The Maupin times. (Maupin, Or.) 1914-1930, January 18, 1918, Image 2

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    EUROPE FAGES DIRE
FOOD AND FUEL SHORTAGE
in-
Inadequate Supply of Heat Ex
pected to Cause Much
Suffering.
HOW THE ENEMY STANDS
People Have Lew to Eat Thli Winter
Than Latt, la Belief Two Fodder
Discoveries Disaffection
In Austria.
. London. Europe is going to lead
the simple life this winter and for a
long time thereafter. There Is not a
country that does not now realize the
real (lunger of extreme food shortage.
But food shortage Is not the only or
In most cases the worst of the men
aces. Tho nations face and realize as
never before the exhaustion of all nec
essary supplies. Although food will be
scarce In all countries, whether bellig
erent or neutral, It Is doubtful whether
that will Impose as much hardship on
people ns the shortage of fuel, writes
Jiidson C. Wllllver in tho New York
Sun.
In Europe's climate food Is fuel to
the body quite as much us It Is nour
ishment. Sharply restricted supplies
of food, and that of u doubtful qual
ity and poor variety, might be endured
If there were plenty of fuel. It is
when tho supply of fuel, both outside
and inside, fulls below tho necessities
of physical effort that people begin
to suffer.
Europe bus neither carbon for its
food nor carbon for Its fireplaces, and
In some respects the northern neutrals
are even worse off than the belliger
ents. Rations of Important food nec
essurlcs have been reduced by some of
them even below the amounts allowed
in Germany. .,. England Is by far the
best LppHd country In tho matter of
food, affd the authorities ure making
desperate efforts to make the popula
tion, realize that rationing will soon
be compulsory unless food consump
tion Is considerably reduced. The food
authorities have announced a policy
of accumulating sufficient reserve to
feed the country for three months,
even if no Imports shall be received
during this time.
Question of Shipping.
In the case of England it Is entirely
a question of shipping. Rig stocks of
food have been gathered In Australia,
Now Zealand, Canada and elsewhere,
but there are no ships to bring them
here. England Is probably better situ
ated in the matter of coal supplies
than any other country, but must di
vide with Its allies, France and Italy,
and so far as possible some of the neu
trals hope to be taken care of from the
English mines.
The German food situation Is puz
zling. Apparently the authorities are
not nearly so conlhleut about it us they
would like the public to believe. Thu
year's harvest turned out more sat
isfactory than seemed probable dur
ing the period of droughts nnd hail
storms In midsummer, but on the oth
er hand reserves were heavily drawn
upon before tho harvest of 1017 was
gathered. Reserves, Indeed, may fair
ly be said to have disappeared.
The carefully cultivated olllehil un
derstanding In Germany Is that there
will lie a better food supply this win
ter than last. Tho Mpeelllo statements
justifying tlds expectation are highly
.unsatisfactory. The Munich Medical
union has declared that there will bo
css food, except potatoes, this win
ter than last. Throughout Germany
Hiere Is apparently a pretty general
belief that, this Is true, and wide
spread demand Is voiced for an In
crease In the allowance of potatoes,
In Germany, as In England, the Im
mediate result of the harvest was a
great Increase In the marketing of po
tatoes with the consequence that In
many places there were not storage
facilities to take care of them. The
fear Is expressed that a not Inconsider
able portion of the potato yield will be
wasted, partly because of overconsump
t it'll In the agricultural areas nnd part
ly fi i Inadequacy of storage facili
ties. So from many German authori
ties comes the warning that despite a
big yield of tubers the coming winter
Is likely to see conditions quite as bud
regarding them, and worse as to many
other things than last winter.
Ominous Suggestion,
The ominous suggestion Is made by
some .of the German food authorities
that It will not do to be too free with
potntoes, because later It will be neces
sary to mix more potato Hour with ce
nvul Hour to stretch the supply. Also
as there was a short crop of fodder
throughout the country potatoes are
likely to be required to feed domestic
animals.
