The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-01-22
100000 a Day the Cost Of
the Refugees
WORK MUST BE PROVIDED
Man Taken Alive from the Mcssina
Ruins-He Had Been Buried
for Period Of Twenty
two Days.

Rome, Jan. 22.--The gravest problem
which Italy now faces is that OF proyid-
ing for the 100000 refugees made home
less by the recent earthquake who are
scattered throughout Sicily, and Calab-
ria or congregated in Naples Their
support is costing approximately $780,.
600 q day, an enormous sum, which
neither international charity nor the re-
sources Of the state can bear for any
length of time Besides, charity has had
the effect of arousing the appetites Of
the law and turbulent classes, resulting
in numerousd isorders Thus' it is made
plain that it is more urgent TO give
work to these thousands than to foster
in them the belief that they can indcRn-
itely continue living on public charity.
The government is doing everything
in its power to provide shelter for the
homeless people in the South. Great
quantities OF timber and building ma.
terial have been ordered from all quar-.
tiers, and il is expected that within a
few days much Of this will be on its way
to Sicily and Calabria. Meantime eight
steamers, loaded with timber, are leav.
ing Naples; three are about to set out
from Genoa and one from Venice. The
government has purchased 100000 Mar
settles tiles and a contract is about to
be signed for 100000 more.
As time passes, the desolation among
the small villages of Calabria becomes
more and more apparent. Reports reach.
ing here indicate that not only has the
destruction been complete in some places,
but assistance has been very tardy in
reaching other villages. At San Gregorio
Deputy Valentino still lives with his
son in a third.class railway carriage,
where he has been seriously i'll through
grief for the loss Of his wife and brother
1t has been impossible so far to find
timber enough TO build hut for him,
At Melito all the railway carriages which
it was possible to obtain have been
transformed into lodging places in which
the homeless people are packed. A
French cruiser, which was the first to
visit that place, brought suecor in the
shape of 5000 rations OF bread, preserved
meat and sugar and five hundred blan-
kets Mass has been celebrated in the
open air by one of the surviving monks,
whose gown is In rags.
In the course Of the removal OF the
dead at Messina Tuesday the soldiers
discovered a survivor whose faint
breathing was the only sign of life dis.
played He was taken to a hospital
where the doctors said such case Of
complete exhaustion and resistance was
A new Messina may arise very soon
a Short distance to the northward of
the old city. General Mazza, command
ing in the earthquake area. reports that
the huts built there for the survivors BY
the crew of the warship Regina Elena
are not only substantial enough to DO
permanent, but the site Is suitable for
further buildings from which new cen
ter of life could be developed. Offices
and stores are being built, and also
house for the commissioners who viii de.
eide the questions Of ownership Of sites
in the old city.
Earth shocks still continue at Mes
sina. Some Of them are slight, but the
others, stronger in character, are usually
accompanied by an underground roar.
ing, which still causes considerable
alarm. Fires have broken out again
among the debris in different quarters,
which fact does not tend to lessen the
alarm.