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Show Complaints in Germany ! Concerning the Mounting Cost of Living There (Correspondence of Tho Associated "Press.) Uerlln, Nov. 20. From every part 3f Germany como In increasing number num-ber complaints of the ever mounting jost of living especially of eating and coupled with them moro and more frequently the chargo that tho iilddleman Is to blamo nnd that speculation, spec-ulation, not shortage of food, Ib responsible re-sponsible for Jacking up prices to an unprecedented height. Senrco'.y a day goes by but the food question Is aired in at least one of tho newspapers. Tho middleman refutes the chargo that ho Is at fault inlto as regularly as It is made, with tho result, as tho Tugeblatt said, that tho more earnestly tho true explanation explana-tion In sought tho" moro muddled bo-comes bo-comes the whole subject. Rutter has been tho latest commodity commod-ity to go up. It had reached a three mark a pound (75 cents) figure nnd was advancing dally when tho nuth orltlos stepped In and anchored the price at 2 marks, 80 pfennigs, whore It still remains. There Is, further, n strong agitation for the government sol.ure of all butter, Just as grain and other things hnvo been" sclzod ind then dealt out equally and systematically. sys-tematically. One reason for tills agl-tntion agl-tntion Is Been in south Ocrmnny, whero a physician reports that the Inrgest creamery In his dlstVict Is paying tho fanners nt tho rate of 1.40 marks for 10 liters of milk that aro necessary for ono pound of butter but-ter and Is selling tho product wholesale whole-sale at 2.30 In Saxony; consequently the creamery refused "to sell any of ts butter at home, but for months had hecn sending all It could mako to tho north. An nddltlonal profit camo from the buttprti"k, - October I- ' .luuit "season in "p"inn, und It had bel-n antlclpat-J antlclpat-J tli'is year particularly as the pcoplo pco-plo were In need of this usually Inex-nenslve Inex-nenslve yet appetizing food. When tho season opened, however, it was found that rabbits wcro scarce instead in-stead of plentiful, and wore to be had only nt prohibitive prices ranging rom.C GO to 7 marks ($1.37 to$l "") It was charged that the mlddjemen had been holding back tha'nupply with intent to Increase thirlcns, but that chargo ig met by theisscr-tion theisscr-tion that tho number of uunta'rR this year is smaller than ever beforo and tiio number of rabbits shot is correspondingly corres-pondingly smaller. Hence, by the law of supply ond demand, prices have gone up. It Is also pointed out that ammunition, guns nnd equipment equip-ment for tho hunt nro dearer than ever. Experiences of a Banker The recent experience of n Ilcrlln banker Indicates that thoro may bo somo truth In tho charges against (ho middlemen. Ho purchnsed n pullet pul-let in a Berlin gamo storo at 3.7fi marks a pound ills protest being met with the assertion that tho farmor's country price was so high that It was Impossible to retail tho bird for less. Yet the next day ho found ho was able to buy a similar fowl In a suburb for 1.30. Ho took both birds to the chef of a big Berlin restnurant ind wns assured that In weight, qunl. Ity nnd ovcry other particular the two wcro identical. In tho mining country of western Germany tho four largest assocla- I tlons of miners, numbering thousands thous-ands of members, havo felt It necessary neces-sary to petition tho Imperial Government Govern-ment to mako it Impossible for the well to do to buy up at prohibitive prices all tho available meats und fats. Their petition reads: "Lately the quantity of meat nnd fats offered for salo so far ns the great mass of tho poorer peoplo la concerned, hns greatly decreased. Partly tho war Is responsible, but It is plain also that the food Is being withheld for speculative purposes. "With tho decreasing quantity offered, of-fered, prices for tho foods have risen anorniously. The poorer part of tho population can no longer allow them-itives them-itives tho enjoyment of meat at nil. If tiio unfnvorublo developments are lot soon checked, they will not he xblo to have fats either. That portion 3f the population which is financially better off Is buying up nil available neat and fat nt ny price, becuso it s unwilling to do. without them. Unfavorable Tendency " "Such a development Is bound to havo the most unfavorable consequences conse-quences for our people nnd our economics. econ-omics. Mnn needs a certain amount of fat for his nourishment. Especially Especial-ly for that portion of tho people that docs heavy physical labor Is fat in-dispensable- for reptaclng expended physical strength In order thnt, on tho one hand, its health may bo maintained main-tained and on tho other, thnt it may bo kept in condition to do its work continuously. Tho workers nro especially es-pecially keyed up In a way during the war that makes powerful nourishment Imperative. Especially Ib this the case with tho minors. A minimum of them must do the utmost posslblo work. If competent nourishment I not nfforded them tho work mtiht suffer. suf-fer. Without It it Is InovltnUe that tho workers will break down nnd that their families' health wii: surfer permanently. This damago must be avoided. "Wo ask, therefore thnt necessary measures bo taken, In order thnt the supplies of meat and fat which aro on hand shall not bo used up to too great nn extent by tho upper nnd the wealthier classes who work 'far less than the miners, nnd that tho necessary neces-sary quantities of such fooda shall bo made avallahlo for the poorer, hard laboring portion of tho population popula-tion so as to maintain tholr working strength. "Tho proposed measures announced by tho imperial government for Biip-plIng Biip-plIng cheap potatoes removes tho necessity of gojng Into that subject now. Wo wish, nevertheless to express ex-press the urgent wish that tho supplying sup-plying may begin as soon as possible possi-ble and nt low prices." Tho petition Is signed by representatives represen-tatives of tho Organization of Minors Min-ors of Germany, tho Trndo Union of Christian Minors of Germany, the Polish Workors Association, Minors' Division and Trade Union of Minors Min-ors II. D. Tho visible supply of lard, In Berlin Ber-lin nt least, has hecomo so small thnt tho magistrate has forbidden its further sale to tho general public, and hns directed that It Is to bo distributed dis-tributed to worthy poor families, thoso of soldiers preferred. Tho National Na-tional Woman's Association Is to tnko charge of all available lard and havo control over Its distribution. |