The fear of such nn event has caused
widespread demand that more hogs be
slaughtered that they may not require
to be fed with potntoes that the peo
ple will need. The number of hogs
In the country has been Increasing this
year, and tho fact gives concern be
cause the pig ts an active competitor
of a munition worker or anybody else
In the mutter of food requirements.
German authorities have determined
that beyond providing a moderate meat
ration the transmutation of vegetable
Into animal food ts a dangerously
wasteful process. So there Is an effort
to Induce farmers and village dwell
jera to restrict the number of hogs
and cattle to the point where It will
be Just possible to raise the absolutely
necessary meat ration.
The relation of the general economic
breakdown to agriculture Is lndlcuted
In both Englund and Germany by mat
ters affecting the supply of agricultural
machinery. In Germany there Is a
most serious shortage of all kinds of
agricultural tools and machines, be
cause the old ones have worn out and
there Is neither metal nor manufactur
ing capacity to provide new ones.
In England the complaint particular
ly concerns the supply of motor plows.
The government long ago promised
that thousands of these would be fur
nished In time to put a greatly In
creased ttcreage In cereals under culti
vation in 1018. Now when the fall
plowing season Is on It develops thut
want of shipping or other reasons have
prevented the delivery of anything like
an adequate number of these ma
chines. A Dresden physician who Is quoted
as an authority, has recently dis
cussed the German food situation ns
regards the requirements nnd supplies
of various classes of consumers. He
finds that children up to eight
years of age are receiving a reason
ably satisfactory ration, but the
amount ullowed to those from eight to
eighteen is utterly Insufficient and that
the shortage seriously threatens the
physical vitality of the next genera
tion. Some of the German jurisdictions
have recently announced that newly
married couples will be granted n
PRINCESS JEANNE
Little Princess Jeanne, youngest
member of the Italian royal family,
photographed while on a visit to
wounded soldiers recently, returned
from the Italian battlefront. The
princess is one of the most popular
members of (he king's family, espe
cially with the Italian public. She Is
Idolized by tho soldiery.
double food allowance for the first six
weeks of their married life! Else
where provision has been made to
double the food allowances of nursing
and expectant mothers.
The effort to find fodder for animals
has started the professors on many
Investigations nnd Inquiries. Doctor
Degen, director of the seed testing sta
tion In Budapest, claims to have dis
covered two valuable articles of fod
der. He writes:
"The searush (Bolbosehaenus marl
tlmus) was known, as regards tho part
above ground, ns a fodder equal In
value to straw. Recent experiments
have, however, shown that the tubers
growing on the roots underground nre
far more valuable. They come very
near to the horse chestnut In the
amount of raw protein, raw fat and
starch contents, w ithout the bitterness.
If they nre used for the manufacture
of spirits the wash, either wet or
dried, can also be used for fodder,
."The pond bullrush (Schaenoplec
tus lacnstrls) also contains n valu
able underground organ. The horizon
tal roots, containing a great quantity
of starch, form ft good concentrated
fodder. If used In distilleries the
wash Is not so valuable as that from
the searush. But In a time of need
It Is a raw material that can be used
for various purposes."
Milk famine confronts all Europe.
The situation has long been bad, and
grows steadily worse everywhere.
There Is constant and Increasing con
flict between the various state and mu
nicipal authorities dealing with the
i food question throughout Germany. In
this regard the German situation Is
much more complicated and difficult
to handle than the English.
The state and municipal govern
ments In Germany nre very jenlous of
their authority In ihelr respective ju
risdictions, and the federal authorities
A.
4Tf V-i
dare not or cannot Impose universal
regulations upon them. In Saxony ar
rangements have been made to reim
burse farmers who would Import from
other states cows and heifers In calf.
Farmers making such purchases will
receive a premium of 20 per cent of
thi price paid, not to exceed 300
marks. This arrangement has caused
violent compluint because the prices
of butter and milk nre olready fear
fully high and the consumers complain
that the farmers are muklng Immense
profits from producing them.
