Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-01-12
REPORTS 10000
PEASANTS NEAR
TO STARVATION
Relief Commissioner Tells of Desti-
tute Conditions in French VAL
ley of Mouse.
MANY ALREADY HAVE DIED
Belgian People Are Sharing Their
Scant Rations With Neighbors
Across Border.
MANY ALREADY HAVE DIED

| London Jan. 7.-Herbert C,
Hoover, chairman of the American
commission for relief in Belgium,
returned to London yesterday from
a tour of inspection of the work be-
ing done for the commission in Bel
GUM. In statement issued this
evening Mr.. Hoover said:
IAN appalling situation has been
presented to the commission with
regard to the French peasantry in
the valley of Mouse, just south of
the Belgian frontier, where there
are 10000 persons absolutely with
out food. Our investigation showed
that a large number of deaths al
ready had occurred there from star
Walton.
Despite the shortness of the IA
tons in Belgium our Belgian COL
leagues agreed that we must share
the last crust with these people; we,
therefore, sent them food out of our
limited Belgian stores"
Mr.. Hoover also issued a report
on the commissions work in Bel
GUM, in which he says the organ
ization for the distribution of food
supplies is well on the road to COM
pletion. 1t is aided by $4,000 VOL
unteer workmen and there are only
a few localities to which relief has
not yet been extended.
1T must be borne in mind" Mr..
Hoover says in his report, "that our
problem falls into two phases. The
first is to provide bread for those
who are able to pay for it, and the
second to supply all food for those
who are destitute.
Broadly, the former comprise
some 100000 persons. On the
basis of the minimum ration we are
providing they require about 49,
100000 worth of bread per month.
The recovery of this money and the
exchange problem as yet have not
been solved and are causing us the
greatest concern.
1.-THE destitute comprise about / II
who are being wholly fed
by the public canteens. The cost OF
supporting them is about s2,500,00Q
per month, for which we are de-
pending on the charity of the world. |
'All Belgium is now on a ration
of ten ounces of bread per day, rich
and poor alike, when there is that
much of a ration available. The
rich pay the cost price; the desti-
tute nothing.
"This requires a total import of
more than 1OO,0OO,0O0 pounds of
-four or wheat per month, to say
nothing Of peas, salt, beans, bacon,
condensed milk and other things
which must be provided for the eau
teens"
In his report Mr. Hoover pays
tribute to the assistance in the work
Of distributing rendered by the Ger
mans, declaring:
THE occupying army has been
scrupulous in it's OBJ
servance of the agreement that none
If the footstuffs imported by US were
to be consumed by them. The Ger
nan government has issued a gen. I
eral order that no provisions which
would in the ordinary course have
% be replaced by the relief commits
sion shall be requisitioned."
The report closes as follows:
Despite the volume of food which
las been placed at our disposal we
an provision only until Feb. Is. {
Great as has been the generosity of
he American people it is well 10
,ear in mind that if we fail after {
hat date the world will be faced t
~ the greatest tragedy it has yet {
Witnessed in the possible extinction |
# an entire nation. I
Strenuous as the efforts that we, !
'ur countrymen and countrywomen
lave made, they cannot for one mo- {
nent be relaxed If this gigantic {
catastrophe has to be prevented" t