SHALL THE BELGIANS STARVE?

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 10, 10 September 1915, Page 7

SHALL THE BELGIANS STARVE?

1 1 HOW SHE IS FED. j > ! The National Committee for Relief 1 in Belgiunv'has issued a publication' t 1 which deals extensively with the ' ''work oi saving a brave nation from i ! starvation." For the purpose the s 'Committee has quoted extracts from 1 l an exceedingly interesting article j [written by Mr William C. Edgar and i 'published ill "The Northwestern Mil- I lei" an influential American Trade < 'journal of which Mr Edgar is .editor ] | and principal proprietor. } Mr Edgar,*; : being an American, was able to visit i i Belgium and actually see the afflicted i condition of that gallant country. Af- | i ter describing his arrival in Brussels ' with the cargo of flour sent by the j Northwestern millers for relief of the Belgians, Mr Edgar points out that the purpose of the Commission was to I feed the civil population of Belgium, i regardless of all difficulties, and this I population was estimated at more than [six million. Hollands assistance is recognised by the appointment of a representative of that Government to the directorate of the organisation. The »monthly expenditure to satisfy the reI quircments of Belgium amounts to I £1,500,000. The Commission has had to find this money, and for more than six months every obstacle has been overcome, a performance only short of 'miraculous. Though tho world has contributed generously, yet the world's gifts] have been small compared with' the vast sums actually expended. On March 6th the liabilities of tho Com-' mission, as shown by its balaiice-sheet, were estimated at £1,400,000 in excess jof its cash resources. Nevertheless j Mr Hoover, the indomitable chairman,' I goes ahead with his work, confident that the world will not let Belgium starve. Tho United States and the Argentine are tho sources of supply, i Owing to the fact that all officials and directors servo without pay, expense is. incredibly small. From Oc- j. tober 22, 1914, to March 6, 1915, dur-| ing which period purchases amounting' to £3,000,000 were made, the total ex-! penso of the London office was but 1 £5200. The greatest difficulty experi-' enced is the shortage of shipping. 1 which can only be procured at very l high premiums. Mr Edgar deals interestingly with the Belgian Organisation, the Comite 1 National de Secours de d'Alimentation, through which the Commission distributes the food by methods which, I he says, are at once the quintessence of sound commonsense in their busi-! ness operation and most tactful and' considerate in their charitable aspect, j The President of the Comite Nation-i al is Mr Ernest Solvay, the world-fam-j ed manufacturer. The two bodies work' together harmoniously and well, the Commission being the,link which con-j nects; the outside world with the help-1 less Belgians and procuring the.goods, j hands them over to the Comite Na-1 tional. The Comite National receives the goods and concerns itself with their just, conscientious, and wise distribution. Mr Edgar says that hei lias never seen any method of public relief that can compare in efficiency, ■ 'thoroughness and wisdom with the' system employed in Belgium. He ; states that if he had five million dollars placed at his disposal for the relief of the Belgians, he would not hesitate to put it at the command of this organisation, as not a dolliir would be wasted or misapplied. This unqualified endorsement of the Commission's I-

work is made as a result of a careful study of tho methods and of personal observation. The work of the Commission in clothing, feeding, and housing the population has no doubt been instrumental in preventing uprisings against the military, which could only have resulted in useless waste of life and destruction of property. N.P. The price of bread i s fixed and regulated by the Commision, and at no time has this price ' been higher than in England during j a corresponding period. The daily ration per capita is 'S2o grammes or bread. There is no free distribution direct from the Commission to the people, and all goods sent, whether '•gifts or purchases, are sold. The ' method of distribution is that eacli ' commune buys the supplies according 1 to the requirements of its population. 1 The commune, through its local administration, sells the flour or bread to individuals who have means to pay j to those who cannot pay it distributes food free. The amount now requirea by the Commission is about £500,000, and naturally this amount will increase as the cash resources of the Belgians diminish. One praiseworthy trait is that the rich and poor receive i the same quantity of bread and it is i of the same quality. The Germans are not receiving any of the food and are scrupulously observant of their obliga- ! tions in respect to these supplies and are willing to afford every possible facility for the free and uninterrupted : transaction .of all business connected i with the .work of relief. The soup . which is issued daily i s made by ex- .! perienced cooks, who are magnificent i 1 soup-makers. The Belgian, Mr Edgar ■' points out, receives aid in a self-re- / specting, straightforward fashion, as i he is not a beggar or dependent by i fashion. There is nothing brusque or ,' curt about the distribution of the sup- > plies, and courtesy, tact, and eonsidert ation are shown on all sides. >' After visiting Brussels, Mr Edgar I journeyed to Liege, where there are i' o!8,000 destitute persons, 22,000 hoine- •' less people ,and 105,000 idle workmen. ! .Referring to the Belgian Army, Mr •' Edgar concludes : "With reverence and ;| witn bared head I say, all honor to •I this gallant army fighting the good '' light so faithfully and well. May God •' help them and keep them, and send •' them the support and succour from the ;l outside world that their great cause warrants, and their scrupulous fidelt ity to their trust justifies."