The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-24
ENGLAND DECLINES
 DIRECT SUBSIDY TO
 RELIEF COMMISSION
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estys government and the commission
 must be regarded as having broken down We shall, of course, maintain our gen. eral favorable attitude towards youl work and our offer of financial support will remain open in the event of the German government receding from its present position with regard to their levies in Belgium
 'sBut for the moment the idea of a direct subvention out of the government funds toward the charitable work of the commission must remain in abeyance.
 T cannot conclude this letter without expressing our appreciation of the gener- osity of the American people and of the admirable organization established by the commission which alone have made this work possible. The people of this country, l am sure. recognize In your work a prominent example of the quali- ities of efficiency and public spirit which distinguish the many neutral services being rendered by Americans in Europe at the present time. F. GREY"
 Hoover Disappointed
 Mir. Hoover. In reply to the letter, issued this statement tonight:
 ''The commission deeply regrets that it's hopes again have been disappointed in finding some lack of accommodation between the bellgerents by which the financing of It's most difficult section, that is. benevolent side of the commis- sion's work, would have been in a great measure assured The failure of this particular negotiation does not alter the fact that 100000 people in Belgium must be fed, nor that there are 1,500, 900 ab- solutely destitute people in the country, nor that the number of destitute people will increase by 250000 before the next harvest.
 "rhe commission took up the task be- cause both sides denied responsibility for feeding the nation, and we always have heen confident that sooner or later some basis of general accommodation could be arrived at between the conflicting powers Although we have received much direct and indirect help from all the beligerents in our work, we started our work originally with little resource except faith that the world could not and would not allow these people to die We do not purpose to lay down our bur den simply because no remedy actually is in sight.
 Immense Problem
 "The very immensty of the problem itself must yet bring solution. Had it not been for the stream of food supplies we sent into Belgium during the last four months the decmation of the people al- ready would have set in. From one source or another of philanthropic financ- ihg we have delivered into Belgium $15,- )Co'000 worth of food and have another Flz,o00O0 worth on the way Yet we have in our ships and our warehouses supply Tar short of enough to tide over the peo- ple until the next harvest.
 The rise in the value of food and the gradual exhaustion of the native supply If wheat and potatoes necessitates our requiring the enormous gross income of T,3O,o00 monthly in money or food, of | which $2,b00,000 is required to feed the | destitute whom we now have on our lards. and $5,0O0.000 of which is required 70 buy food for resale to those who can still pay. We have. with the good will | 'f the various governments involved and | with the help of the Belgian banks and l institution. more or less satisfactorily de- | reloped method for converting the