. From Frankfurt comes the report
that at present milk deliveries In that
city amount to about one-sixth those
of peace times. Receipts scarcely suf
fice to take care of tho privileged cus
tomers, Invalids, nursing and expect
ant mothers, and so forth. A large
share of what is actually obtained Is
produced by the inunlclpul authorities
from their municipal dairies and
farms. It has been a very expensive
method, yet the situation Is so bad
that the town has decided to extend
It still further.
German speaking Austria has long
been jeulous of the comparatively fa
vorable food situation In Hungary, and
recently the disaffection has become
acute. It is charged that Hungary Is
feeding herself bountifully and leaving
the rest of the empire to shift as It
can. For whatever Hungary Is will
ing to send Into the German speaking
regions outrageous prices ore charged,
and the subject hns been discussed
with painful frankness In the legisla
tive bodies of both stntes.
It was said that recently lard from
Hungury had been sold In Austria at
nearly eight times the price It would
have cost In Hungary. The same gen
eral sltuutlon prevails ns to many oth
er Hungarian food supplies.
The Hungarians complain with equal
rancor that they are charged excessive
prices for all manufactured articles
produced in Austria. The two gov
ernments have been trying to agree
upon a general policy of leveling down
tho prices of both. But at this point
they are confronted by the same diffi
culty which has been so many times
experienced in Germany ; no system of
price control will stretch Inadequate
supplies to the point of adequacy.
In Holland the state's control Is be
ing extended to almost all food sup
plies. There are Indications that the
rationing system Is going to be estab
lished before winter shall have far ad
vanced. The use of fat and margarine
by bakers and confectioners and by
hotels, restaurants and clubs In pre
paring food has been prohibited. The
government has guaranteed prices for
wheat, rye, oats, barley, etc.
As to crops not avallnble for food
the areas that may be planted have
been strictly limited; In some cases
to not more than 40 or B0 per cent of
the plantings of normal years. A pre
mium has been offered for Increased
areas of land under the plow. The
government Is going to requisition the
entire crop of sugar beets, the factories
will convert them Into sugar, and this
will be turned over to the government
at n fixed price for distribution. The
price demanded of the public will not
be Increased.
Although Denmark Is, In proportion
to area and population, one of the
greatest agricultural producing nnd
exporting countries In the world, It Is
now confronted with shortage of al
most everything. The country's but
ter production has decreased alarming
ly, and there Is a demand for ration
ing. The government Is undertaking
to subsidize the production of butter
so ns to reduce prices ; that Is, to ap
ply to butler practically the same rule
that was applied to bread In England.
The English government Is subsidizing
bread to the extent of about $40,000,
000 n year, thus making It possible to
sell the English loaf of war bread for
four and one-half cents.
In Norway the government and the
local food authorities are working to
perfect a rationing system In time to
save the country from disaster this
winter. At Chrlstlnnla a big scheme
for storing reserves of food has been
worked out and some 25 warehouses In
various parts of the city ore being
stocked. Under a law passed last May
the government has establshed a mo
nopoly of the Import of wheat, barley,
oats, rye, beans, pens and lentils and
other grains nnd meal used for human
food except rice and potatoes.
Chance to Marry Free. 'V
Lorain, O Mayor L. M. Moore of
Lorain has been niayorlng two years,
and has not yet performed a marriage
ceremony. Now he wants to marry
some couple before he becomes nn
"ex" and before his powers as a matri
monial splicer expire.
"I have rend up on the require
ments nnd believe I can do a good
job," said the ninyor.
"All that I need Is a couple. To the
first Applying I will marry them free,
and give the bride a present."
JAPANESE BUILD
250 SHIPS A Y:
AR
Toklo. Japan Is able to build
250 ships a year, their tonnage
totaling 1,000,000, according to
n government stntement. The
shipbuilding business of Japan
has had an unprecedented
growth since the beginning of
the war, and on September 1
there were 118 shipbuilding
slips owned by 42 firms, besides
24 slips which are building and
will be ready before the end of
the year. These facilities are
more than three times ns great
as at the beginning of the war.
Each slip Is capable of turning
out a ship of more than 1,000
tonnage in less than n year.
WORLD HAPPENINGS
CURRENT
WEEK
Brief Resume Most Important
Daily News Items.
