Paris, Jan. 3.
"There was normal activity of con tact units and some renewal of aviation activity" says a military communique issued here on Monday hight, referring to operation' on the Western Front.
"There is nothing to report." says the latest French war communique—
Rut Amsterdam, Jan, 3.
comprehensive review of Ger= many's food problems is given the "Neleuwe Rotterdamsehe Courant" from. Berlin, The writer _assosses German self-suficleney in foodstuits between 70 and 80 per cent, except In fats" which is said to be 80 por cent.
The deflelency is normally made up by imports, he says, Sumelent stocks, he continues, were accumulat= fed {o last twelve oF eighteen months, Dut the fat problem was critical, Desperate efforts, the writer claims, are being made to produce fats from coal, but these are usable for fechinieal purposes, with a view to releasing edible fats for human con sumption, Possibilities of grapestones, beech nuts and harte-chestnuts are being explored but the situation appears be very diMeult. Rationing is most severe, and the effects of the foot and mouth disease are being felt, By the importation of fodder' from Soviet Russia, says the writer, it is hoped to increase the number of pigs in Germany. Sea-fshing Raid to have been reduced to a minimum, The situation. regarding, Teguminous plants, like peas, is re= ported to be very unsatisfactory. The total crop of Germany proper last year produced only 624,000 tons, the writer add U.S. Protests to Great Britain Washington, Jan. 3
The United States vigorously protested to Britain against interference fof American mails on the high sens, the Secretary of Stale, Mr. Cordell Hull, announced last night, The United States, Mr. Full disclosed, protested ayainst British in-reference with 1,754 sacks of mail aboard the ships Black Gull, zaandam, Black Tern and Astrid Thorden, The action, he said, was "be-Hieved to be a clear violation of the immunity provided at the Eleventh Hague Convention" which stipulated that postal correspondence of neutrals for belligerents was not to be violated the high seas.
Uniled Slates Embassy in London was instructed to protest December 22. Mr, Hull said. The protest cited specific instances Which British authorities seized mail on board American and other neutral hips, some of which were addressed In addition, the canning industry suffering 'a shortage of tin for The Polish territories, the writer declares, are expected (0 make up the general doflelt, particularly in from, meat and eggs, but Tittle Duller can be hoped to be exported from the area.
The grain situation, the writer concludes, Is generally good, and. the position regarding potatoes is also not unsatisfactory as only 25 per cent, of the total crop ix needed For human consumption, though this percentage is expected to increase Considerably on account of the shortage of other commodities, and a Special reserve of 2000,000 tons Is being Laid aside—Reuter, Six Smedley Crooke, xy in a question he put to the Prime Minister the House of Commons recently, suggests that German prisoners. of War should be kept under guard on British ships, and so discourage the Nazis from their present policy of sowing mines indiscriminately? to Germany.
addition, Me. Hull said, "there have been many individual instances. of British censorship of American is" The United States "readily fdinits the Fight of the British Gov rmment to censor private mails ori-mating OF destined to the United "om of...-which normally pass through the United Kingdom "for transmission to their final destina-Mr, Hull declared. censor mail on ships which involun" tarily enter English ports."
Mr. Hull concluded with the hope that the State Department would ceive early assurances" that interference with American mails had been discontinued—United Press
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.