Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-02

ions Of human beings in Poland is in
creased so stupendously from day to
day that, with communication demor-
allied. 1t ID becoming increasingly DIM
cult to gather anything like compre-
hensive summary Of the havoc which
the war is causing. It is evident from
facts now at hand that Of all the re-
gions suffering from the conflict now
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-
paralleled 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 eau
ses, has not attracted the interest that
was aroused by the plight Of Belgium.
In comparison, however, the Belgians
had an easy time in escaping the hor-
France, but with the Polanders it has
been case Of facing a gun, no matter
in which direction it's distressed might
turn. In the case Of Belgium the
sweep Of war was swift and final,
while with the Polanders it has been,
and still is, matter Of being swept
in one direction and then the other.
ThA area and population affected in
Poland is also more than ten times
that Of Belgium. considering both the
kingdom of Poland in Russia. and Ga
licia. Austrian Poland, >Aually devas-
tated by the war.
While at least BE large commit
tees are at work III the relief Of the
conditions Poland, they have I'M
like ~ lgian committees. been
nd kdicupped by th6ofact that the war
has been waged actively there ever
since the European conflict began, and
that it is even more fierce today.
In attempting a summary Of the sit
uaton, The Associated Press has been
given access to some Of the reports
made by the Central Citizens Commit
tee in Warsaw, the Committee for the
Relief of the kingdom Of Poland. and
the General Relief Committee for Po-
land in Geneva, Switzerland, and
mass of private correspondence, COW
ering mainly the period between the
first Of January and the fifteenth OF
April. 1t appears from these that out
Of the eleven provinces or govern
ments of the kingdom Of Poland. only
one. the province Of Siedlce, has es-
capped invasion. The devastated terri
tory Of the kingdom amounts to more
than forty thousand square miles. in
which two hundred cities and towns
and nine thousand villages have been
partially or entirely destroyed. Five
thousand villages have been RACED to
! the ground.
| Railroad tracks for a distance Of one
! thousand miles have been torn up
| Even the plain soil has been rendered
untit for agricultural purposes by in
Vulnerable trenches and big holes
bored into it by the projectiles OF
heavy artillery. The agricultural pro-
duction Of this part Of Poland, repre-.
senting a value of 500,000,O00 per an
mum, has been stopped in its entirety
for lack of funds, seeds, farmhands
and cattle.
| An agricultural population Of sever
million people are starving. They hide
themselves in forests or under the ru'
ms of their former dwellings having
as food only roots, bark. rind and de-
cavins carcasses of horses killed or
the battlefields.
The fate of cities and industrial re-
gions is no better. Some of them suf'
fered depopulation, some were flooded
by a tremendous wave of refugees WHIT
had deserted the fighting zone. Eight!
per cent Of this class of refugees arr
Jews.
The city of Kalisz, capital of : til
province Of the same name. which be
fore the war had population OF rle~
Nv $4,000, numbers now 10000 inIdpl
tants. Warsaw the capital of the king
dom, twice as large as Brussels, mar
bors at the present over 2Oo,ooO refu
gees.
The city Of LODI 100000 inhabitants)
the center Of the great Polish textile
Industry, twice captured by the Rus
sian and German armies, looks like
cemetery. Important industrial cen
ters like Chenstohova, Sosnoviec ant
the coal-basin of Dombrova. hav'
shared the same fate. The industrial
output Of the kingdom OF Poland, val
ued at $500, 100000 per annum. has beef
lannihilated. Three millions of peopl
earning their daily bread in factorie
and mines, are starving. The Goa
mines, though not in the fighting zone
have been flooded by the Germans TO
strategical reasons and all the cost!
machinery destroyed. The kingdom
that used all of its monthly output
&c, 900 carloads receives now less thai
100 carloads Of coal from the distan
Don basin in Southern Russia. Mean
while $4,000 miners In Dombrova ant
the adjoining mines have lost thei
work "for strategical reasons"
All commerce Of the kingdom with tn
Russian Empire has been PRACTICAL!
stopped as well on account of lack o
transportation facilities as because o
the interrupted international relations
These commercial transactions be
tween the Kingdom and the Empir
amounted for the year preceding tn
war to one billion roubles or $500 900 ,0OC
The same conditions prevail in tn
banking business. The transactions o
the big corporations. Of Mutual Credi
Associations and Of Savings Bank