COMPILED FOR YOU
Brents ofCNotedJlPeopIe, Governments
and Pacific Northwest and Other
Things Worth Knowing.
A successful daylight air raid has
been made on Karlsruhe, according to
a British official communication issued
Monday night.
Austria-Hnugary has officially recog
nized the independence of Finland, ac
cording to a dispatch received in Am
sterdam from Vienna.
The British food ministry announces
that it intends to make compulsory the
employment of a certain percentage of
potatoes in breadmaking. This is for
the purpose of saving cereal foods.
Major Augustus P. Gardner, of
Hamilton, Mass., died late Monday at
the Camp Wheeler base hospital at
Macon, Ga., after a short illness trom
pneumonia. He was the first congress
man to join the army after war was
declared.
President Wilson's address defining
war aims of the United States has
been published in full by the Berlin
newspapers and by papers in other
northern cities of Germany, according
to reports made to the State depart
ment from Copenhagen.
Frederick L. Small, a former Boston
broker, was hanged at the state prison
at 12:18 o'clock Tuesday morning for
the murder of his wife, Florence Ar
leen Small, at their home in Ossipee,
in September, 1916. The governor's
council refuseda reprieve for Small.
Formation of an athletic class com
posed exclusively of mothers, sisters
and sweethearts of men in the military
service of the United States is an
nounced by Stanley Dougan, athletic
instructor at the Eureka, Cal., high
school. This is said to be the first
class of its kind in the United States.
Ten army officers, including General
Leocadio Parra, out of 45 arrested in
connection with a plot to kill General
Alfredo Novo, commander of the mili
tary district in the state of Mexico,
and Augustin Millan, governor of that
state, were executed Monday at Tolu
ca, the state capital, about 40 miles
from Mexico City.
Agents of the American steamship
Texan, a vessel of 14,000 tons, re
ceived advices Monday from naval au
thorities that she was sinking at sea.
The location of the ship was not given.
The naval authorities did not state the
cause of the Texan's distress, but re
ports from other sources were that the
vessel had been rammed amidships in
collision with another ship.
The dreadnaught Texas established
the highest record for gunnery prac
tice last year, the Navy department
announces, and will receive the Knox
trophy, awarded annually to battle
ships scoring the highest nnmber of
Doints. Cantain Victor Blue, who
commanded the Texas, has been or
dered to Boston to receive the trophy
from the Sons of the American Revo
lution. Warning of the possibility of a final
breach in the Russo-German negotia
tions is the outstanding feature of , the
current news from Petrograd Monday.
In the meantime according to the cor
respondent of the London Daily Mail
in the Russian capital, the armistice
has been extended until February 18.
The Russian delegation returned to
Petrograd, but the peace negotiations
will be resumed after an interval at
Warsaw.
Ratification of the Federal prohibi
tion amendment was recommended to
the Virginia legislature Friday by
Governor Stuart in his message deliv
ered at the biennial session.
The British admiralty reports the
sinking in the past week of 18 mer
chantmen of 1600 tons or over by mine
or submarine, as well as three mer
chantmen under that tonnage.
A record-breaking drouth for Tucson
and Southern Ariz., was broken Thurs
day when rain began falling. This is
the first rainfall since September 10
and cattle ranges have been badly
burned.
Lignite mines in the northwestern
section of North Dakota were offered
to the govenrment during the period of
the war at a meeting of operators rep
resenting mines having a total output
of 5000 tons per day.
Government supervision of prices of
wool and cotton was sanctioned by the
National Retail Clothiers' association
at a conference with representatives
of the efficiency committee of the Na
tional Council of Defense in Chicago.
Western railroads have issued orders
for a general resumption of solicita
tion of passenger and freight business.
Executives of the road are now in a
position to handle more business, that
there is no pooling and, therefore, no
reason why each road Bhould not ge
aneaa ana ootain as much business as
TEUTON SPY CAUGHT
Accomplice of Bcrnstorff and Boy-ed
Taken at Aviation Camp-Docu-mcntary
Evidence Secured.
