The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-22

Berlin, october 13.-tVia London and The Hague, October 91, il 30 a. m.)-Tht city of Bruges. having been occupied by the Germans without fighting, was in no way damaged The churches and mu- seums are intact today.
 -~~~-~~--~>~~~~~-~~>~~-~ Icing assisted through bread lines. Ac- cording to the committees reports. there being more than 300,000 of these persons in Brussels alone. The supply of food for these bread stations, 1t is estimated, will not last more than a week longer.
 It is expected the number of persons requiring relief will increase to a million within month.
 A stream of specially chartered steam ships will soon start for Holland with mission at various places in Belgium. These officers will be under direct con trol of the commission and will be lo- cated in Lendon. Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent Liege and other points. When necessary. the commission will operate with the Belgian national relief committee in Brussels To insure ef- fective working of this cooperation, members of the American commission in Belgium will be made members of the Belgian commission. Care will be taken tc see that this cooperation does not affect the neutrality of the commission, which is to work under the approval of both the English and German govern ments.
 Has Half Million
 Half a million dollars were placed at the disposal of MT. Hoover yesterday for Belgian funds and through ,Ambas- sador Page $750,000 more will be turned over to the commission today.
 -1-s. g .... sion, Mir Hoover said:
 eve are advised by Brand Whitlock, American minister to Belgium. that the position of Belgium with regard 10 the food supply is abeconing absolutely crit ical, inasmuch as there are 100000 peo- plc in Belgium and the country imports 6o per cent of it's food. Imports have ceased and as the country has been. de- nuded of it's accumulated crops, virtually the whole population is faced with fam inc. The problem, therefore. is infinitely greater than the care of the refugees who have left Belgium.
 Restrictions put on imports into The Netherlands by England have made 1t virtually impossible for the Belgians to obtain foodstuffs from neutral countries and the creation of machinery which can secure such imports to their coun- try has become vital necessity.
 Baron Lambert and Emil Franqui of the Belgian relief committee are in Lon don, cooperating with us. and they as- sure us that s1 .000,000 worth of foodstuffs win be required monthly during the com ing winter to feed the Belgians The commission expects to conduct many soup kitchens sa
 Beans and Peas Needed
 Deans and reas are especially needed. We can arrange to handle any amount oi food to Belgium by way of Holland. Australia who Is sending 7O00 frozen sheep to Belgium, already has arranged for us 'to distribute them.
 ''The commission hopes that the situa- ton may be brought urgently before the American people. that this charity to a liberty loving people may take the prac- tical form of food supplies and that the American organization already soliciting help for the Belgians will cooperate with the commission in the application of their resources.
 The commission is constituted as fol- lows: Walter Hines Page, the American amba ssador Brand Whitock, American minister to Belgium. and Henry Van Dyke, American minister to The Meth orlands, honorary chairmen; Herbert C. Hoover. chairman: William Heinman Brussels, vice chairman. and Willard Shaler, Brussels. secretary.
 The members of the commission are John White. Clarence Graf, Willard Hun. siker, Edgard Rickard and T. r. IAcy all Americans resident in London: Hugf Gibson. secretary of the American lega- ton at Brussels, and F.. A. Hulzc, ar American resident in Brussels, and tht American consuls in London. Rotterdam Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent