Show Germans German's r Lark lack Good Food Diseases Spread Rapidly T euto Hide C Conditions I By Milton Millon Bronner A TON D. D C. C Dec lf W WASHINGTON 1 It I. It tl tiers l ere is one e question question question ques ques- tion mol mor t ar another that has been asked about Germany since we went to towar towar war Evar war with that power it is how is-how how howare are arc things inside the empire with reference to food fuel and nd manufacturIng manufacturing manufacturing manu manu- facilities facUlties The answer is threefold 1 People I-People People are not starving but I they are so near to it that diseases brought on by malnutrition are on th the increase 2 Germany 21 Germany has plenty of coal coalmines coal coalmines mines but the dearth of labor and the demands made upon the rolling roll rolli Ing stock of the railways rollways have compelled an economy with fuel hitherto un unknown in Germany 3 Americans 3 worrying about the tremendous flood of German made goods that is being accumulated accumulated accumulated in warehouses against the day when It can be poured into this country should calm caIrn them them- selves Germany hasn't the labor to carry on her peace time manufactures manufactures manufactures manu manu- and even if she had she hasn't the necessary raw materials materials materials mate mate- rials such as wool cotton and the various metals I have culled these things from document documents document's which the British government government government gov gov- gets ets out for the Information information information tion of Its own OVID officials Every ef- ef effort effort f fort Is made to get the accurate news as the British do donot not want to befool themselves Few of these publications come cometo to this country countI One set is sent to the state department which never lets go of anything of the sort the benefit of newspaper men The British government not only has a staff of men who carefully comb all enemy papers and letters for news of what is going on In Inside inside inside in- in side Germany but also watch papers papers papers pa pa- pers printed in adjoining neutral countries France and Serbia also have a a a- simil similar r information service We have not yet established one lone To bolster up the German people and to make malte the enemy feel bad I I German Minister for Food Control i 1 Muller recently submitted to an interview in which he made the tho surprising statement that the years year's yield of agricultural products products products prod- prod was only 1 pel pet cent less than before the war He said this thill was due to artificial manure Potash is plentiful and saltpeter is extracted from the air all Ho lie admitted the lack of or labor was serious 1 but ut farmers had overcome I it Fodder scarcity had not caused notable reduction of cattle since since- the war began he said and there had even been an increase since July 1 1 1916 although the milk supply had been considerably re re- re The number of swine had haa been reduced and were of inferior quality The harvests were better than expected C The oat crop would more than supplY the enormous s demands of the army In East Germany the barley rye and ana wheat crops were fairly good In middle Germany they were unsatisfactory unsatisfactory but in south Germany they were exceedingly good The potato cron crop would break the P Pr- Pr ord The late vegetable and south German fruit crops were both d I U oo H He o concluded by saying that Germany was better prepared to meet the winter than for the past two years Lets Let's see how this checks up with other facts It was allowed to be published In Berlin October 2 that the eight to mid Au weeks from mid-June mid gust had been very difficult for forthe forthe forthe the people especially in In Berlin Hamburg Frankfort Cologne Dusseldorf Stettin Dresden and Leipzig NO REAL FOOD I It was stated that the food conditions conditions conditions con con- had now Improved and that the br bread ad ration had been InI in In- In creased crr But the meat ration was reduced to half a pound a a. week I On October 5 the Weser announced that latest statistics made necessary the mixing of I bread with potatoes in order to tomake tomake tomake make bread suffice until next year Until November the flour ration would be grammes From then thenon on it would be grammes with an addition of twenty grammes of potatoes The present present- grinding perc percentage between grain and flour 94 04 per percent percent percent cent must be maintained In other words real flour such as wo we know it it is not allowed in to Germany Practically the entire grain is utilized It was stated that if the wheat crop exceeded expectations it would not be used to increase the flout flour ration but to reduce the grinding percentage so as to get et more bran for cattle On October 8 there was a query in the reichstag as to the use of barley for beer A representative of the government stated that next year ar beer would be limited to what was necessary but the chancellor chancellor chancellor chan chan- was not prepared to reduce it further out of regard to tho the feeling of the populace On October 15 a considerable In Increase Increase increase In- In crease in prices of wheat and rye flour was announced thus IncreasIng Increasing increasing ing the price of bread It was also announced that In Inthe Inthe inthe the future communities would re receive receive receive re- re less bread and must substitute substitute substitute tute potatoes At tho the same samp time there appeared in some of the papers papel's complaints that the meat supply was becomIng becoming becoming becom becom- ing more precarious in Berlin Hesse Bavaria arh and Saxony that thaL the milk and egg supply was d decreasing de decreasing de- de I creasing that there was a shortage in fish and that sugar was hard to get FEARFUL DISEASES Malnutrition leads to epidemics of dysentery tuberculosis cholera and hunger typhus These are all reported In the tho papers In Munich last year the births were only and the deaths 12 The year b before fore the war the births were and the deaths On September 30 said bluntly Look at the people in inthe inthe the tho street look Jook at the hollow cheeks checks and big collars and one cannot possibly r be deceived Ask any doctor or read the reviews of insurance companies and you will find the effect of malnutrition The danger clanger is that the mortality among the civil population is now competing with that at the front It will be of no avail to try to I satisfy oneself by lies and by closIng clos clos- ing lug ones one's eyes it is a great wrong to conceal these facts from the population Tuberculosis has been so successfully combated in recent years now raises its head in a threatening manner as the re result result result re- re sult of the general shortage comments on the tho unusually un un- usually high infant mortality th this tha s year pointing out that it Is 7 percent per percent cent higher than last year and Is Js largely due to the poor quality of the milk mUk Another paper reports that in the Arnsberg district for the weer ending September 29 there were dysentery cases thirty eight resulting in deaths It will be seen from these things that the food supply is not as ampie ample am am- pie as Germany would have the world believe that there Is s considerable con con- dearth along certain lines and that while people are I not starving many are falling failing prey to malnutrition illnesses NOW WHAT ABOUT COAL Germany has attempted to make makeup makeup up for fot its lack of native labor by putting Russian and French to work in the mines But this has worked indifferently indifferent Indifferent- ly well because most of the prIsoners prisoners prisoners pris prIs- have never mined coal before before before be be- fore and the percentage of those who are incapacitated by illness bad food or accident is large The National of Basel Switzerland on October 11 stated that the German government had Issued an order placing fresh restrictions re restrictions restrictions re- re upon passenger traffic in order to facilitate freight and ana save coal oal Fast train service was to be re re- re The amount of luggage allowed passengers was and trains were not to be heated much For short short- short distance distance trains no heat was to be allowed I MANUFACTURING HIT From other sour sources es comes the news that in Frankfort heating with coal coke wood gas or electricity electricity electricity elec elec- before October 17 was prohibited prohibited prohibited pro pro- under a penalty or of six months' months Imprisonment or a fine of 1600 marks Prior to the war the great trade fair of Europe was the Leipzig lair fair to which business men from all aU allover allover over the world came to view sam plea pies and order stocks Germany has made desperate attempts attempts' to keep this fair fall going in spite of the war The in telling telling telling tell tell- ing of the fair this autumn says the general out outstanding characteristic character character- was the want of goods due to the dearth of material shortage or of I labor and shortage of auxiliary mat materials The largest stocks were those of ot earthenware glass and toys Prices were greatly ranging from 30 per pel cent more for w Oden goods to per pel cent more moro for tor porcelain The exhibit of substitutes was was' especially big |