The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-15
War Relief Commission Tells
of Terrible Conditions In
Stricken Land Overrun By
German Army
Help Of Germans
Is Not Mentioned
Not A Word In Report About
Aid Being Given Suffering
Belgian.-Food Supplies
Are Not Paid For But Re-
ceipts Are rendered

New York, Feb. I4.-For every
belgian in trench, hospital,
ARSON or a grave OF wandering home
sess in Holland. France or England,
eleven Belxians remain on their native
sou. crushed by tho breaking seas or
German invasion and conquest.
A war that has killed or exiled ooV,-
600 Belgians. has left 2.ooo,ooo IN
.asted land to live without the means
" life.
That ,s the picture drawn by the
War Relief Commission of the Rookie
Teller Foundation, sent abroad last NO.
| vemnsr ito investigate the effects OF
the war upon on-combatant popnls-
tons of belligerent countries TO see
what is left.
wickiiffe Rose. whose world tour
and study were the prelude to the
foundations fight against hook worm
disease in many countries. Ernest +.
BickneiI. secretary OF the American
Red Cross. and Henry James Jrr
MA mayer OF the Rockefeller Institute
for Medical Research, were the COM
missioaers.
Magnitude Of Problem.
IF one is 10 understand the Belgian
problem IL Is necessary to emphasize,
nos the restitution OF a few hundred
Thousand. DhL 19S A8uNS,hff thAhSNtA
ina ctlyity Of strong and healthy ma
ton Of s,00e o0o.' they say. This In
what makes the Belgian situation a
thing without parallel in history.
Essentially the problem is not one
OF repair, but of liberation. IT the
paralysis in restrictions imposed by
the war were removed TO-DAY. thc
country would rebound from It's heip-
less inertia tomorrow, resume most OF
It's normal occupations and soon be
able TO feed. shelter and ciothe III
own sufferers.
.tf tho repression continues many
months however, the elasticity Will
ssssf.. aaa-the- country WILL rise DIX
slowly from Its PROSTATE position.
The report is dated January ana
the ak weeks since have probably al
rynnced Belgfunt's Inert state step
nearer rigor morris, Only the re-
marks dealing with the effects OF war
were made public today
Cling TO Their Homes.
h ST IN surprising 10 see with what
tenacisy people cling TO the remains
az their homesteads; family OF six,
for instance, living for more than two
months In a pig-pen. ten feet by
twelve. The filth about this pig-stye
makes one wonder how the family had
escaped sickness so long. They camp
In every kind OF remnant of shelter.
WE found people living In cellars
under the ruins OF their homes. in lofts
49, 49,. hnrn ;r bar coons and mig
~. "a ,sarnaa ~ one man who con-
49, nne go, - ,-ss do,nr we'll when
s,ae.eu tn.t VIC no,,i,rv honse
~. p"p $1,000 from ,wanty-two TO
eighteen refugees.
Tho universally OF the calamity
automatically distributes the burden.
Tanarts NV ~ rent ara
though sahaaoras are aie. err, s, i,,pd'
lsnru. ."e s.n.,,,s $780,
e va a1cnhoi,.r, has bae,
49, ,ah,s .ra 81, NJ rsyh,
~ 10 .,nnsar,ent .ra roncourse
piso ~ Ia 80, n,,a has ~ he
- homo early
..rhn u,ife of coal miner who Is
nau worL,ng haif time said that her
Avsh.na 10 giving her as much money
go II al sorts ~ wavs the i'm
rsaS,ata ,oad ,s heinc diyided and ap-
ar+sor.a ~ tha f,,t,,re,
German RECOMMENDATION.
ryardIv a word occur, as 10 the Ger
nav adYninistration Of Belgium. but
fhc details given by the commission
rrs seem to show that the Germans
are doing nothing, beyond enforcing
y few rules of military law There
+ not vestige anywhere In the re-
mort of the exercise OF German or
ranIzing power. Belgium seems 70 he
- helplessly informed as the Water
land al her North River pier. Col
lapse'' Is the commissioners word for
the condition. and again they say:
"Modern society has obviously
evolved itself around highly complex
mechanism for transport. communica
Nom and exchange. In Belgium this
n1echanism has been completely an