Newspapers / The Smithfield herald. / Jan. 8, 1918, edition 1 / Page 6
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EUROPE FACES DIRE FOOD AND FUEL SHORTAGE Inadequate Supply of Heat Ex pected to Cause Much Suffering. HOW THE ENEMY STANDS People Have Less to Eat This Winter Than Last, Is Belief ? Two Fodder Discoveries ? Disaffection in Austria. London. ? Europe is going to lead the simple life this wiuter and for a long time thereafter. There is not a country that does not now realize the real danger of extreme food shortage. But food shortage is not the only or in most eases the worst of the men aces. The 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 as the shortage of fuel, writes Judson C. VVilliver in Uie New York Sun. In Europe's climate food is fuel to the body quite as much as It is nour ishment. Sharply restricted supplies of food, and that of a doubtful qual ity and poor variety, might be endured if there were plenty of fuel. It Is when the supply of fuel, both outside and inside, falls below the necessities of physical effort that people begin to suffer. Europe has 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 lms>ortant food nec essaries have been reduced by some of them even below the amounts allowed In Germauy. England Is by far the best supplied country in the matter of food, and the authorities are 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. Big stocks of food have been gathered in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and elsewhere, but there are no sjiips to bring them here. England is probably better situ ated in the matt<T 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 confident about It as they would like the public to believe. The year's harvest turned out more sat isfactory than seemed probable dur ing the period of droughts and hail storms in midsummer, but on the oth er hand reserves were heavily drawn upon before the harvest of 1917 was gathered. Reserves, indeed, may fair ly be said to have disappeared. The carefully cultivated official un it - 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 hattlefront. The princess lr. one of the most popular membtra of the king's family, espe cially vi;h the Italian public. She ia Idolized by the soldiery. derstandlng In Germany in that there will be a better food supply this win ter than last. The specific statements justifying this expectation are highly unsatisfactory. The Munich Medical union has declared that there will be less food, except potatoes, this win ter than last. Throughout Germany there 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 tlon In the agricultural areas and part ly from 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 bad 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 potatoes, because later It will be neces sary to mix more potato flour with ce real flour 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 unlmals. The fear of such an event has caused widespread demand that more hogs be slaughtered that they may not require to be fed with potatoes that the peo ple will need. The number of hogs in the country has been Increasing this year, and the fact gives concern be cause the pig is an active competitor of a munition worker or anybody else in the matter of food requirements. German authorities have determined that beyond providing a moderate meat ration the transmutation of vegetable into animal food Is a dangerously wasteful process. So there Is an effort to Induce farmers and village dwell ers 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 Indicated in both England 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 acreage In cereals under culti vation In 1918. Now when the fall plowing season is on it develops that 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 as regards the requirements and 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 allowed 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 a 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 und expectant mothers. Two Fodder Discoveries. The effort to find fodder for animals has started the professors on many investigations and 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 (Bolboschaenus marl timus) was known, as regards the part above ground, as a fodder equal in value to straw. Recent experiments have, however, shown that the tubers growing on the roots underground are far more valuable. They come very near to the horse chestnut in the amount of raw protein, raw fat and starch contents, without the bitterness. If they are used for the manufacture of spirits the wash, either wet or dried, can also be used for fodder. "The pond bullrush (Schaenoplee tus lacustris) also contains a valu able underground organ. The horizon tal roots, containing a great quantity of starch, form a 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 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 are very jealous of their authority in their respective ju risdictions, and the federal authorities dare not or cannot impose universal regulations upon them. In Saxony ar rangements have been made to reim- | burse farmers who would import froiu other r^ates cows and heifers in calf. Farmers making such purchases will receive a premium of L.'0 per cent of