Mexico weekly ledger., 1915-08-26
A 6OO-MILE BREAD LINE
At WORK n BELGIUM
Feeding Seven Million Poverty Striek-
en- Inhabitants Of County is a
Colossal Task.

The Commission for relief in Bel
gium is the biggest commisary under
taking the world has ever seen. 1t
feeds z million people with foodstuffs
drawn from collection centers from
three to eight thousand miles distant
from the point of distribution. When
we realize not only that the workers
represent hundred thousand volun-
teer laborers, but that the members
Of the organization include some of
the ablest business and financial men
in the world, that five governments
are concerned and nearly every coun-
try is making its contribution, II is
not surprising that we have had only
glimpses here and there of so vast a
business.
Unloading at Rotterdam.
There are between lao and 150 re-
lief ships that are allowed by the Brit
ish, French and German admiralties
safe conduct to Rotterdam from var
ious ports in the United States as
well as other countries.
Members of the commission are
granted immediate audience with the
cabinet ministers Of Europe, and the
German military authorities issue
special passes allowing members and
agents Of the commission the right of
free movement in Belgium.
All ships unload at Rotterdam. The
arrival Of a ship having been announ-
ced, floating elevators are sent along
either side the moment she has drop
ped anchor in the lower port. Out
side Of these floating elevators are
three hundred lighters or barges.
These barges are to carry the wheat
or foodstutfs by canal to their destin-
ations in Belgium.
An accurate account is kept of each
barge, or cara few freight cars are
used in the eastern part--as it passes
the various stations. The speed with
which this work is done is ahead Of
all records. A 9,O00-ton ship loaded
with wheat can be emptied in thirty
six hours on three hundred barges,
which are Immediately towed by tugs
through the canals into Belgium.
The Dutch government furnishes all
facilities for unloading these ships.
Transportation Difficulties.
In this free country Of telephones
and easy travel we sometimes forget
the difficulties with which the work
Of feeding Z million is carried on in
a country surrounded with the armies
Of five nations, which has no telephone
or telegraph for communication either
within its own borders or with the
outside world, where the postoffice
system has practically ceased to exist,
where no Belgian man or woman is
allowed to travel more than five miles
from his own home and where all rail
and road routes are used by the mil
itary. The canals are the only means
of transporting the food from Hol-
land into the different provinces of
Belgium. The representatives of the
commission who had to map out and
explore the entire canal route were
much hampered in their work, mas
much as many of the canals were de-
stroyed and others were obstructed.
There are in Belgium 120 principal
warehouses to which food is shipped
from Rotterdam. From these it is re-
shipped to small detailed districts or
communes, there being in Belgium
thirty-two thousand communal CEN
ters.
Refugees Should Return.
One often hears statements that
make it appear as if the greater part
of the population of Belgium were
either killed or had left their country
at the time it was taken possession of
| by the Germans. This, however, is
only because nearly million refugees
fleeing from country at one time
makes a great impression upon the
world. There were in Belgium in Oct
ober last about 100000 people, and
there now remains little less than
million.
1t would be great advantage to
the Belgian nation if many Of the re-
fugees would return, and it will be,
| believe, blot ON Belghlni's wonder
| full history at this time that the we'll
to-do citizens do not all take their
stand with those who are making such
mighty effort to hold their nation
together.
Remember we can save you money
an Maat aod Croeariac Prino,. xynnr