The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-01

The war has brought three peoples.
the Belgians. Poles and Serbs, to the
door OF charity. begging for bread and
for relief from disease. Belgium was
the irst TO suffer. and because df the
magnitude OF her need and the unprece-
dentod spectacle of an entire industrial
nation, hard working and efficient.
plunged suddenly into want by a hos
tile army. has received nsr more atten-
ton from the world than the cases OF
the Poles and the Serbs.
Before the invasion Belgium boosted
OF a population OF approximately 7,soo,-
900. about 657 inhabitants TO the square
mile-more than twice the density OF
population OF Germany. Her people de-
pended for food largely on wheat, rs
per cent of which was imported, and
potatoes and turnips. practically all
home grown. She imported so per cent
Of the barley consumed, 20 per cent. OF
the peas and beans and ~ per cent. OF
the rye. Her people ate relatively little
meat, producing practically all they re-
quired.
The German armies entered the coun'
try az harvest time. and ever the In
sufficient food supply which would have
resulted had the Belgians been per.
mitted TO harvest their crops was de-
MED the unhappy people.
The ravages of war and tho requisi'
tons Of the conquerors Dor exhausted
the o ON hand. the country was com
pletely cut of from the rest OF the world
all railways we're taken over by the
German military authorities and the in
dustries by which the nation lived, de
pendent upon imported material ant
upon coal supplies. stopped.
BeIsians saved From Starvation,
A large part Of the available animal
fodder either was reQuisitioned by tn
Germans or was destroyed in militarJ
operations and great numbers OF the cat
tie which had not been setsed by tn
Germans had to be slaughtered. Al
though for a time his made meat plen
tiful and cheap, Il cYt down the suppl!
Of milk and laid the infant population
open to the danger OF starvation. Earl!
last spring the meat supply began TO b
exhausted.
4 whole nation faced the necessity o
getting food from the outside or starve
since eve the $500. 900 Of the popula'
ton which still had the means Will
which TO buy could not buy what DIX
not exist In the country. n 1000, 90
were destitute.
On the initiative OF Brand whitlock
the American Minister at Brussels, an
the Marquis de Villalobar. the Spanish
Minister. cooperating with leading Bel
CLANS, conferences were held In Londoi
late In October at which the Commits
sion for Relief In Belgium was or
ganized, with a membership OF seventy
one Americans and four Spaniards. an,
at the same time the local Brussels Re
lief Committee was expanded into IN,
Comite National de Secours ct DAN
m~entation. Herbert c, Hoover. Al
American mining engineer resident II
London, who had organised the work o
getting Americans out Of. the war zone
an organised effort which handle
$4,000 refugees. 10 per cent. of WHOM
were destitute--was chosen chairman o
the commission and proceeded to or
Ganixe the greatest commissary under
taking the world has ever known.
Food vas purchased by the commits
sion throughout Canada, the MississipT
, Valley, the Pacific coast. tho Argentin
and India, and large gifts In kind wer
received. Steamers we're chartered unit
the commission had forty-four steamer
under Its nag. with q cargo capacity @
1000 tons. These carried the food I
Rotterdam, where II was transshippe
to a large feet Of lighters, also unde
control OF tho commission. BY earl