JAPANESE BUILD 250 SHIPS A YEAR Toklo. ? Jupan Is able to build 2S0 ships a year, their tonnage totaling 1,000,000, according to a government Ktatei^ent. The shipbuilding business of Japan has had an unprecedented growth since the beginning of the war, and on September 1 there were 113 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 as great us at the beginning of the war. Each slip is capable of turning out a ship of more than 1,000 tonnage in less than a year. the price paid, not to exceed 300 marks. This arrangement has caused violent complaint because the prices of butter and milk ure already fear fully high and the consumers complain that the farmers are making 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 the privileged cus tomers, Invalids, nursing and expect ant mothers, and so forth. A large share of what Is actually obtained Is produced by the municipal 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. Dissatisfaction in Austria. German speaking Austria has long been jealous 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 are charged, and the subject has been discussed with painful frankness In the legisla tive bodies of both states. It was said that recently lard from Hungary had been sold In Austria at nearly eight times the price It would have cost In Hungary. The same gen eral situation prevails as 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 the 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 lnsr 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 vanceu. i ne list1 01 mi tuiu luurgnnue by bakers and confectioners and by hotels, restaurants and clubs in pre paring food has been prohibited. The government lias guaranteed prices for wheat, rye. oats, barley, etc. As to crops not available for food the areas that may be planted have been strictly limited; in some cases to not more than 40 or 50 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 supar, and this will be turned over to tbe government at a 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 and 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 as to reduce prices; that is, to ap ply to butter 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 a 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 Christiania a big scheme for storing reserves of food has been worked out and some 115 warehouses in various parts of the city are bring stocked. Under a law passed last May the government has establshed a mo nopoly of the import of wheat, barley, oats, rye, beans, peas and lentils and other grains and meal used for human food except rice and potatoes. Clawed by a Hawk. St. Marys, O. ? Clawed some time ngo in a fight with a chicken hawk, Ben H. Strasburg. forty years of age, married and residing In the Ferguson school district, is disabled with blood poisoning affecting one of his hands. The hawk was killed. It measured four feet between wing tips. Damages for Being Called Traitor. St. Louis. ? John II. Boyer has been awarded $1 actual and $200 punitive damages from fins V. II. Mechin. who tried to force Boyer to stand while "The S*T.r-Spangled Banner" was be ing played. Boyer testified that ho wus called a traitor and assaulted. MAKES WARSHIP LOOK LIKE TUB Painters Disguise Craft to De ceive Foe Lurking in Enemy Waters. CAMOUFLAGE IN THE NAVY Even Dreadnaught* Made to Appear as Something but the Monsters They Are ? Navy Men Like Gray the Best. By J. M. DAIGER, Correspondent Chicago News. Norfolk, Va. ? "And what is that old tub lying over there, captain?" "That happens to be a brsnd new torpedo boat destroyer that has just arrived to be manned and put Into im mediate service." The thing that made me call the new destroyer an <>hl tub Is the thing that makes the commander of a German U-boat look through his periscope and remark: "A fine morning, but not a ship in sight." If the next instant finds the submarine banked straight down into Davy Jones' locker, it is be cause the commander failed to launch a torpedo at the "fine morning" and because the "fine morning" got in its shot first. It is the naval camouflage ? the painting of ships to look at a short dis tance like what they are not and at a long distance like nothing at all. Even a Superdreadnaught. Impossible as it might seem to make superdreadnaughts appear anything but the monsters they are, there are nevertheless processes of camouflage for them. It Is obvious that details as to what designs are being used on various types of ships are not for pub lication, especially in view of the fact that experimental schemes for having ships sail in false colors ? not under them ? are constantly being tried out. I saw one of the largest of the naval colliers, which has several times crossed the Atlantic since America's entry into the war, that had a very simple scheme of camouflage in which only grays were used. Simple in con ception and execution, apparently, but it had an amazing effect on the ap pearance of the ship a short distance at sea, and from what happened at that short distance I have no doubt the ( collier was lost to the eye when it got ! much farther away. The older naval officers incline to the opinion that the regulation navy j gray by itself is better than any camou flage that the artists have Invented, and they are frankly