GERMAN SOLDIERS GRUMBLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14235, 1 March 1917, Page 5

GERMAN SOLDIERS GRUMBLE.

PEOPLE SICK IOF WAR, DOWNHILL « PACE. D'F. PRUSSIAN) EMPIRE. ■..;■ LONDOX, January i9. L The Times prints- a {des^»jp k tion of conditions from "the neutral; w hose ob- . •^va.fcjsqe.,, proved, « so, v a£ctij«?|# . m , ; the , past." The limes claiiris this is one"- of the first direct uncensdrad communications that has reached the outer world for some months: '-, TW{i neutralyc who dates his despatch Cologne, January 12, says: x ■ ■'••• ■ ' , •'Since the period of . a former investigation of the economic' situation m; Germany, matters have been> getting steadily worse; It » would 1 be my exaggeration to say that one can . nqfvr. .see treshudeteridiratk>n every week* ' and* the;>. i^pace r fdo^hill/;is^^ttiiHg^£a«l4ftr. y^d#jfc4>tse '^ ; Qei?m^n:V^«^l^.akds i 'th:6 ■'' Gerifn^n on >the ; f poniihay^ .invthe^Jlaist jfewy months *r6Kp*ri'e;hoed-4vei'y^' cqn&ider- . <2hange3,^qr. the^srarse.~v '.I hja-tye^al-ways^, as .^yoiil kivoWy^ warned; -the/ .Allies Vegal'dirig^vei-bptJmisßii; iiil the -e^ojloihic situation m Germany, "but. thfcre, r really dbe.a >not- seem; .io" j3e,^mucit--i*tsed-.J ■'.-..0f- , ,wariling now.. •■;■. ■ ■.. .•'••:. v.; 1 ; :- : ,->£ ; "It is /not Npnly ihy j j l djpg|»rfession, 4>ttt Jhat:of my German 'frienasVho are m. a "ppsdtiott tp;^S^w^the^actsr,-*6^ft6v^t^ <_ &,' ; ;facfcjpfcy tjie prospect /of .^bßuig, din^ble: t&spm\ ffiie struggle; u^e^ :^ ! is|^ I «ha;<;reaHx ''^laiasf 1 ! i>entt»rk .>«^^Ho|lohd, oKil^h, fSv tci&At, .^tlep afed> oili^f^ '•'pwkmff. i^y>firslf;f^ia^th^ugtxojit..my tour.>sMh^\re. "hotVi-hfeard'-f^l vany^iactiial .^^^^oiiU/^yery.^a'by > ' at ; any irate, - Jo^der.ti^b!";^'eais : -'oJ?'.JQtgey gatfe. OTffiyiSlit isffflky ieat^p^^jii; ! ili^fpttftjcipfel? • '^ea; iiwheße^'^4 i^u«^•o I f>€tte,s :^»^^^^<Jnl the surrounding districts, ia converted irito glycerine. - Invalids 'are sufFerrrig, ' biit those "wJk> have m^ney can, ..'.-, on medical certificates, • ohtain permission to go to Switzerland, Hpllaad,.. and, Denj mark for fixed periods! The rich do not., really suffer at all,' but the position iof the general 'population, especia-lly^ v jn I the towns, large; antt 'femaJl^ is j{deplSrabla v There is a great • deaf" of Noomplaiiiing, and of late,' disputes between the various authorities^ and between the authorities of th© vdriofus" 'StatesV lia* f e increased^ if\ iifi^ftisity. ■<-*?> V> , i- 5i : "Jt is not i^^a^^ted^)y;-the Eiigr lfch and EVencH newspapers, .whicn are sold* here as' freely as heietofbre, that the diet of the. armies •remains as it was. There are brtter grnmblings fix)m . th soldiers back from' the' "Eaateni front, and the soldiers returning rfrom th» Somnre and Verdun coh^plain of the mcreasing diminuti6nn - m. the mixture of " . : butter and margarine 'served out to .them. • '>V - • • • -.. ■.'.'.' 9 :"Military "b^ndi '• are ;' everywhere, . as ■iisual, but thijre is no military, spirit, left ' many of thecitiesl yisited. ITie German people generally ' "are' sick of the war. .Their .only comfort is their.belief that food prices aii'd .the scarcity- )in Russia, England arid France are worse than m Germany." v "' r . Premier dam-Martinfcrof Austria arid General Hofer, head of the Austrian War Feeding Department, have had conference on the* food probleiais;^with Chancellor von Be;th)nann - HoUweg, . : . . Foreign Secretary Zimmerman, and Adolf Batocki, Gerniiili Fpo'd- .CatrpCrer^' .^according to a Hague • despatch to the Exchange Telegraph jCompariy. The conference was mainly concerned with economic questions;} including . the.i.distribu 5 tion of the food captnted 'm Rujnania. ROME.', January 19. .According". to> r t* v 'advifaes which have, reached the Vatican from Germany and Austria, . economic conditions m the : Central Empires have beooihe'so seriousf'.that'it is feared that famine before the close 6f winter can not be averted. ''.".' The' scarcity of food is severely felt every^yll^re to such'iart: '^xtWt "that m »pite of evsry effort fof\ an equal distribution among th© population of all the 'fodostuffs which, are. available, a large proportion of fRe residents m some • cities afe r ifrom denutritiqn. ' _ Since, the possibiJity- of , peace is now excluded, the Pope is deeply concerned about^ the danger of Germany's policy of frightfulnes?; said/ to.. have been resorted to in' sheer desperation after ,aJI hope •of peace was lost; X All his efforts are now being directed to averting safch .disaeftra, as" reprisals ; )pt^6JKwfe of ;, Jwar, depoi;tatiohs.: Iroin- -invaded; vtferritory, ahd destruction of property on a large scale. - .■•■• A^TERp^I; January;. 19.' The Berlin, Vortvaerts isays that four miners' f ederatiojis, have telegraphed iho War_ FetedihgH- ■ jDepartment;. protesting against .the;; reduction jof- weeldyj potato rations from five to three pounds. ;Tho telegrams say that turnips are not. a substitute for potatoes, and, "ask the authorities to re-establish tlife former