New Britain herald., 1915-02-24
SUBSIDY FOR BELGIUM
 REFUSED BY ENGLAND
Will Give No Money for Relief Owing
 to CeIlnaay'S Cash Demands.

London, Feb. 24.-The British for eign office has directed letter to Her bert c. Hoover, chairman of the American Belgian relief committee. the commission for relief in Belgium. The foreign office explains it has taken this course because Germany has re- fused to put stop to cash acquisitions in Belgium. The letter is signed by Sir Edward Grey, the British foreign secretary. It is dated February 22 Text of Letter.
 Dear MT. Hoover:-
 Your return from Germany and the information you have given me as to the result of your journey, af- ford me the opportunity to sum up the negotiations which passed between the commission for relief in Belgium and his majesty's government in re- ply to the various letters you have written me.
 When the work of the commission was originally set on foot through the United States and Spanish ambassa-
 
 giain government, his majesty'se gov- ernment agreed that all food supplies from neutral countries through the commission should pass into Belgium without interruption, for distribution among the Belgian people under guarantees given by the German gov ernment to the commission.
 Fund of $5OO,0OO.
 His majesty's government also contributed 10000 pounds ($5OO,OOO) to the funds of the commission. This sum has been supplemented by grants of money from Canada, Australia and New Zealand. We also were able to extend facilities which ensured your shipping reaching Rotterdam and, ill certain instances. to relax in your fla vor our prohibitions affecting the ex- port of food and the transfer of 
 Military considerations might be held to render such action on our part inadv1sa ble, but it appeared to us necessary, in the circumstances, to disregard such considerations. You represented to us, however, that such grants were quite inadequate to your needs, since your expenditure for food stuffs distributed in pure charity to between 100000 pounds ($2,O00,000) and 50O,OOO pounds (s2,- 5O0,0OO monthly. You, therefore, asked for a monthly subvention from our government to supplement the very generous private contributions which you are receiving from the American public.
 Viewed in Doubt.
 We did not see our way to accede ! to your request Indeed, for some time we have regarded the whole | propect. of the distribution of food in l With some doubt, in view of the action of the German authori- i ties.
 While respecting the food actually imported by you, they did not until December accede to your representa- tions regarding the cessation of re- quisitions for the use of the German army of supplies of native food re- available for the civil pop ulation of Belgium. They even car ried away cattle and cereals from Belgium into Germany
 They also levied large monetary contributions upon the cities and communes in Belgium. These ex- actions have now eliminated in a levy of the sum of 40,0OO,O00 francs (S8,000, ,000) per month from the whole country.
 "It is evident that if, under such conditions the British government undertook through your commission to supply money and food to the Bel gian ppulation, the only result would be an equivalent diminution of the food supplies already there. The British government in fact, would be facilitating the feeding and paying