skeptical about these riots of color and freak designs that the scientific application of one of the fine arts is smearing over their ships. The camouflage used by a great many merchantmen is familiar to ev eryone who has observed the shipping in the harbors along the Atlantic coast. These vessels close up look like scrambled rainbows or like the palette of an artist in his cups. The weather j has much to do with the power of these gay colors to create optical illu sions. It is almost impossible for people living comfortably in large cities to ! imagine the hardships wHich the men who watch our coasts are suffering at this time of year. Twenty degrees be low zero in the Rocky mountains is not so cold as the weather around the capes. The government has supplied the hundreds of men on the patrol boats, the submarine chasers and the mine sweepers with their allotment of winter clothing, but they need knitted articles. Sometimes Must Let It Sink. Should disaster overtake a ship the rules in the district office at Norfolk say the first consideration must be the war needs of the country. One vessel must not risk danger to save another. The conservation of ships and cf men, not the chivalry and the courage and the heroism of the sea, must guide the decision of those who would save a shipwrecked crew. If the number of lives involved is very great ? great enough to justify the risk of a smaller number of lives ? then the rescue may be attempted. But if there is doubt that a rescuing party will itself return from a perilous journey to save a small number of lives, then the war time rule is firm. Early every morning the sbips go , out in pairs, sister ships, with their | huge "broom" stretched across from one vessel to the other, to nii'.ke clear the path for the merchantmen and warships that must pass through the capes and out to sea and for those that come in during the day. Do they find any German mines? I dorft know. But if there are German mines to be found near our coasts, the work of the mine sweepers is a risky business indeed. Even if there are no German mines, I suppose it is quite possible for an American mine ? there are thou- , sands of them planted in the district ? to break loose from the great mine i field in Hampton Roads, or elsewhere, and drift in the way of unsuspecting ship. And there is always the possi- | bility of the enemy within doing what unceasing vigilance in the naval dis trict is trying to prevent him from doing. Golfers Buy Sheep to Mow Links. Arkansas City, Ark. ? Combining pa triotism :<nd economy, members of the Country club have purchased a flock of sheep to mow liieir lluka. SLAY 800,000 ARMENIANS 1,200,000 Men, Women and Children Starved, Robbed, Ens!jved or Deported by Turk*. The Hague. ? One-half, or 800,000, of the Armenian people who were un der Turkish rule at the beginning of the war have been slaughtered or starved to death by Turks, according to an Indictment issued here by sev eral influential Hollanders, among whom are A. F. de Savornln Lohinan, the Dutch minister of state, and Dr. Anton van Gyn, formerly Dutch minis ter of finance. In all, they assert, the Turks have deported 1,200,000 Armenian men, women and children, robbed them of all they possessed, massacred the men, carried off the women and girls to Tur kish harems and Kurdish villages, sold the children in the slave market and abandoned the remainder to slow death by starvation. "This remnant of the Armenian peo ple in Asia Minor," says the statement of these neutrals, "is a starving beg gar people, consisting in the main of old men and women and children. The number of children who, separated from their relatives, lie along the cara van routes or wander about the towns like dogs runs into tens of thousands. It is scarcely credible that in the twen tieth century the extermination of al most an entire people under such ter rible circumstances was possible. But entirely trustworthy evidence of neu tral consular officials, of German and Swedish missionaries and teachers is available and puts the matter beyond all doubt," DOES HER BIT AT 95 Jl Mrs. Thomas Edwards of Oberlin, O., at the age of ninety-five years has supplied her four sons and nuiner- ( ous grandchildren with enough fanned stuff from her own garden to supply them for the winter. She did ail her garden work except the plowing, and canned her products under the direc tion of manuals furnished by the na- ' tional emergency food garden commis sion. JANE ADDAMS S?ES VISION Says Sympathies of Women Will Be Developed by Demand of Human Needs. Washington. ? That the sympathies of women will be developed by the tre mendous demand of human needs is the opinion of Miss Jane Addams. "The response of women to an inter- , national situation which calls for daily, 1 uninteresting, boresome conserving, will re-orientate the notions of what human relations mean," she said in a talk before the national council of women in Washington recently. "Look beyond the petty details of food saving, and see a vision of the wonderful chance of responding to hu man needs, feel enlisted in the service of internationalism, while following the routine of conservation," is Miss Addams' message to American women. She is speaking twice a month, in dif ferent parts of the country, for the United States food commission. 