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.
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