The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-24
ENGLAND DECLINES
 DIRECT SUBSIDY ID
 RELIEF COMMISSION
In Letter to Hoover Sir Ed ward Grey Declares Ger man Demands Forces
 England's Action

London. February 23.-C5.4O D. m.) The British foreign office has directed letter to Herbert C. Hoover. chair man of the American Belgian relief com sidy to the commission for relief in Belgium. The foreign office explains It has taken this course because Germany has refused to stop cash acquisitions in Belgium.
 The letter is signed by Sir Edward Grey the British foreign secretary. It is dated February 22. and says:
 Dear MT. Hoover: Your return from Germany and the information you have given me as to the result of your journey affords me the opportunity to sum up the negotiations which passed between and his majesty's government in reply to the various letters you have written me.
 When the work of the commission was originally set on foot his majesty's gov ernment agreed that all food supplies from neutral countries through the com mission should pass into Belgium with out interruption for distribution among the people under guarantees given by the German government to the commits sion.
 Gave Contribution
 His majesty's government also con- tributed e10o,0o0 $500 o0o) to the commis- sion. This sum has been supplemented by grants of money from Canada, Aus tralia and New Zealand. We also were able to extend facilities which insured your shipping reaching Rotterdam, and, in certain instances, to relax in your favor our prohibitions effecting the ex- port of food and the transfer of money.
 Military consideration might be held to render such action on OUT part in advisable, but it appeared to us neces- sary, in the circumstances, to disregard such considerations. You represented to us, however that such grants were quite inadequate to your needs, since your ex- penditure for foodstuffs distributed in pure charity amounted to between 44eo,- 900 (s2,00o,oo0) and G5o0,000 (s2,5O0,o0o) monthly. You therefore asked for a subyention from our government to supplement the very generous private contributions which you are receiving from tho American public.
 We did not see our way to acccde to your request Indeed, for sometime we have regarded the whole project of the distribution ot food in Belgium with some doubt in view of the action of the German authorities.
 While respecting the food actually i'm ported by you they did not until Decem- Der accede to your representa- tions re- garding the cessation of acquisitions for the use of the German army of supplies of native food remaining available for tine civil population of Belgium. They even carried away cattle and cereals from Belgium. These exactions have now cul- in a levy of the sum of 100000 francs ($S,000,O00) a month for the whole 
 Tt is evident that under such conditions If the British government undertook thu ough your commission to supply money and food to the Belgian population the only result would be an equivalent diminu- ton of the food and supplies already there. The British government, Tn ract, would be facilitating the feeding and pay ing for the maintenance of the German army.
 Direct Grant Impossible
 Under these conditions it was impos- sble for our government to make a di- rect grant to the commission. Eventu- aiiy howvxer, his majestys government rec ognized that the work of the com mission was directed on sound lines to supply the urgent needs of the Belgian people, and had the less doubt on thls point in view of the additional guarantee by you in December from the German government that at least all kinds of foodstuffs which would need to be replaced by the commission should be free from all requisition, and in view of the assurances you were able to give his majestys government that foodstuffs imported by you had not been interfered with by German troops.
 Further, I was able to inform you last month that his majesty's government would grant the commission a monthly to enable it to carry on it's " ork, on condition that the German government would undertake to cease all acquisitions for food of any kind and all cvies and contributions of any kind what ever in Belgium, with the exception, of course, of such taxation of the people as Is admitted under The Hague convention.
 At your request this offer was not made public at the time. but you were authorized to inform the German gov of 1t. I now understand that during your recent visit to Berlin you the German government of the cxact position of affairs. but that while they consented to stop all acquisitions for food in the zone of occupation east of Client they refused to consider the cessa- ton of their pecuniary exactions, and especially the levy of 100000 francs a month, which they apparently intend to continue.
 Solely on account of this attitude on the part of the German government the proposed arrangement between his maj
 (Contfnued on Pare Ten)