The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-05
BELGIAN CONDITIONS ARE UNPRECEDENTED IN HISTORY, STATES HERBERT c. HOOVER
(Continued from Page One)

try. not only for the transportation of our food, but to permit the transporta- tion of coal from the Belgian mines-a sore necessity this winter.
 Prisons Emptied
 There are no courts and the prisons have been emptied, but the gendar merle have remained at their posts and , are both policemen and judges. The peo- pie are law abiding. Central and pro- vincial governments have disappeared. City and communal governments how ever, still exist and through them the dis tribution of food Is being arranged. The Belgians are applying themselves to the perfection of this organization and if we lacked any other inspiration for excrtion to save these people sufficient lies in this devoted work of the rich and the poor, a veritabe democracy of famine, which is working day and night to perform its part
 "The detail of this method is that after investigation by the communal authori- ties food tickets are issued indicating the number and amount of ratons to which the holder Is entitled, and twice daily this | ticket is presented by the holder to the | food canteens for it's quota and is punched daily. Each ration consists of bread, soup, containing potatoes, together with little coffee and salt.
 "Al those who can afford to are com pelled to pay the communal authorities
 at the rate of cents per diem per ration. 1 The destitute are given tickets gratis | The communal authorities contribute to | the relief committee 1 cent per diem per
 capita on the total tickets issued in their k commune, they obtaining this revenue From the tickets sold or by public sub
 scription in the communes through the
 national committee under our supervision. 1 These funds ultimately become valua- ble asset to us for the purchase of food. 1 Furthermore, the same ration of bread
 and salt per diem is sold through the
 bakeries to agreed lists of the more well | to do. and as this bread is disposed of at l a positive profit our income has some | further increase. Taking 1t all together. about one-half of the food which we send
 to Belgium is paid for. so when the Amer | ican people contribute two shiploads of l food they enable us to buy one more car go.
 "As type of organization that of Brus- | sels is simply a large example of those in | each locality. Tn that city there are 14
 communal kitchens and 137 canteens for adults and there are 16 kitchens and 34 canteens for children under years of age. To guarantee that children are properly | fed, parents are compelled to produce all
 children to communal doctors on constant duty in charge of the canteens. Five different kinds of tickets are issued, the | mothers calling for different types of | rations. The tickets for the first six months of chld's life are fSr milk alone. ] Various grades of tickets gradually evolve into the introduction of more solid ! foods until children 3 years old and over fall on the general canteen. To provide l milk the communes have taken over dairies.
 "The amount and character of the desti- tuition perhaps may be appreciated from the present position in Brussels. Of the population of about 65O,O0O remaining in the city an average of 21s,00 were on the adult canteen and 31Oo0 babies were on the baby canteens last week. or more than one-third of the total population
 "Probably no more pitiable sight ever was presented than the long lines of mothers with children in arms waiting their turn at these canteens. In indus trial districts much large population is now on the communal canteens. in some ] instances more than 60 per cent of the | whole number
 "Brussels consumed 5000 sacks of flour per diem. There were just 921 sacks oi flour in the city when our first food ship l ment arrived. When left Brussels yes terday there were 15.000 sacks in the city or about five days supply. We have about two or three days supply in Liegt and similar supplies in other centers such as Louvain. Charleroi. Namur and Lux
 emburg."