Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-05-22
AMERICAN RELIEF IN
BELGIUM NOW BETTER
PREPARED FOR THE WORK

attack at sea. they were able to charter
SHIPS and obtain rates at less than
normal. This cargo, in due time ar
rived at Rotterdam and was there dis
charged into lighters which are under
time charter to the commission. These
lighters are towed down the canals
from Rotterdam into Belgium and dis
charged into one Of the five milling
centers in Belgium. The flour mills in
these five cities are operated on behalf
OF the commission. whereby the COM
mission agrees to pay for the labor
and actual cost of operation. The
wheat Is milled into so per cent -four
and 70 per cent bran and the bran Is
sold to the municipal diaries to feed
the cattle and thereby maintain the
cycle OF milk supply for the baby can
teens. The -four Is again loaded into
lighters and is distributed into pro-
vincial warehouses Of the commission.
From these warehouses 1t is again dis
tributed into REIMBURSEMENT ware
houses" The communal authorities
come to the reimbursement warehouses
Tor their supplies. The communes pay
IN cash to the reimbursement managers
the stipulated prices Of flour, and hav-
ing removed it to the communal ware
houses there begins one of the most
interesting phenomena in the detailed
measures taken to secure absolute
economy and justice in the method OF
distribution. In the case Of flour, in
the first instance, the joint organiza-
lions required the communes to secure
from all of the bakers a complete
list OF their customers. These lists
were compared with the communal rec
ord and definite number of persons
are assigned to each baker for him to
supply with bread. The baker Is put
In bond to supply 1926 grammes Of good
bread made from no other material
than that Of the commission Gin order
to prevent adulteration) daily to each
adult customer, and at a price fixed by
the commission. For this purpose he
received daily from the communal
I warehouse $50 grammes of flour per
adult. The communes sell the flour to
the baker at the same price which
| they pay for it. The baker is COM
PEELED to sell the bread to his Gus
toners for the same price that he pays
for the flour. but, inasmuch as bread
made from $50 grammes of flour in
creases to 325 grammes Of bread, by
virtue of the water incorporated in
baking, the baker thus obtains a small
margin Of profit with which to pay his
workmen. Any contravention by the
baker of the minute rule set down
means the punishment Of having his
list Of customers assigned to some COM
petitor.
The same system applies to the
handling Of other materials. On the
benevolent side, those who cannot af-
ford to buy their bread from the baker
or their groceries from the grocer, APP
ply to the continual authorities. and,
on investigation, are given tickets on
the communal stores. These tickets
equal certain ration per head in each
family per diem. The communal store
is stocked with foodstuffs partly i'm
ported and as stated above, partly pur-
chased locally by the communes from
the cash partially supplied to them by
the communes. In addition to the
handling of the imported food supplies
the commission now handles a consid-
cradle amount of internal food prod
uce, as it has been necessary to buy
potatoes in some portions Of Belgium
and send them to other parts. aside
from the very large quantity Of pota-
toes now being imported. The COM
mission recently purchased 5000 tons
Of coffee from the stores Communicated
at Antwerp and has re-sold this
throughout the country.