Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-02-03
MAGNITUDE OF RELIEF WORK.
ship Load, Value Half Million, Gives
People Only Two Meals.
columbia Record, 29thD

John B. Reynolds, travelling repre-
sentative Of the national committee
Tor RELIEF in Belgium, who spent
| Thursday in Columbia, conferring
with b. w. Ravcnel, chairman. and
! other members Of the South Carolina
central committee. in discussing the
scope Of the work in hand, said:
''The magnitude Of the work con-
! fronting the commission for relief in
! Belgium may be understood when we
consider that we are practically en-
| listed for the war TO save 100000
| people, and that the work of relief
must continue at least until summer.
when there is hope that an early crop
may tighten the burden. Meantime.
America is furnishing the greatest
| commissary in the history OF the
| world. We are trying to feed seven
millions from base of supplies three
to five thousand miles away. The
numbers to be fed exceed those of the
combined French and British armies.
ALREADY the commission for relic
in Belgium has 80 steamers under
charter and constantly carrying smr-
plies. The work of relief calls for
the dispatch OF a loaded sh:p "ycry
i"cHnd day. a shiplOad Of provisions.
representing cost Of a half million
dollars or more, is good for only four
meals. BY pipcing out carefully the
commission so far mas been able to
give Two meals daily to the hcluless
people, but in some districts where
there is lighting days have passed
"Hho0t the distribution Of a meal.
Tia" tremendous number to be fed
ami he long length of time over
Whj"H relief work must continue in
dictate the v2stneSs OF this work.
Other responses to appeals OF SUI
fcrtn@ people, hotably in our own
country-GaIvCston Johnstown, San
Francisco and Dayton-have been
Spasmodic and generally over-sub-
scribcd; but this relief work re-
| quires months Of steady contribution
ANA nation-wtd" organization. Rail
, roads, express companies and $4,000
! post Offices are aiding us.
"The powers at war have dnsignat-
! cd the commission for relief in Bel
/ %ium as the sole clearing lousn for
| all Rclgium relicI. On this account
/ we were able to establish a pipeline
| system Of transport direct from New
/ York to Rotterdam. The other day
eight steamers at one time were trail
ing each other all the way across the
ocean, each Of them 10. ded W,!S-ith
Americas food for Belgium. At the
same time an equal number of
steamers were returning enrpty of
everything but the gratitude of the
brave people, while other steamers
were loading in New York and un-
loading in Rotterdam.
~ wish to correct the impression
that has been falsely circulated re-
garding the Germans hirdering our
relief work. This is not so; they
have co-oHcrated with us in the dis
tributior of toOd--and in cases
where soldiers have been quartered
in families that receive aid. the Ger
mans have been scrupulously careful
TO pay for any supplies their soldiers
took in that way. In fact, it might
be said, in their desire to expedite
this relief work, they have leaned
backward to be straight All the
powers at war have united in expc-
diting our relief ships, which are al
lowed to cross the ocean absolutely
without interference.