Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-01-14
BELGIUM VISITOR
TELLS OF MISERY
All Industries In Country at
Complete StandstiII.
ONE BREAD LINE OF 225, 900
Americas Offerings Systematically
Distributed Where They Do the
Greatest Good-AlI Old Clothes Rem
ovated Before Being Given to the
Homeless and Hungry Children.


Pittsburgh. j. Rogers Flannery,
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 have visited it since the
famine situation developed.
II entered the country by way Of
Antwerp" declares Mr.. Flannery. Il
found that Antwerp itself had suffered
comparatively little from the lombard
ment. There were only 200 or 800
houses destroyed, but the suburbs are
in bad shape. We drove through town
after town which had been rendered
practically uninhabitable by the fight
ing. The worst damage we saw was
at Malines, which has a population of
about 10000. 1t was in awful condi-
ton, and there was great suffering
Cardinal MERCER is looking after the
interests of the poor there as we'll as
he can. A few days before we arrived
he sent word to Holland that the peo-
pie were on the verge of starvation,
and the commission for. relief in Bel
GUM managed to get a small emergen-
cy supply through to them.
when we got off the cart they
crowded around us, begging for money
and help. This was an unique eX-
perience, l may say. We were very
little bothered by beggars. The peo-
pie are taking their hunger and des-
titution quietly and silently. | do not
remember that ! saw single tear
shed in all my observation of Belgium.
They seemed to stand, numb and de-
spairing, waiting for some one to come
and feed them.
when we arrived in Brussels we
found that 225,OO0 people were being
fed daily from twenty-five food sta
of the commission. This does not by
any means comprise the entire popula-
ton 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 to pay for it in some
manner. The American wheat is is
sued under a strict system of account
ing to the bakeries, and the money SO
obtained is turned back into the treas
ury to buy more food However. it
seems to me only question of time
when all but the very richest citizens
of Brussels will be supplied by the
bread lines.
Il never saw work so scientifically
done as by the Comite National de Sc
cours ct d'Alimentation, the Belgian
body which is taking charge of the ac-
tual distribution of food. Perhaps this
is not astonishing considering that the
very ablest people in Belgium are CIV
ing their whole time to this work. The
each province has it's own commission,
which receipts for all goods received
from the general committee. The pro-
vincial commission then distributes
the supplies among the different towns.
each of which has committee of it's
own. These town committees make
the individual distribution.
"Brussels. for instance, is divided
into twenty-five relief stations. Every
applicant must apply to the station
nearest which he lives. The local com
mission gives the applicant a card,
which states his name, address and the
number of members in his family.
Each member of the family is entitled
to $50 grams of bread and half litre
can Of soup a day. The rations are dis
tributed at appointed hours. when the
applicants appear with their cards at
the stations and receive as many ra-
tons as there are members of the fam
lily. The card is marked or punched
like a meal ticket. to guard against
'repeaters,' and the committee also
keeps a record on a 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
l witnessed was the work of the cloth
ing department at Brussels. They
were handling both new and second
hand clothes. Some of the wealthiest
women in Brussels were working at
this job like day laborers. They are
giving work to hundreds of poor wom-
en- by paying them for knitting shawls
and stockings. They collect all the
clothing possible. and the minute care
with which they inspect it is lesson
to American charitable associations.
They go over all the contributions and
throw away those garments which are
in bad condition. The rest of the
clothing is repaired by competent wo-
men. 1t then goes to the disinfecting
department. where it is rendered COM
pletely sterile. Finally it is cleaned.
niles ~ cooondhop nd olnfhipo xUhich