The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-24

and December 10. In five States the
\ movement OF Organization has been
begun under State Chairmen OF the
| Women's Section.
! Some Canards.
/ everyone knows by now that the
I strict censorship over the press in all
\ the beiligerent countries has caused
! great confusion in the public mind
! concerning the issues OF this war.
( Owing to the difficulties of gathering
( accurate news, much rumor comes
/ through in the guise of truth. The
news concerning Belgian relief has
! been no exception to the rule.
/ Ii is not true, as stated in a widely
circulated interview with a German Of
fetal, that If America had not been
I SO soft-hearted Germany would have
( fed the Belgians." Germany, for rea-
sons stated before, never had any In
4 tention OF feeding the Belgian civilian
population. That interview has been
officially denied from Berlin.
! It is not true that the Germans have
been approprfating TO their own mill
u ary uses food -stuffs sent by the Amer
/ lean Commission. The members of
the commission charged with the dis
tribuiion OF american relief in Bel
GUM together with several disinter-
estc1 Investigators who have looked In
to the question, report that the Ger
mans are facilitating the passage OF
the baTges by which the supplies go
down the Belgian canpls, are giving
every assistance In passing 1t on to
tho Belgian population. and have not
so tar appropriated an ounce of food
or a pound of clothing.
II is not true, as lated In certain
press reports. that the Germans are
imposing a heavy tax on the entry of
American relief supplies into Belgium.
'ThgV In t,hgnlnt pIt free al duty
It is not ;rue that the Weather cit
liens of Belgium, we're they so dis,
posed, could buy enough food this
winter TO feed the Belgian population.
There is no money In Belgium. Rich
ana poor are alike bankrupt.
II is not true that the Belgians
could earn money to feed themselves
'if they would only go to work"
There Is no work To do. except per-
haps digging trenches and assisting
in making military supplies for the
/ conquerors Being q manufacturing
nation, Belgium depends upon imports
OF raw MARTIAL and exports of finished
material, and upon coal There are
no exports or imports. and there is
no railroad traffic to haul coal to the
factories. Existing railroad traffic
will scarcely suffice TO serve the Bel
giaI Cities this winter with enough
coal TO keep the inhabitants from
freezing.
What 10 Send.
The best supplies for Belgium In the
/ order of utility are probably about a.
/ follows. Flour, unground grain, and
! other bread stuffs. rice, dried peas.
/ dried beans. and any other dried
or cvapQrated vegetables; condensed
milk; preserved meats such as canned
! beef. ham, bacon and lard, coffee and
j tea blankets and winter clothing.
/ Flour is proba bly, better than bulk
grain. because IT can be turned into
/ food more quickly. but the Bclgians
/ have both the apparatus and la Dor for
grinding bulk grain into flour Fresh
vegetables and fruits can not, at the
/ present time, be transmitted without
great danger of spelling. Later ar
ENGAGEMENTS may be made to carry such
supplies, but they cannot he used at
present Any form OF preserved or nom
/ perishable food will be welcome; the
commodities mentioned above are
simply those which give the greatest
food value for the smallest expendl-
ture.
rhe item Of milk deserves special
mention Tho cows of Belgium were
mostly slaughtered for beef by the
Germans. Therefore, the children of
Belgium are without milk Further
more, In this period of reduced sup
mothers will have little or no breast
milk for their babies. Condensed
milk, or prepared infant foods will
satisfy one of the most pathetic needs
Blankets were generally comman-
deered by the Germany army In its
passage through Belgium The need
!, FOR blankets Is probably more imper-
ative than that for clothes, While
certain amount OF old clothing can be
used, 1t is very much better TO send
new clothing, no matter how cheap
in quality.
However, all relief organizations
should bear in nrind that food Is by
all odds the greatest necessity. The
people of Belgium can doubtless get
through this winter alive with what
| clothes. fuel and blankets they have
already They can not survive with
out food,