FOOD QUESTION IN GERMANY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15751, 18 November 1916, Page 9

FOOD QUESTION IN GERMANY.

KEAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY. (SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOII •'TIIE mESS.") (.Bt Mr.s J ri.iAX Gn.\xnE.) BEItNE, September 15About no side aspect of the war has there been more writing than about the food question in Germany, and probably about nothing has given rise to a greater number of ill-considered statements. It. is not merely tho numerous "special correspondents'' who have been responsible for this piffle— usually not knowing a word of German and but a thimbleful of French, who have come over front London to spend a few days of a low weeks in the Swiss capital or one of tile Gorman-speaking Swiss frontier towns. Scarcely less guilty have been tho so-called neutral correspondents, sent by certain newspapers to Germany to ascertain how matters stood there with regard to food. For instance, more than one neutral correspondent has given glowing descriptions of the excollenco arid abundance of tho meals served in Gorman hotels, arguing therefrom that no scarcity prevails. Now, the fact is that more than a year ago, when tood distribution lirst began to bo strictly regulated and food tickets generally introduced, the German Hotclkeopers' Association sent a deputation to the Homo Secretary, to ask him what they were to do witii regard to foreign visitors. The Minister's reply was: "Foreigners must get lull menus, and at all costs must bo prevented from npticing any scarcity."' Every hotelkeeper, therefore, to whoso houso foreigners resort, is entitled to receive supplies sufficient to enable him to set before them a menu such as will cause them to go 011 their way rejoicing, and toll everyone whom they meet- that they hud mora excellent meals in Germany, and that no lack of food prevails there.

H may secni as if there would be great ditlicult-ies in doing this, but it must not bo forgotten how few foreigners are at present permitted to visit Germany, ami that as a rule they frequent only certain hotels. Supposing a foreigner of enquiring mind wished to go to a hotel patronised by German commercial travellers, or to a pension for middle-class families. Tlie manager of tho hotel or pension in question would immediately go to the proper authorities, lill up a lorm statin rr that he lias to accommodate so many foreigners for so long a time, and at onco obtain the extra rations he required. An acquaintance of mine went recently to a hotel frequented mostly by German officers returned from or going to the front. Tho dinner served hint was better suid more abundant than that supplied to the officers; and the hotel manager himself could not have so good a meal as he sod before his foreign guest, who could even havo eggs lor breakfast, whereas already only a couple of eggs a week was the allowance for each person in most cities. In Frankfurt-on-the-Main, it once happened that the meat supply ceased for ten days, but the visitor to this city knew nothing thereof, having meat dishes served him as usual. This is but one example of the thoroughness of German organisation as regards food supplies. From the facts just adduced,- the inference might be drawn Germany is really short of food. This is true in one sense, but not in the sense that actual hunger prevails except amongst the poorer classes in largo towns and cities. What Germany herself savs about her food supply need not be taken too seriously, for when she sinks a neutral ship with numbers of. women and children on board, she immediately justifies her action by saying that England is starving German women and children; when for purposes of her own she desires to impress upon some ncjtral country that the block.ulo had not affected licr. she pretends that her own harvest will be quite sufficient to tide her over the coming winter and spring; and when she wanted her own people not to be dismayed by Roumanin's entrance into the war and the cessation of 6upplies from that source, she at once issued a statement insisting upon the extraordinary abundance of her this year's harvest. This last statement, indeed, served n double purpose, in that it was also intended to arouse enthusi-.isni for the fourth War Loan now being raised. Now, I lived in this country some years before the war, whilc_ since the war I have scarcely quitted it. I read daily Austrian and German papers, not s) much those of Berlin and Vienna as the smaller papers, which, being less read abioad. more frequently contain significant details throwing some light on German"conditions. Moreover. I am seldom long without learning something about Germany or Austria from some acquaintance of old standing, ■((hem I have every causc to consider trustworthy. ■Collecting; all this evidence, I can state that conditions in Germany differ much in different districts. For instance, in Bavaria, especially in the country parts, there is no scarcity, or but little whereas in North Germany and in the Westphalian mining districts, there is far moro, and in the case of working-class population in large centres suck as Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, and Leipzig, positive distress. Ihose who have money to spend freely rnd servants to send 'out to the shops to wait long hours making purchases for them, can still live in comparative comfort, t>nd certainly need not starve. It is unlikely that either their health or the health of their children will Miffcr. Quito otherwise are the circumstances, however, of many millions of workingclass :inrl low.'v middle-class people in Germany, the wives and families of men serving ir, the army or killed or disabled in the war. These women hive often several young children to bring I'p, and am therefore not able to cam, while they have nothing to depend upon but the Government grant, which is mostly inadequate. One case, which ir> v>ortii citing because it must be typical of so many others, and which is given bv the "Hamburger Echo,'' is that of t!ir> wife of a Hamburg working-man, now in the army. This woman is left v. ith a family of seven children between •lie ages of two 'ind eleven, for whom she has to provide food and clothing noon mark* ? week fabout 32s in English money).' After paying, however. into a compulsory provident fund, r-h" hn= onlv '50.59 marks, or not quite 31s left ncr week. She feeds her children almcf.t entirely upon soup, potatoes, rice, and bread, with a wry little meat on Sundays, and occasionally a little liver or fish. One weekly budget i- as folio,vs :— Marks. Rent ••• '>.■%) Seven dinners each for S per*OlK .. ... 7.01 Seven e.ic!. for 3 ;vr--on?' ... "... r,.r,0 I>re,id for breakfast and afternoon meai ... 4.C0 Bitter .. ... ... 3 Honev ... ... 1.00 Milk ... 1.00 Groceries, etc . ... Soip. washing material* ... l.l'O Tnsuraneo ... ... ... .."(I Payment into Union . ,1U Stanio ... ... ... .!'> Tobacco sent to hvslcsnd affront • •• ... .<•" Coals ... ... ... 12.14 Ttital for wenlc ... ... ()"i marks on the wrong -jde.i In this particular week the woman

