Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-15
huiy Increases Along Entire Front in Western Field

employees (railways. post offices, etc.
arc. therefore. either necessarily out o,
work or arc striking against the Ger.
man occupation.
| Many OF the coal mines are man.
aging to givo two or three days OF
| work week to their employees. and
VIII continue to do this without profit
or even at O loss. so long as they con-
tinuc to get money for the payrolls
either In Holland or by sales to tho
householdcrs OF Belgium.
/ Some factories and shops have SINH
| larly worked their employees part time
In making up their existing stocks OF
raw materials. They put tho product
In storage.
Others arc finding work for n few
men in making annual repairs. etc.
The courage with which such en-
ploycrs arc thus assuming the burdens
OF this emergency is admirable, hut
few can continue this policy for moro
than two or three months longer. un :
less tho Germans do something 10
facilitate banking and transport.
I'm few months these Industrial
populations arc likely TO be the most
! helpless and the greatest sufferers In
! centres like T.iege. Brussels, Louvain
and Malines bread is now being dis
tributed gratis to from one-fourth TO
one-half OF the population.
There has been talk about giying
men work on the canals. highways and
public improvements. but such public
utilities are Eovcrnment-owncd and
no government exists to authorize the
work
3. Agricultural and Food Supply.
Speaking of tho agricultural dis
tricts generally. II Is perhaps likely
that the destruction of stock is of
greater Importance than the dcstruc-
ton of houses though the housing
problem is acute in some villages.
IF houses are burned their former
inmates double up with more fortunate
neighbors or often continue on their
own premises. even though in the
greatest saualor and discomfort Blu,
without drauEht animals they can do
little 10 Till, plant or harvest.
The country Is pretty we'll cleaned
Of horses and oxen. The armies have
not refrained entirely from rcquisition-
ing milch cows The peasants are In
the creates; terror that the few anil
mails that remain TO them may be
taken.
They arc, therefore. killing them
and disposing OF them for what they
can get. Meat Is selling abundantly
mt half Its usual price in some places
II this process continues, such local.
ties will have no live stock OF any sort
by spring
There arc other factors in the aRri-
cultural situation. however which may
turn out to be OF prcdomnating i'm
portance. 1t was Impressive and en-
couraging to observe that the autumn
planting has somehow been done
I'VE were told that tho peasants
were concealing supplies Of seed, pota-
toes, ETC.. sometimes In holes In the
ground. 1t is conceivable that Bel
GUM may continue to raise most OF
her own potatoes, fruits and fresh
vegetables.
NO one is calculating beyond the
next harvest. and such reckoning in
dicates that harvest is expected
Everybody is trying to help everybody
else, and II man still has horse, his
neighbors are able to get some use
OF It.
The farmer WILL doubtless. manage
to raise part OF what he and his family
require, and Will keep himself occu-
pied, 80 that in the long run he may
suffer less than his town neighbor.
I'm France We found that II was
clearly the policy OF the German occu-
patton. behind the fighting lines. 10
promote the planting of next years
crops and to spare mich cows and
breeding animals. 1t would naturally
be the policy OF the German occupation
in Belgium to encourage the raising OF
foodstuffs.
4. Population Reduced.
THE population has been reduced by
the war. The army has drawn off per-
haps 100000 men. Some civilians are
in prison In Germany: many people are
refugees in Holland. England and
| France. Some have been killed
Exact numbers cannot be obtained,
but II is estimated that the present
population is reduced by about COO, 900;
that Is. to about 100000.
For n moment the country can per
haps spare Industrial workers who did
not own their own houses-that is, tho
people who would now be public
charges. and would have no incentive
to restore what has been DESTROYED.
But every farmer who is away is n
loss to the community.
| seriously handicapped to-day by the
| absence OF the men OF property and
position, who would BIO their natural
leaders and agents In restoring order.
in administering Dhilanthropies. in
raising funds and in dealing with tho
Germans.
Some such have been killed soma
are In German detention camps, others
are with the army or the government
at Havre; too many are refugees In
| Holland and England
8. Destruction of Houses and prop.rtx
mo estimates can be obtained of the
total either Of tho military acquisitions
and leVies. or OF the destruction OF
property, but this total must be enor-
nous.
while the German army was a1bt-