The farmer and mechanic., 1915-07-06
MILLIONS ARE IN DISTRESS
Its People Worse Off Than The
BeIgians Whose Case At
tracted Worldwide Sympa-
thy and Unparalleled Gener-
osity; Swept One Way Then
Another
(By the Associated Press).


Warsaw. July 3.-The devastation
of property and the suffering of mil
lions of human beings in Poland is in
creased SO stupendously from day to
day that with communication demor-
allied, it is becoming increasingly diff
cult to gather anything like COM
prehenSive summary OF the havoc
which the war is causing. 1t is evi-
dent from facts now at hand that of
all the regions suffering from the con-
flict now so widespread in Europe,
Poland not only is the worst sufferer
at present, but that it will require
more time than any other country to
recover from the effects Of the war.
The case of the Belgians, which
aroused worldwide sympathy and un-
PARALLEL generosity for their assist
ance. is plainly not SO bad as the case
of the POlanders, which as yet has not
been so thoroughly understood by the
outside world and which. by reason of
this lack of information or other
causes, has not attracted the interest
that was aroused by the plight Of
Belgium. In comparison, however,
the Belgians had an easy time in es-
Gaping the horrors Of war by fight to
England and France, but with the
Pollnders it has been a case of facing
u 3
it's distressed might turn. In the case
Of Belgium the sweep Of war was
swift and final, while with the Po-
landers it has been, and still is, mat
ter OF being swept in one direction
and then the other. The area and
population affected in Poland is also
more than ten times that of Belgium,
considering both the kingdom of Po-
land in Russia, and Galicia, Austrian
Poland, equally devastated by the
war.
Relief Committees Handicapped.
While at least three large commit
tees are at work in the relief of the
condition in Poland. they have, un-
like the Belgian committees, been
handicapped by the fact that the wal
has been Waged actively there ever
since the European conflict began, and
that 1t is even more fierce today.
In attempting a summary Of the
situation, The Associated Press has
been given access to some of the re.
ports made by the Central Citizens
Committee in Warsaw, the Committee
for the Relief Of the kingdom Of Po
lano and the General Relief Commit
tee for Poland in Geneva, Switzerland
and mass of private correspondence
covering mainly the period between
the first of January and the fifteenth
of April. 1t appears from these tha
out Of the eleven provinces or gov
ernments Of the kingdom of Poland
only one, the province of Siedlce, ha.
escaped invasion. The devastated ter
ritory Of the kingdom amounts t,
more than forty thousand squar'
miles. in which two hundred cite
and towns and nine thousand village
nave been partially or entirely de
stroyed. Five thousand villages hav
been razed to the ground.
Railroad Tracks Torn UD.
Railroad tracks for a distance O
one thousand miles have been tor
up. Even the plain soil has been ren
dered unfit for agricultural purpose
by innumerable trenches and big hole
bored into it by the projectiles G
heavy artillery. The agricultural pre-
duction Of this part Of Poland. repre-
senting a value Of 100000, 900 pc
annum. has been stopped in it's eT
tirety for lack Of funds, seeds, farm
hands and cattle.
An agricultural population Of seve
million people are starving. The
hide themselves in forests or undI
the ruins OF their former dwelling
having as food only roots, bark, rir
and decaying carcasses of horses xii
ed on the battlefields.
The fate Of cities and industrial r.
gions is no better. Some Of them an
fered depopulation, some were fiood1
by tremendous wave Of refuge
who had deserted the fighting zon
Eighty per cent of this class OF ref
gees are Jews.
The city Of Kalisz, capital of tt
province of the same name. which b
fore the war had q population Of nea
ly $4,000, numbers now 10000 inha1
tants. Warsaw, the capital of T
kingdom. twice as large as Brusse
harbors at the present over 200. @
refugees.
Isodx Like q Ceme4ery.
The city of Lodz (k00 0NN ;rho,
taats), the center OF the great Poii