Norfolk. Va. Naval intelligence
officers left here Monday night for
Baltimore with Walter Spoerman, sus
pected of being an active figure in
plots launched by Captain Boy-ed, the
former German miiuary muwuc, '
believed to have been a captain in me
German army.
According to the story unomciauy
the man was arrested Satur
day while in the act of attempting to
blow up a magazine in tne unnnisneu
armv aviation field under construction
near Newport News.
The prisoner will be turnea over w
officers of the department of Justice at
Baltimore for a hearing. So far the
only charge formally lodged against
him is understood to be that he is a
dangerous enemy alien.
Documents found in his possession,
however, are declared to reveal his
connection with Boy-ed ana lormer
German Ambassador BernstorfF, and to
incriminate in a spy plot persons in
Washintgon, Baltimore and other
cities. Details of the contents of the
documents are withheld, but it is un
derstood that they will lead to a num
ber of arrests within a few days.
Spoermann's activities are said to
have attracted the attention of naval
intelligence officers many weeks ago,
but hiB arrest was deferred until addi
tional evidence could be gatherecf.
Officers followed him night and day,
however, the quest leading through
several cities, and even toat least two
army camps.
Frequently, according to the story,
the prisoner posed as an officer of the
United States army.
Finally he visited the great army
and navy base on Hampton Roads.
Before that a young naval agent, pos-tno-
ns n fripnH nf Germanv. had made
himself acquainted with Spoermann.
The officer followed his man closely
in Newport News and finally to the
aviation field, four miles north of this
city, where the arrest was made.
ENGLAND NEEDS MORE MEN
Sir Auckland Geddes Asks for 420,000
Britons to Carry On War.
London Nearly half a million men
from Great Britain alone are to be re
cruited into the British army at the
earliest date possible, and it is prob
able that many more will be added to
that number in the coming month.
These will comprise the younger
men, who up to the present have been
exempt because of their employment
in industries essential to the war
services.
This announcement was made in the
house of commons Monday by Sir
Auckland Geddes, minister of national
service, whose statement of the gov
ernment's man-power proposals are re
plete with interesting details of Great
Britain's strength in the struggle, into
which she means to throw her full re
sources. The minister set forth the status and
needs of the British fighting and mu
nitioning forces and measures the gov
ernment is taking after agreement
with most of the labor leaders for re
cruiting from the classes of skilled
workers, who were promised exemp
tion when conscription was adopted.
The empire has enrolled 7,500,000
fighting and labor battalion forces dur
ing the war, according to the state
ment of the minister, and now has
more than 4,000,000 enrolled, but
needs more men to hold its own againBt
the enemy until the American strength
is available.
He praised the spirit in which the
labor leaders have met the govern
ment, but regretted that the Amal
gamated Society of Engineers had re
mained outside the conference, adding,
however, that the institution was still
open to the members of this societv.
He paid warm tribute to the work of
the women and declared that some of
the young men among the million ex
empted workers apparently considered
themselves a privileged class and
threatened to hold up by strikes the
building of airplanes and ships.
Prison for Emma Goldman.
Washington, D. C Conviction of
Emma Goldman and Alexander Berk
man on charges of conspiring to pre
vent operation of the selective service
act bv ureine men of draft tn
register, was Tuesday sustained by the
supreme court. Conviction of Louis
Kramer and Morris Becker on charges
of conspiring to prevent persons of
draft age from registering, were also
affirmed. Kramer was sentenced to
two years' imprisonment and a $10,000
fine and Becker, to 20 months' im
prisonment. Fewer Deaths Reported.
Tacoma, Wash. Health conditions
at Camp Lewis improved considerably
in the last week, according to the re
port issued by Lieutenant-Colonel P.
C. Field, division surgeon. There
were five deaths, including one from
scarlet fever, one from pneumonia and
one from meningitis.
The cases of communicable diseases
total 146 among 31,800 men. Ger
man measles and scarlet fever showed
a marked decrease.
British Losses 24,979.
London British casualties reported
during the week ending Monday to
taled 24,979 officers and men, divided
as follows :
Killed or died of wounds Officers
117; men, 5149.
