"BRITAIN WILL NOT LET BELGIUM STARVE."

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1915, Page 6

"BRITAIN WILL NOT LET BELGIUM STARVE."

To j in- H ■'=! or. - w f i:a\<* u,;r lioiiur io !;.:v i..■ v .*ti..t. 1-:, l 1 :!i!ii is iv-L il -ti is ;i. pr-o;ilc; ami {!;(' i;. ■» ;>!<■ ; . • t.. r v 11»;„. iwe 1:T if in.'r::-n ii;i ,i' : ' i- j»: ■.! filly 1 he mIhI'IoW of , ; Ui' J\ir. Hoover, t-nun of the lien i i"', 1 ! ('Diinii-• irii foi' Kclii'i' in !•<'!- 11:i•! ,\ir. i*; i:iv :i;i- j'tiiiin *»f T; ;;;[ <;{ ■ r-> ;n :: v;: ■■(>!-. !l Ti US Uilt * J i\ t 3:c\\' 1 ill i (Il'-liLiiil 1 . \\l.u li.r I. i'Ki Mthiiiistion "f t i: " nl : -n ' 1! I lii'M 1 . mn '., i fo;i ; ;r.i! cNThnl i-luu-\iVm Y;. ( i ill"' il :il f ; wih ::opilli'ui ,ln.il/ ailoY/nne ( i ilMMir.'!'. iii <' ( !>r:! ni i- - ion juul \ in i-.v for ii." .VniL [in l >' \\iil you lit'ij) t■■ t i li'f fV.-liinio aiivcT' TiiU ::<-u(rnl ' intirwlloiisly . or.i'Uiii.-ci! ar. l :i<hnniis>rp;l, lifl--'. hitherto ( swrnvU-il iii jii.it !-:ce|ii«jj a:>r«_'ast of ; tl:,» ' raisin}? its farei* frian I A".u'victi, dlli;".' iH'iur:i 1 ciiuitvics, mid | (he I'ritMi < o!.mU> t. l?«t tlii'ir fnivds j ar«> failing fust; nn.l llu-ir »<•«!* ar« , . i( :v. It i» i» to; '.lr'-pwilf appeal iliat » Xntioiia! j fcr 7YH:':i Relief 1m» now j fci en f< rrr.ftl in on? country, am! every pene.v i! lolle'ts will i<ii without (ioilueti.v.i 'into tin- hand* </f tlio neutral Commis; inn, ami through them to tlio sUirvimj people, in tlio -form of food.

So fiv Cermam- has kept her word not ■ to iiilcli what is sent for the Belgians; | "cdlhe ori'imi-ailion of relief now makes i. it almost 'impossible for a iflermsin to I touch one loaf of 'Tlolgian bivad. The , present need is for .CoOD.linn a month; . the future need will be even greater. j Our own exigencies are, of course, . tremeii-lon.-: but what would they not ! he if il'olgium bad consulted her own j material needs, bad just chosen to save j !ier.-clf--in-'tcad of saving the Western | ' world? With nd'/mm complacent to ! the' Ci'vu'ini. Paris mine. Calais gone—| I i< wiahl h"ve meant another year on to I tl'.o vers we mav have to CiL'ht. an extra j I five'l'io'dred. million rounds of mono.'. ■ an e-lra bundre 1 iho-.i-and lives. If ; I pver <-,,;,,:{rv owed. debt, this country j I owes it to l.elgiuni. to keep tin' breatl. , in the bodies of her people. Owes it. ,

and ;.im'. miv it. T n landing to he.- guns IVI-imi sav- I r-d of course, the whole world, for mo- j iJoi-n civilisation is built on nothing ii j not on --rood faith and honor.,» ohli- j -ration; but it is Franre and Britain before all that she has saved. France, however, has a terrify, task ,n the res- , cue of her e.wn ruined millions m t.ne | n'o.-th Thanks, perhaps, to ruined Belgium. Britain has not, may never have to rescue and restore ruined towns and countryside. . Tu return, what is TSntain doing? Spending money and blood like water to drive the. (.ermans out of Belgmnt? Yes' But let us be honest. We should have had to do that in any ease for our own interest. 'Wo are not thereby disehariring the debts of gratitude justice and humanity, living hos- , pifcilitv to mflttS) 'Belgians? Tt is some- , thing, but not enough—not nearly ; enouV.! So far we have not faced at all the desperate situation of Belgium itself; we have not, indeed, been as,ked to. I'l-om Canada and Australia, with one-fifth df our immilntion. help to the value of ClfilUtrio- a month has been comiu" in. IFrom ourselves, practically nothing. in future, all eyes are turning to us- it is we who are now ask-

pd to slay tin- march of death. | _ I A •penny of income, tax in our country I vields nearlv three .million i>ounds. If . encli of ua sets aside at orivc one penny I from even- -pound of our income, this [ ■people is saved—this people more cruelly wronjred than ever people were, tins \ people to whom each of us owes a dent, ■ that we have not realised, that we cannot realise in its 'full proportions. If | T?el"ium starves, the civilised world in- , curs n stain more hlack than we. dare .•' to contemplate: n. little country pare | itself for Civilisation, and Civilisation, , ] havin<* tlie means to save it, let it perisli! " AVe are dealing here not with | words, ideals and what not: we are j doal'm" with hunsor-a very sinvple | thins- if people are not fed, they die. 11 •No ultimate victories, vindications and Indemnities an- of the least use to J-eh/mns starving now. If tliev are. not hepi alive -on the shoulders of this countrv, and. that whi.l. has aaineil most l'v ■Vehrimn's sufferinq-. the reproacli will lie heaviest. Verily it Will" There can he no exaggeration in the tale of lVhiinm's troul)le-4ior no words can even hcrm to tell it us it should he told. There can he no exasperation in the expression of gratitude for what we ewe her. Tf those wronged and

ruined 'people had (lone nothiiw for us, .Ik -ilil we "vuiln-o tli"in eunuch money to "-•)!> re our-oives the. sifrht of thpir starvation jr--.t across fnc sea under our vorv eve-? 'Hut what 11-."V are, ivhat thov liar" done for ns—how caj. we hear lo let them lack the mere snffieiei'.ev of lif<-? y,,' IVil.ain will not let TMinum u firve Wo have, not known hitherto what was needed of ns in this race with death. Xo«' we '"do" know. We are too proud l.v far not to pny our debts. Tor this >s a deht of honor, preceding even the charitv that lieffins at home. The appeal of the National Committee, 1,.,s been issued. The linn, treasurer !■ Mr \. Shirlev Pciin. 'M.'l'., Trafalgar ]!ui!din,s, Trafalgar Sonar", London. Kvery pennv lontrilinted goes to the rieloians in the form of food. Tho cr? of a hrave nrople comes across the sea. Pity, nn.u'ihlod, feeds no starving bodies. T n ni. etc., .TOTTST C!-ALSWOP>TTTY. iAiU-l]>lii Terrace House, London, W.C.