Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-01-14
All Industries In Country at
Complete StaadStiil
ONE BREAD LINE OF 225, 600
Americas Offerings Systematically
Distributed Where They Do the
Greatest Good--AIl Old Clothes Rem
ovated Before Being Given to the
Homeless and Hungry Children.

Pittsburgh. j. Rogers Flannery.
chairman Of the foreign trade commits
sion of Pittsburgh. who has just re.
turned from three months trip to
Europe, reports that conditions In Bel
GUM have not been exaggerated by
journalists and other American OBJ
servers who have visited it since the
famine situation developed.
II entered the country by way of
Antwerp" declares Mr.. Flannery. II
found that Antwerp itself had suffered
comparatively little from the lombard
ment. There were only 200 or 800
houses destroyed. but the suburbs are
| in bad shape. We drove through town
after town which had been rendered
practically unlnhabitable by the fight
| ing The worst damage we saw was
at Malines. which has Il population OF
about 10000 1t was in awful condi-
ton. and there was great suffering.
Cardinal MERCER is looking after the
interests of the poor there as we'll as
he can. y few days before we arrived
he sent word TO Holland that the PEG
pie were on the verge of starvation
and the commission for relief in Bel
GUM managed 10 get Il small emergen-
cy supply through 10 them
"When we got of the cart they
crowded around us. begging for money
and help. This was an unique ex-
perience ! may say. We were very
little bothered by beggars The PEG.
pie are taking their hunger and des-
titution quietly and silently | do not
remember that | saw a single tear
shed in all my observation of Belgium.
They seemed TO stand. numb and de-
spairing. waiting for some one to come
and feed them.
when we arrived in brussels we
found that 225.00O people were being
fed daily from twenty-five food sta
tions esta bished under the auspices
of the commission This does not by
any means comprise the entire pOpua-
ton Of greater Brussels These are
only the ones that are absolutely out
of funds. All the bread consumed in
the city comes from the commissions
supplies but those not In the bread
line manage 10 pay for ii III some
manner The American wheat is IS
sued under a strict system OF account
ing to the bakeries. and The money so
obtained is turned back into the treas
ury TO buy more food However 1t
seems TO me only Il question OF time
when all but the very richest citizens
OF Brussels will be supplied by the
bread lines
Il never saw work so scientifically
done as by the Comite National de Sc.
cours ct dAlimentation. the Belgian
body which is taking charge of the nc
tual distribution of food Perhaps this
is not astonishing considering that the
very ablest people in Belgium are Civ
ing their whole time TO this work. The
country is divided into provinces, and
each province has its own commission,
which receipts for all goods received
from the general committee The pro-
vincial commission then distributes
the supplies among the different towns.
each of which has II committee of its
own. These town committees make
the individual distribution.
brussels. for instance. is divided
into twenty-five relief stations. Every
applicant must apply to the station
nearest which he lives The local com
mission gives the applicant a card,
which states his name. address and the
number OF members in his family.
Each member of the family is entitled
to go grams Of bread and one-half litre
can of soup a day. The rations are dis
tributed at appointed hours. when the
applicants appear with their cards at
the stations and receive as many ra-
tions as there are members of the fam
ily The card is marked or punched
like meal ticket. 10 guard against
'repeaters,' and the committee also
keeps record on n duplicate card of
the number OF rations issued 10 each
applicant.
milk is distributed to all children
under three years of age. To prevent
adults from taking the milk meant for
the children the children are brought
to the station and consume the milk
there
"One of the most interesting sights
! | witnessed was the work OF the CLOTH
ing department at BRUSSELS. They
were handling both new and second
hand clothes. Some of the wealthiest
women in Brussels were working at
this job like day laborers. They are
giving work 10 hundreds of poor wom-
ell by paying them for knitting shawls
and stockings. They collect all the
I clothing possible. and the minute care
with which they inspect II Is a lesson
to American charitable associations.
They go over all the contributions and
throw away those garments which are
in bad condition The rest OF the
clothing is repaired by competent wo-
men. 1t then goes to the disinfecting
department. where IL is rendered COM
pletely sterile. Finally II is cleaned.
saw piles OF secondhand clothing which
had received this treatment and which
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