ON SHORT RATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16265, 26 June 1916, Page 6

ON SHORT RATIONS.

GERMAN SOLDIERS' PLIGHT,

PLENTY OF AMMUNITION.

The frontier journal Ribs Stiftstidende havJf 8 ' eCe i i. connections with-Germany mo^h'°. ten been ?- ed ' has made a month . searching inquiries into the present conditions in Germany. The allowing is .an extract from its "report i- . , ln s P !t of German organising genius with regard to supplies, it is now fS ally believed & be impossible to keep things going till the end of the year its^fcoKi^day/ 6 War cannot survive its second birthday. " Six weeks ago the soldiers' rations began to he cut down. Meat is becoming i Qg V r^ G commodity among the *°° ' only small pieces heing doled out i?Jn«s ° + a l ai "' Bread rations are also insufficient being only three-quarters of a pound daily, while the former privilege of fe mg i?r v % weekly has recently been abolished. Hot meals now consist mainly of boiled horse beans, rice soup and vermicelli soup, with an occasional bit of salt fish in the soup. Another privilege, parcels of food from home, has lately been prohibited, apparently to prevent civilians from suffering. Soldiers on leave invariably have the appearance of being physically weakened by having had insufficient food. "In contrast with the shortage of food it is almost incredible what an abundance of ammunition, arms, etc.,- is everywhere evident. The .troops are being supplied with brand new rifles and weapons at short intervals. The German artillery is badly short of horses, and lately it has been necessary to reduce teams to four horses per gun and two for ■ ammunition waggons.