr-nph" ought, to give certain indications regarding food conditions in Germany. The people of northern France have been saed from starvation by food pom the United States, as they attested ;'S soon as they met the advancing allied al-lied hosts. Nevertheless, the food conditions con-ditions in northern France would be desperate des-perate if they were desperate in Germany. Ger-many. The Germans would not starve while there was food to be obtained in any of the conquered territory. Up to date there have been no stories u! starvation in the recaptured district. Apparently the people have bad enough food at least to hold soul and body together. to-gether. There is still a period of "holding (!: " ahead of the Germans. The harvest har-vest is not iar and no supplies can be obtained from abroad. A short gap without food would mako the entire fabric fab-ric of war crumble. The soldiers could not fight, the people could not work for many days without food. Surrender would be inevitable if the food supply should fail for a week or even threaten to fail for that period. |