'FAMILY HISTORY' LOSES SUIT New York Wife Charging Husband Flirted With Her Sister Is Denied Divorce. Cold Spring, N. Y. ? Justice J. A. Young of the supreme court, denied in Dutchess county an application made by Mrs. W. A. Deyo of Verplank, for a separation from her husband, whom her sister accused of flirting with her. > The justice refused a decree after i the plaintiff's sister. Lillian, admitted ! Mrs. Deyo was the fourth of their family to bring marital actions, two sisters having received divorces and j two having sued for separations. The plaintiff s sister declared that on two occasions when she called on j Mrs. Deyo. Mr. Deyo forced his atten- j tion on her ar.d made proposals to her. Mr. Deyo absolutely denied the accusntfr/os of the sister-in-law, who j was divorced some time ago from her hu#band, and he woa the action. SPECIAL NOTICE. State of North Carolina, Johnston County. Town of Smithfield, January 4, 1918. To the citizens of the town of Smithfield whose property is adjacent to the Asphalt pavement recently con structed in the town of Smithfield, and all persons by whose property the granolithic side walk gutter on gran ite curbing has been laid will take notice that the said work has been completed by the contractor and the assessment rolls showing the full amount of indebtednuss charged against tl e property of each of said individual on account of said improve ment which is herewith posted and the original of >frhich is filed with the Town Clerk at the Mayor's office, which is open for inspection of the public. All citizens of Smithfield who are interested in said assessment rolls and in the payment for the improvements so made t6 their respecitive property, will take notice that the Board of commissioners of the town of Smith field will meet in Special Session at the Office of the Mayor in Smith field, N. C., on Thursday night, Jan. 17, 1918, at 7:30 o'clock for the pur pose of hearing the allegations and objections of any citizen to such as sessment roll and proof relative to such allegations or objections for the purpose of correcting the assessment, if the same should in any way be in correct. All citizens in the town of Smith field aforesaid interested in said as sessment rolls will further take notice that if no objections are filed on or before the 17th day of Jan., 1918, that the assessment rolls as prepared by Mr. Gilbert C. White, the engineer for the city, and F. H. Brooks, at tory for the city, will be confirmed at the meeting of the Board of Com missioners on Thursday night, Jan. 17, 1918, and from the time of such con firmation, the assessments embraced in the assessment roll snail be a line on the real property against which the same are assessed, superior to all other liens and encumbrances. By order of the Board of Commis-? sioners of the town of Smithfield in Special Session on Friday night, Jan. 4, 1918. H. L. SKINNER, Mayor. Town of Smithfield. VALUABLE LAND FOR SALE. I have in hand for sale a tract of land of 27 acres about twenty of which are cleared, this land being one of the shares of the division of the T. D. Snead, Jr. land. It is suitable for cot ton, corn or tobacco. This land will be sold to the highest bidder on Saturday, January 19th at 12 o'clock. Terms of Sale Cash and the sale will be made on the piece of land. J. MARVIN SANDERS. Four Oaks, N. C., R. 1. NOTICE. The undersigned having qualified as Administratrix C. T. A. on the estate of Allen L. Wall, deceased, hereby notifies all persons having claims against said estate to present the same to me duly verified on or before the 8th day of January, 1919, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery; and all persons indebted to said estate will make immediate pay ment. This 4th day of January, 1918. DIANAII WALL, Adm'x C. T. A. A. M. NOBLE, Attorney. NOTICE OF SALE. North Carolina, Johnston County. Under ar.d by virtue of the authority contained in a mortgage, which mortg age is recorded in the Registry of Johnston County in book No. 24 at page 169, default having been made in the payment at provided in said mort gage, the undersigned will, on Satur day, January 26, 1918, at public auc tion for cash at the Court House door in the town of Smithfield at 12 o'clock M., sell the following des?ribed tract of land: Beginning at a stake and runs N. 88 West 62 poles to a pine stump; thence S. 23 1-2 W. 16 poles to a pine; thence N. 85 W. 23 poles to a poplar; thence with a line of marked trees, lane and a ditch to the Mulatto Branch; thence down said Branch to Little River; thence down said River to a stake; thence N. 2 E. 292 poles to the beginning, containing ninety-six (96) acres, more or less. The same being that tract of land this day deed ed to the said Henry Parrish by J. H. Godwin and wife, Nellie Anne Godwin. This motgage deed is given to secure the first payment on the purchase price of said land. This 17th day of December, 1917. NELLIE ANNE GODWIN, Mortgagee. Wellons & Wellons, Attorneys. 15c a copy At Your Newsdealer u *^ww&cription $l#SO C-nd For onr new free cat' cJjg cf mcchanical boohs Popular Mechanics Magazine G North Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Jan. 8, 1918, edition 1
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