The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-02-06
BELGIUM VISITOR
TELLS OF MISERY
EAll Industries n County al
Complete siandsill. !
ONE BREADILIHE OF 225, 600

Amoriea'o otfsrinss systematically
Distributed Where they Do tho
Greatest Coed ola Clothes Rem
eyassd sstore ssins Given to tho
4 Homeless and Hungry Children. II
Pittsburgh. Rogers Tlannery,
chairman OF the foreign trade commits
sion of Pittsburgh. who has just re-
TURNED from a three months trip to
Europe. reports That conditions In Bel
GUM have not been exaggerated by
journalists and other American OBJ
servers who hays visited Il since the
famine sitpatlotf Developed.
II entered the country by way Of
Antwerp, declares NJ Flannery. u
found that antwerp itseif had suffered
Comparatively little from the lombard
ment. There were only 200 or 900
houses destroyed, but tho suburbs are
in bad shape We drove through town
after town which had been rendered
practically untnhabltahle by the tlglit.
Ing. Theswotst damage We saw was
at Malines, which has q population OF
about 10 900. II was In awful condi-
ton. and there was great suffering.
Cardinal Mercler 10 looking after tho
interests of the poor there Ms well a.
he can. a few day s before we arrived
he sent word to Holland TINT the poo
pie were on the verge OF starvation.
and the commission for relief In Bel.
GUM managed to set u small ernergen-
cy supply throughYto them.
when We got OF the cart they
crowded iaroundI us. begging for money
and help. This was an unique OK
perience. 1 may say. We were very
little bothered by beggars. The peo-
pie IRE taking their hnnser and des-
tttution quietly and silently. = do not
remember that I saw d single tear
shed in all my Observation Of Belgium.
They seemed to stand, numb and de-
spairing, waiting sforisome, one to come
and feed them.
when We arrived In Brussels wo
found that aa5. 900 people were being
fed daily from TWENTY-FIVE food sta
tons established under the auspices
Of the commission. This does not by
any means comprise Che, entire popula-
tlon of greater Brussels. These are
only the ones that are absolutely out
of funds. All the bread consumed in
the city comes from the Commissions
supplies. but those not In the bread
line manage 70 nay for IL In some
manner. The American wheat is Is
sued under a strict system Of account
ing togtheS bakeries, md the money so
obtained IS turned buck into tho treas
ury to buy more food. However. st
seems to me only question OF dme
when MI but the very richest citizens
Of Brussels will be supplied by tho
bread lines,
Il never saw work SO scientifically
done as by the Comite National lie So
cours ct d Naturalization the Belgian
body! which Is, taking charge of 'flle nc
tuai .dlsttipntionsof food Perhaps this
ttsSnotl astonishing considering that the
very nblest people In belgium are CIV
ing their whole time TO this work. The
country sisg divided into provinces. and
each province has IFS own commission.
which receipts for all goods received
from The general committee. The pro-
stvincial commission then distributes
tho supplies among the different towns.
each Of which has q committee OF its
ewn. These town committees make
the individual distribution.
Brussels. for instance. is divided
into twenty-five relief stations. Every
applicant must apply to the stntion
nearest which he lives. The local COM
mission gives the applicant a card.
which states his name. address ind the
number Of members in his family.
Each member OF the family is entitled
to $50 grams OF bread and one half Hire
can Of soups day. The rations ARE dis
tributed at appointed hours. when tho
applicants appear with their cards at
the stations and receive as many rn-
tions as there are members OF tho fam
ny. The card o. married. or punched
like "A meal ticket. to guard against
.repeaters. and the committee also
keeps a record on duplicate card Of
the number Of rations issued to each
applicant =
milk is distributed to all children
under three years Of age. To prevent
adults from taking the milk meant for
the children the children are brought
to the station and consume the milk
there.
Zone OF the most interesting sIghts
U witnessed was the worI; Of the cloth
ing Department at Brussels. They
were handling both new and second
hand clothes. Some of the weaithiest
women In Brussels were working at
this job lie day lahorers. They arc
giving work 10 hundreds OF poor wom-
ensby paying them for knitting shawIs
and stockings. They collect nli the
clothing possible. i.nd the minute care
with which they inspect II Is a lesson
to American charitable associations.
They 20 over MI the contributions and
throw away those garments which are
i'm bud condition. The rest OF the
clothing Is repaired by competent wo-