"BRITAIN WILL NOT LET BELCIUM STARVE."

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2494, 22 June 1915, Page 10

"BRITAIN WILL NOT LET BELCIUM STARVE."

Sir,—Wo have pledged our Honour to restore Belgium. But Belgium is not a word—it is a people—and the_ Belgian people is starving. If w© let it perish during the process of restoration we shall have grasped only the shadow of our task. Mr. Hoover, chairman of the Neutral Commission for Relief in Belgium, and Mr. Francqui, chairman of the committee in Brussels, tells us that "at least a million and a half Belgians are now entirely destitute. With the rapid exhaustion of the meat and vegetable supplies there will probably be, before harvest time, 2,500,000 Belgians who must be fed and clothed solely by charity. The remaining 4,500,000 will get their pitiful daily allowance of bread through the Commission, and will pay for it." And they add: "Will you help us to keep the destitute alive?" This Neutral Commission,' marvellously organised and administered, has hitherto succeeded in just keeping abreast of the situation, raising its funds from America, other neutral countries, and the- British colonies. But their funds are failing fast, and their needs are getting greater. It is in response to their desperate appal that a National Committee for Belgian Relief has now been formed in our country, and every penny it collects will go without deduction into the hands of the Neutral Commission, and through them to the starving Belgian people, in thp form of food.- So far Germany has kept her word not to filch what is sent for the Belgians; and the organisation of relief now makes it almost impossible for a German to touch one loaf of Belgian bread. The present need is for £500,000 a month; the future need will he even greater. Our own exigencies are, of course, tremendous; but what would they not be if Belgium had consulted her own material needs—had just chosen to save herself instead of saving the Western world? With Belgium complacent to the German, Paris gone, Calais gone, it would have meant another year on to the years we may have to fight; an extra five hundred million pounds of money, an extra hundred thousand lives. If ever country owed debt, this country owes it to Belgium, to keep the breath in the bodies of her people. Owes it, and must pay it. In standing to her guns, Belgium saved, of course, the whole world, for modern civilisation is built on nothing if not on good faith and honourable obligation. But it is France and Britain before all that she has saved. France, however, has a terrific task in tho rescue of her own ruined millions in the north. Thanks, perhaps, to ruined Belgium, Britain has not, may never have, to rescue and restore ruined towns and countryside. In Teturn, what is Britain doing? Spending money and blood like water, to drive the Germans out of Bekium. Yes, but let us be honest. Wo should have had to do that in any case, for our own interest.' AYe are not thereby discharging the debts gratitude, justice, and humanity. Giving hospitality to 200,000 Belgians? It is something, but not enough, Not nearly enough I So far we have not faced at all the desperate situation of Belgium itself; we have not, indeed, been asked to. From Canada and Australia, with onefifth of our population, help to the value of £150,000 a month has been coming fn. From ourselves, practically nothing. But in. future all eyes are turning to us; it is we who are now asked to stay the march of death. A penny of income tax in our country yields nearly three million pounds. If each one of us sets aside at once one penny from every pound of his income, this people is saved —this people more oruelly wronged than ever people were— " this people to whom each one of us owes a debt that we have not realised, that we cannot realise in its full proportions. Jf Belgium starves, the civilised world inours a stain more black than we dare to contemplate—a little country gave itself for civilisation, and civilisation, having the means to , save ' it, let it perish! We are dealing here not with words, ideals, and what not; we are dealing with hunger—a very simple thing. If people are not fed, they die. No ultimate victories, vindications, and indemnities are of the least use to Bel'starving now. If they are not kept alive on the shoulders of this country—the richest country and that which lias gained most by Belgium's suffering; —the reproach will lie heaviest. Verily it will. There can be no exaggeration in the tale of Belgium's trouble, for no words can even begin to tell it as it should be told. There can be no exaggeration in the expression of gratitude for what we owe her. If those wronged people had done nothing for us, should we grudge them enough money to spare ourselves the sight of their starvation just across the sea under our very eyes ? But seeing what they are, what they have done for us —how —how can we bear to let them lack the mere sufficiency of life? No! Britain will not let Belgium starve. We have not known hitherto what was needed of us in this race with death. Now wo do know. We are too pioud by far not to pay our debts. For this is a'debt of honour, preceding even tlie charity that begins at home. The appeal of the National Committee has been issued. The hon. treasurer is Mr. A. Shirley Benn, M.P., Trafalgar Buildings, Trafalgar Square, London. Eyory penny contributed goes to the Belgians iu the form of food. The cry of a brave people comes across tha sea. Pity, ungilded, feeds no starving bodies. —I am, etc., •JOHN GALSWORTHY. London, May 2, 1815.