Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-15
BELGIAN COMMISSION
TELLS OF WARS EFFECTS
Rockefeller Foundation Makes Public
Report OF Its Investigators
Findings.
WITHOUT PARALLEL IN HISTORY
Highly Organized Community Finds
Itself I'm Condition Of Collapse.
Strong Nation Suddenly Expert
enceS Enforced Inactivity.
Especial to The Times Dispatch. ]

Especial to The Times Dispatch1
NEW YORK, February LITTLE
Rockefeller Foundation has received
from its War Relief Commission sent
last November to Investigate the eff
fects OF the war upon noncombatant
populations OF boll!gerent countries. a
! report Of tho effects Of the war In
| Belgium. Tho commission is COM
posed of WickliTe Rose. chairman
! director general of the international
Health Commission: Ernest p Bick-
nell. secretary of the American Red
/ Cross Society. and Henry James. Jr.,
manager of the Rockefeller Institute
! for Medical Research. That portion OF
| the report. dated January l, 1915.
! which deals with the effects Of the
| war. Is as follows:
! There are some 100000 Belgian
refugees in concentration cnmps or
| private homes In Holland to-day. In
! England thcre are 100000 refugees.
The San Francisco fire burned out
10000 people. and the total population
! or the city WAS about 100000 The
| population OF Galveston was about l5,-
| 600. The number OF people who are
! sun In belgium. bu, who have been
driven out Of their homes In one way
! or another. has not yet been estimated.
Yet. II ono is to understand the
belgian problem. 1t is perhaps neccs-
sary TO emphasize, not the restitution
OF few hundred thousand. but the
! suddenly enforced inactivity of n
| strong and healthy nation OF 1000 600.
rms Is what makes the Belgian situa
! ton a thing without parallel in his
| tory.
! essentially. the problem is not one
| or repair. but OF liberation II the
paralEzing restrictions imposed by the
| war were removed to-day, the country
would rebound from it's helpless inertia
| tomorrow. resume most of It's normal
occupations and soon be able to feed
shelter and clothe Its own sufferers.
N the repression continues many
months. however. the elasticity will
suffer and the country will rise but
Slowly from Its PROSTATE position.
| This fundamental difficulty has to he
recognized. even II it cannot be re-
moved. In order that other things NAV
De seen In their right perspective.
i. Transportation. Communication and
| Banking.
The condition Of collapse in which
This highly organized community finds
itself to-day will be readily imagined
II the following features OF the ,tt j..
uation are enumerated:
The use of the telegraph and tele
phone Is denied to tho population alb
soiute'y. There Is no internal mail
service and no communication with
the outer world except by letters pass
ing through German channels
III man wants to go from one
town TO the next, he must usually get
special pass. He may have to spend
hours In doing this. This is one rea-
SO" why americans. who are allowed
! 10 move about more freely. are being
useo 10 distribute food supplies. Rail-
ways arc working for the Germans
| only.
"obstructions placed in some OF tho
canals have not yet been removod
Many Of the local electric RAILWAYS ora
running and the highways remain: but
most of the draught animals have been
requisitioned. Automobiles arc not al
lowed to circulate.
The reserve OF coin in the hank
and great part OF the negotiable
| securities were removed In advance of
the invasion. The issue OF paner
money by the national bank has been
| stopped, but many towns and com
muhes are issuing promissory notes
good within their own borders.
German acquisitions arc paid for.
not In money. but by receipts. which
are said to be often of the most in :
formal sort. Even paper money is so
scarce In Belgium that the German oc-
cupation has had to exert its arbitrary
authority to maintain the exchange he
tween marks and francs at to 1925.
Banks have either closed or limited
payments to very small sums Saw
ings bank depositors cannot draw
enough to buy one weeks necessariea
for workingman's family. Rich peo-
pie arc unable to liquidate any of their
assets tunless through Germany. per
haps). and may be literally pcnniless.
Modern society has obviously
evolved Itself around n highly com.
! pick mechanism for transport. COM
munication and exchange. In Belgium
this mechanism has been completely
annihilated.
2. Commerce and Industry.
| Commerce and industry are thus at
standstill. Tho only tradespeople
who do any business are those who sell
| FOODS or clothing All government