GRIM DETERMINATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15884, 3 April 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

GRIM DETERMINATION.

FIGHT TO THE BITTER END.

GERMANY SAVING' HER FOOD

How the German Government is economising the food stores of the country is discussed by a neutral observer in the second of a series of articles in the Times, who says : —

" After six months of war Germany seems to me almost as strong as on the first dav, closely united, little disturbed. The civil life of the nation appears to continue as in time of peace.

" To under-estimate Germany's military reserve strength would be very shortsighted. Military authorities state that her class .of 1915, some 750,000 able-Bodied, picked men, has not been called out. Apart from these, the number of "untrained Landwehr and Landsturm" would run into millions. Though arms and ammunition factories are working night and day, I have it from a reliable source that Germany is only just beginning to use her 1914 small arms ammunition. Self-interest First. "Patriotism, though fervent in Germany, never for a moment trausseends financial self-interest. And so the seizure of the cereal supply by the Government was absolutely necessary in order to prevent prices Jrorn becoming prohibitive. That this measure was so long delayed and not taken the first day of the war, as advocated by the leading German economists, is due to the influence of the Agrarian Party. "The wheat supply is far shorter than is generally known," as the last harvest, though heralded as extraordinarily good, was, as a matter of fact, below the average. The small farmer, misled by false reports, and believing in a large supply of grain, used much corn as fodder tor cattle, and the only way to check this was by Government intervention. "It will surprise many to know, on the authority of an eminent economist, that, had the measures not been taken in time, only enough wheat remained in the country to satisfy the demand up to March 15. ' It must be remembered, however, that wheat bread is not the staple food of the i.'ountrv and that the supply of rye is more plentiful. Roumania is being coaxed to supplement the deficit, and, I 'am told, Russian merchants of German sympathies have managed to ship considerable quantities to Baltic ports. Bread Disappearing. " Bread is undoubtedly disappearing from the German table, and, what is perhaps mure interesting, is daily becoming more indigestible and inedible. As the Oberburgermeister of one of the chief industrial centres in Southern Germany told me : ' Wo want our bread to be nourishing, but it must no longer be a ' Lcckerbissen" (tit-bit) for the people.' And, with true German thoroughness, this particular Lore Mayor has succeeded, for in his city the bread is the worst in all Germany ! "Ever since the beginning of the present war the thinking people of Germany have been asking themselves : 'In case of a long-continued struggle, cut off. as we undoubtedly shall be from our customary imports, can we hold out?'' " For with the entrance of England into the conflict every German realised that it was a life and death struggle, and that the matter of an' adaequate food supply would be vital. Already, in September, the engliseher Aushungcrungsplan, perhaps best translated, according to the German mind, by ' The English endeavour to starve Germany, man, woman, and child, to death,' became the object of academic solicitude. Investigation was made, and it was determined eiactly how many calories (88,649 thousand millions) and how many tons Eiweiss (proteid, 2,261,900 tons)", were required to keep the population alive for ono year. And it was ascertained that, under normal conditions, 20 per cent, of the calories and 28 per 'cent, of the proteid had to be supplied from abroad. To devise a plan for making up the deficit and to make the country self-sup-porting has been the chief endeavour of many of Germany's leading economists. The problem is ono to delight the German mind. "In the early months of the war ' starvation' was only discussed by theorists; but, with the beginning of the fifth month the stern reality of tho actual possibility of a deficiency of food was impressed oil the people by a series of official proclamations.

"By tlio cutting off of supplies from abroad the Germans Lave been thrown back on themselves. They realise that they must now rely on themselves alone, and yet I found no weakening of spirit anywhere, but rather a grim determination to fight to the bitter end."