Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-09-16
SENT s80,O0O,000 TO BELGIUM
Ten Months Work of American
Relief Commission.
Unique RecOrd-Savcd Government
S75O,OOO at Panama aud Lost
ss1.10 from His Own Pocket.


ss1.10 from His Own Pocket.
The total value Of the food and other
relief supplies sent into Belgium by tho
commission for relief In Belgium since
the commission was organized. 10 months
ago. Is more than $s000,0OO. according to
statement issued from the New York
office. Up to the first OF July. or the
end OF the first fiscal year of the COM
missions activities. there was sent to
belgium for the relief Of the non-comba-
tant population of the country 3C6, I37 tons
Of flour, 1875 tons cf rice, 40,GsO tons OF
corn. 15.5iG tons of peas and beans and
other supplies, the total weight OF which
was 423,5S3 tons.
In addition to the supplies sent to Bel.
gium the commission has since the first
of April last been feeding the destitute
pcople of the Gprman-occupicd territory
of France These French sufferers num-
Der more than 10000. More than ST.
10000 pounds Of supplies have been sent
to that part OF France. Also about 10000
tons of food has been donated to relief
WORK IN tlle tITdlu DutHy VI -
Some persons are like Job Hedges-the
largest sum of money they can talk about
inteligcntlv Is $500 says the New York
Post. a person so constituted mas no
place in the room in the northeast corner
of the nineteenth floor Of Il broadway
where sits Edward ]. Williams. assistant
treasurer Of the commission for relief
In belgium. a page from the notes or
reporter who has spent 10 minutes in
that room would read something like
this:
Belgium ,.............'.'.''''.'. 'siV'"''"'
Belgium ..............'..'...''''.' '3'V"'vo
United states .......'.'.....'''. 9'""'V'
canada 2,NO,cC)
, ENGLAND $500. 600
Guaranteed monthly by France
and England ................... 5,VUV)
| -For transportation.
And mixed in with this heavy diet of
ciphers will be found others. such:
Monthly disbursements for Bel
GUM Observation-Disclosures. sl",VV'Vo'
! Monthly disbursements for Pan
| ANA Canal Observation-Disclosures. 2,WUVc
| Disbursed in ten years at Pan
anna Observation-Disclosures. ouVV''V"
So ii is something Of q shock as well
as a relief to find hidden away in all this
stately company the simple entry:
| Lost. .$S1.l9.
! That much is simple to understand
For those who wish to knew just no"
everything is being done and how the
! funds for the relief Of unfed and UNI
clothed Belgians are being administered,
It may be said that since Williams join
ed the commission its accounts have
been audited at the end Of each work
ing day, and the questions that puzzlc
them NAV be best answered by reference
TO the auditors sheets. But for those
who are Interested in men as we'll as
methods the modest little ssl.l9 entr%
serves far better than the longest column
of impressive zeros.
HE HANDLED MILLIONS.
Like all those In active charge Of tn"
commissions work, Williams is only a
loan exhibit" When the work began
to pile up and the business Of feeding
and clothing a whole nation presented
problems that no one could have for
seen, the commission began to hear calls
for relief within its own ranks The
treasurer Alexander J. 1Iemphill, was
signed as chairman of the board Of d.
rectors of the Guaranty Trust company
1t was impossible for him to continue as
treasurer without q competent assistant
So the commission sought an assistant
1t found one in Williams, who wa
treasurer Of Chicago concern which does
a business of s35,0noo0 year In railroad
and automobile supplies Now, beine
treasurer Of a Chicago railroad and auto
mobile supply concern that does S-5OD'o'
worth Of business a year may be no NEAR
accomplishment. but il was not that alon'
that qualified williams for his new Job
The thing that counted most was hi'
record as chief disbursng officer for tn
United States during the construction o.
the Panama canal-and now we ar
getting back 70 that $Sl.l9.
! Williams was sent down to the Cana
Zone in 1903 to try and stop a leak which
was costing the government as much Il!
all the slides of Culebra put together
THE United States had been paying IT.
canal workers Thorough the local bank.
of Panama, and the Banks were charging
! per cent for their services. The pay
roll was big one. and per cent. was
we'll 1t was per cent. Figure II out fol
yoruself.
BY means Of an accounting system
devised by himself, Williams put stol
to all that With the aid of the post
office authorities money-order system
was established. and the government nc
longer sent it's cash to the bankers. but
direct to Williams who was personally
responsible for its disbursement. Millions
of dollars were paid out without an err
ror of so much as one cent, and IT mas
been estimated that the saving in bank
ing fees to the government amounted &c
more than 100000
CHINESE GOT THE sS1,l9.
During nearly 10 years OF the Williams
regime at the canal the pay roll amounted
to approximately s3oo,1oo0, yet the
actual cash used was S6,0O0ooo The mail
order system enabled the workers to turn
! their pay-or part Of it-over to the
lpostoffioe authorities. and in this way
millions of dollars earned by workers or
the canal were sent back to homes In al
corners of the globe at cost of only
Il few postage stamps There was but
one slp-up in the system That was when