sold a liorambulator :uid some rags y and thus made up tin- deficit in her housekeeping allowance. Tlio question wiiicli anyone at all conversant ,with German conditions will at once 'raise is why does not she buy her food in one ol tiu- so-called "war kitchens, which supply a concoction which is kind ot cross between stew and soup and is said to l»o nutritions, lor JO pfonnigo a litre. Hut a vorv simplo calculation will show that tins would be beyond lior moans. She would hav-» to sjK'iul at least inks. S.-iO weekly on the midday meal, whereas she has actually si>olit only inks. 7.1 U. Now oil meal's which, with very high prices, never cost quite L'd per head and usually much less, it is impossible that* growing eiiildren can be properly nourished, ami as there is every rea.ivi to j believe that millions of people, e»i>ocially children, are now being led as is* this Hamburg working-class family. + ho> effect upon their lier.ltii and strength cannot but be excessively mischievous. They nn:-i be in a perpetual state of under-feeding precisely at a time of ' iii'e when they most nml as much. 1 wholesome fooii as tliev can oat. Direct- evident.> of tile under-feeding of the poorer classes in Germany was furnished me quite recently when several hundred eiiildren of Swiss parents resident in Germany were brought i<» Switzerland lor a lew weeks' change. [ saw those c hildren on their a.nval, lU1( l 110 one could have failed to notice their pale, depressed, and altogether unchildI liko aspect. Many hail to lie sent at- ' onw to some hospital or sanatorium. It must not for a moment- bo imagined. a.; certain writers in tho British ! Press seem to do, that this disiress [ anions the lower clashes in Germany is £01111; to exert any decisive inllueneo upon the progress of tho war. What, to the Herman Government is of paramount importance i> to feed the army, and this it still succeeds in doing, although possrbly not so well a»s it migh o like. The last line soldiers behind thX front, for instance guarding tho Ger« man-Swiss frontier, are ivrt-ainlv no( well fed. Nevertheless, although th<i blockade may not and will not brinjc tho war to a- close, it is felt and keenly felt by Germany. No bettor proof of this can be given than the pressure j which she lia.; recently endeavoured 10 I exert upon Switzerland in particnln" J and neutral countries in general to • supply her with food stuffs and certain I raw materials, as compensation for tho ] coal and iron with which she principal- 1 iy supplies them, and thus to a certain extent break through or neutralise tin* I cffects of the British blockade, Bcinc , unable to propt.ro enough foodstuffs { .md raw materials herself, she says to 1 lior neutral neighbours: Procure them I for 111 c. or I will oca so sending yon pro- ; ducts absolutely indispensable to you. Take, for instance, Switzerland. Tiio ; Allies supply her or allow her to sup- > ply herself with the food and raw nia T : terials she needs for lior own require- ; men ts: but Germany has been trying! iier best to induce the Swiss to supply ; her with goods, which thoy can obtain.' diroetly or indiroctly through tho Allie* ! only. She. oven had tho meanness to j instigate her agents to buy up several ! million francs worth of goods, including 1 food stuffs. in Switzerland—goods > which tho Swiss needed for.'thoir own , consumption, and tho export of which ; is prohibited by Government; and after licr agents having stored these good 1? i for a considerable trme, Germany now has the audacity to tell the Swiss that, they belong to her and therefore should bp allowed across tho frontier.

All which proves that she is restless . under the restrictions caused by the war. and would fain do away witiv them, and that it is to the Allies' interest if possible to tighten these restrietions. But this must- never bo construed as an indication that the Gerlran Government finds them unbrnr- : able. As for the people, they were 1 content even before the war to accept ; Government-made opinion and maxims, ; and they are ceaselessly told to "duich- : lialten" —hold out. In some countries • placed in the condition of Germany re- i volution might bo possible, even pro- j bablc; but in Germany it is not. an I • this becaii.sc of the German view, instilled into every German subject, of l the absolute supremacy of tht Stalo • and the complete subordination of tho ■ individual thereto.