Wounded or missing-Officers, 304:
men, 19,409.
WASTE
OF FOOD 10
BE TOPPED
New Laws to Enforce Meatless
and Wheatless Days.
CAFES WILL BE HIT
Rich and Poor to Be Treated Alike-Price-Fixing;
to Have No Place
in Proposed Regulations.
Washington, D. C Bills to amend
the food law so as to empower the
food administration to compel observ
ance of wheatless and meatless days,
or any other measures it prescribes,
were introduced Wednesday by Repre
sentative Lever and Senator Pomerene,
acting for the administration. Mr.
Lever - explained the bills in the fol
lowing statement:
"The food situation the world over
is acute and demands upon us are
growing each day. With a disrupted
labor situation, production approach
ing its maximum, the vital question,
therefore, is one of conservation of
foodstuffs.
"We must strike at the waste evil.
The administration has undertaken to '
do this through voluntary agreements
and has succeeded wonderfully well,
but there is a percentage of recalci
trants we have not been able to reach
by appeals to their patriotism.
We purpose to reach theBe under
the bill which Senator Tomerene and I
are introducing.
"The bill is especially aimed at ho
tels, restaurants, dining cars and pub
lic eating places.
"In such establishments, I Bhould
think, probably 50 per cent of the food
of the country is consumed, and it is in
such places that we find the greatest
waste. There should be power in the
hands of the food administration to fix
the portions of vital necessities that
may be served to any one individual.
"We hope also in this bill to see to
it that all classes of people, rich and
poor, are treated alike. It is not fair
to the man on the street who cannot
afford a steak at 60 cents, for the gor
mandizing rich to waste enough on one
meal to feed a whole family of poor.
"This bill provides that the Presi
dent is authorized to issue rules and
regulations modifying, limiting or pro
hibiting the sale, use, manufacture or
distribution by any person conducting
a public eating place or by any manu
facturer, producer, carrier, distributor
or other person of any foodstuff, feed
or material necessary for the produc
tion, manufacture or preservation of
foodstuffs or feeds.
"This bill is confined to foodstuffs,
feeds and materials necessary for their
production, manufacture and preserva
tion. There is no idea of price fixing
in it."
DRAFT WILL CLAIM ALL AT 21
Registration to Follow Closely in Wake
of Youth Reaching Jyiajority.
Washington, D. C. The government
has decided on draft registration of all
young men as fast as they become 21
years old as the means of keeping
filled the ranks of the war army. It
has decided against raising the draft
age limit above 31 years.
An administration bill was intro
duced Tuesday at the request of the
War department, by Chairman Cham
berlain, of the senate military commit
tee, to register for draft all men who
have reached 21 since June 5, 1917,
when the draft law became effective.
The administration's support seems
to assure its prompt passage. The bill
agrees with the recommendations of
Provost Marshal-General Crowder.
Other administration bills introduced
by Chairman Chamberlain, at the re
quest of the War department, will
supplant the draft law to make it
workable under conditions that have
developed.
One would permit furloughing of
National army units for harvest work
or other civilian duty.
Another would eliminate enemy
alien population from basis of calcula
tions for draft quotas, by making the
basis for each Btate, the number of
men available in class one.
War Foreseen by Navy.
Washington, D. C Further testi
mony about how the Navy prepared
for war in advance of its declaration
was given the house investigation com
mittee Tuesday by Rear-Admiral Tay
lor, chief of the Bureau of Construc
tion and Repair, and Rear-Admiral
Griffin, chief of the Bureau of Steam
Engineering. They said they began
contracting for adequate supplies a
month before congress adopted the
war resolution and that there is now
on hand all material that may be need
ed in repairing warships.
Texan's Fate is Mystery.
New York The fate of the American-Hawaiian
steamship Texas, report
ed in a wireless message Monday as
sinking somewhere off the coast, re
mained a sea mystery Wednesday.
Officials of the company have received
no further information about the ves
sel, which is presumed to have been
the victim of a collision. They were
confident, however, the crew of 43
had been rescued by other vessels,
which had proceeded on their voyage.