FOOD CONTROL IN GERMANY 151 



maximum price of oats at $12.50 per metric ton. 

 In March, 1915, the Frankfurter Zeitung reported 

 that the government had decided to seize and regu- 

 late the distribution of oil-cake and other manu- 

 factured fodder in which it was said prices had been 

 forced up by speculators. Also the number of pigs 

 in the country was to be reduced from over 25,000,- 

 000 to about 18,000,000 to provide a supply of meat 

 for the cities. 



In July, 1915, the military authorities of Bavaria 

 issued an ordinance providing for a year's im- 

 prisonment of any dealer charging excessive prices 

 for articles of daily consumption, including food, 

 heating, and lighting substances. A similar pen- 

 alty was provided for those withholding stocks from 

 sale in order to secure higher prices and for retail- 

 ers refusing to sell to intending purchasers. 



In regulating the prices of grain and fodder the 

 country was divided into four districts in which 

 prices varied according to local conditions. Corn 

 prices remained about the same as before. Prices 

 of rye were fixed at $55 per ton (220 marks) for the 

 Berlin district; 215 marks for the eastern district; 

 230 marks for the western district. The price of 

 wheat was fixed at $10 above lye, with an increase 

 at a certain date of 1^ marks every two weeks. 

 Barley as fodder and oats were placed under a uni- 

 form price throughout the empire. 



The Vienna government confiscated the 1915 



