Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-15
ONLY ENGINEERS
ON RELIEF BOARD
American Commission for Relief
of Belgians Does Miracu-
lous Work.
ITS TREASURER is A BANKER
Serious Obstacles Encountered
and Removed in Sending Aid
to Starving People.

Correspondence of Associated Prcss)
LONDON. November with the cx-
ception Of IT'S treasurer. Clarence Graf.
VINO is banker. every active member
OF the American Commission for tho
Relief Of Bcigians Is an engineer. THO
work OF these men lis pointed to as
tribute to the thoroushncss OF the
American engineering colleges.
H. c. Hoover, who heads both the
American Relief Committee and tho
Belgian commission, is a mining onyi-
heer' who directs tho labors Of ESQ. 900
miners and smclter operatives i'm VA
r,ous parts OF the world. Hoover is a
graduate Of Leland Stanford, Jr Uni
vcrstty. Of which institution he is now
a trustee. having succeeded to the posi-
t'on on tho board vacated by the death
OF Whitelaw Reid
London is the mecca of succcssfuI
American engineers, and Hoover has
gathered about him a group of Mon
we'll equipped for the work in hand
and. with considerable leisure to de-
vote to II, because the war has
suspended SO many Of the enterprises
In which they are Interested
The vice-chairman is Daniel Heine.
mon. who Is an electrical engineer, and
a
tional electrical manufacturing groups
The other members arc William IIulse.
also an electrical engineer, and head
OF number of engineering companies:
John Beaver White, an electrical engi-
neer, and partner In one of the
largest contracting firms In Europe:
Milliard Hunsikcr, an electrical enEi-
neer. and for many years one OF the
executives OF the United States Steel
Corporation; Captain j. F. Luccy. a
mechanical engineer. and head Of a
large manufacturing concern doins
business i'm the United States and Eu-
rope: j. w. Dickson, civil engineer:
Hart o. Berg. mechanical engineer:
Edgar Richard, mining engineer. and
Willard Shaler, a mechanical engineer
living in brussels.
STRUGGLE WITH QUESTION
OF SUPPLYING BELGIUM
For three weeks American. Spanish
and Belgian diplomatic representatives
struggled with the question of supply
ing Belgium with food without making
much progress beyond securing the
promises of cooperation from the va
rious governments concerned. When
the need became acute. and Il was
necessary to get food under way at
once, the American ambassador here
called upon Hoover to form the
needed working organization, and the
tecrs was the existing commission with
It's predominant engineering personnel.
The first and most serious obstacle
encountered by the commission was
the refusal of the English government
TO remove its embargo on the export
OF food, even for such necessary work
as the succor of the starving Belgians.
Early in the diplomatic negotiations.
the British government not only prom
Used to allow the export OF food sup
plies TO Belgium, but promised the
Belgian minister large cash contri-
button each month. Evidently becom-
ing alarmed over the condition of the
domestic food supply. the Cabinet recon
sidercd its action and declined TO do
more than make lump sum contri-
button OF n $4,000 to be used to
purchase food for the Belgians in Hol-
land. AS one OF the members of the
commission expressed II. this WAS
equivalent TO asking the Belgian min
lister to buy food for his starving fell
low countrymen at the North Pole, for
Holland has not only forbidden the
export of foodstuffs, but is actually
suffering from n shortage itself.
The commission then determined
upon tho bold step of buying the nee
essary foodstuffs for temporary relief
and counting on diplomatic efforts and
pressure of public opinion to force the
British government to raise the en-
EarBo WITHIN tWentY-iour hours or
the organization Of the commission it
had purchased $4,000 worth Of food
supplies. chartered the necessary ship,
and while the food was being placed on
hoard, quietly Informed the Cabinet
that the Belgian people were starving
and asked Are you going 10 allow
this food TO go to the Bc,Eians OF not?"
Having carefully advertised the facts
Of the purchase and the departure OF
the shipments for Holland. there could
only be one answer from the British
governments The consent was given,
but with the stipulation attached that
an equal amount OF food must be re-
placed in the British markets from
some foreign source. This, with the
additional ruling OF the English gov
eminent. that all supplies for the starry
ing BelEians must be carried in neu-
trail bottoms. practically means that
I'll relief for them must come from
America. SO the commission will make
every effort TO coordinate the various
enterprises under way in the United
states for the relief OF the Belgians
with its work here