THE UNDERFED ADULTS IN VIENNA AND LOWER AUSTRIA.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]
BIR,—It has occurred to me that some of your readers—with a memory of the niebonnaire, light-hearted Viennaof former times —might be inclined to assist, if in ever so small a way, the work that is being done towards lessening the pangs of actual hunger with which many of the adults of the Austrian middle classes are now assailed. I have a letter before use written by the secretary of the "Zentralverband der Gemeinschafts- nod Kriegs-Kiichen fiir Wien and N.O.," in which that lady pleads for a little additional help in order that she may be able, not only to continue supplying one daily meal of nourishing food to the quarter of a million persons of the middle classes now on her lists, but to extend this necessary help to those who in the cold season must needs flock to these dining-rooms in added numbers. These are not the Viennese who may still be seen up and down the Ringstrasse and wherever life is gayest—far from it. These are Vienna's best sons and daughters—fading away from sheer want and in silence—too brave and too proud to whine for alms, but deeply grateful for the help this one decent meal a day means to them in these bitter times. The scheme was started as far back as 1917, when it served as a great convenience—before the economic conditions had, of course, reached their present stage, and the dinners were then served at 1 krone and 20 hellers per head. This had to be raised to lk. 60h., and—through intermediate stages—to the 10 and 12 kronen! at which charge it is alone now possible to provide this simple meal; indeed, the secretary from whose letter I am permitted to quote deplores the fact that—though charging ten times as much as formerly—they can only give indifferent quality of food and practically no meat. This lady most gratefully acknowledged the generous help hitherto extended to the scheme by the British, American and French Missions. This assistance has, however, now had to be with- drawn and transferred to the all-important work of building up the coming generation—a claim which all fully admit to have the prior right. Yet it must be remembered that here are bread-winners, both young and middle-aged, with their strength slowly sapped through semi-starvation, for how can salaries of from one to two thousand kronen a month provide daily dinners at ten or twelve kronen a head for, say, three persons?
The bona fides of this appeal is vouched for by Mrs. Forbes-Dennis, who, as the wife of an English official, has come into touch with the Verband's secretary. It must be borne in mind that what seems a small sum here will benefit by the high rate of exchange, so that all assistance will be greatly valued, and can be forwarded to Pr. Valerie Adler, Sekretarin des Zentralverbands ffir Wien and N.O. VII., Zieglergusse 5.—I am,
[We have satisfied ourselves that the fund for which our correspondent appeals is well worthy of support. We should like, however, to refer our readers to an article about the Imperial War Relief Fund which appears elsewhere. The organizers of that central fund are doing their best to co- ordinate all efforts made within the British Empire. The easiest way to send help to Vienna is generally to send it through the Imperial War Relief Fund, as the difficulties of exchange, which are considerable when money is sent direct to Austria, are thus avoided. Also the Imperial War Relief Fund safeguards donors against overlapping in the allocation of funds.—En. Spectator.]
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