The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-17
AMERICAN RELIEF COMMISSION HAS
 SPENT S65,000,00O
United States Contributes Five Million Dollars to Belgian Relief Fund.
 Banking Established

London, May 16.-The American com mission for relief in Belgium will have provided s65,000.000 worth of foodstuffs foi the Belgian people by the middle of Au- gust. Charitable contributions from America will have amounted to about s5,- 100000 and approximately the same from bulk of the food supplies, representing the remaining s55.0Oo.oO0, is being provid. ed indirectly by the Belgian people them. selves
 This is made possible by the elaborate financial machinery set up by the com, mission. enabling the Belgisss to Nti4szs their own energies and resources. Fully 75 per cent of the Belgian people are being supplied with food without recourse to charity.
 One result of the commissions opera tions is that bread is now cheaper in Belgium than in London
 Fo0dstuffs Prices Advance
 When the commission was formed last october, under the chairmanship of Her. bert Clark Hoover, 1t was estimated that the total imports required to keep the population of Belgium alive would amount in value to about $5O00o.00o before the next harvest. Increased prices in food stuffs raised the necessary amount to s6o, ,000,0O0. The greatest problem was that foodstuffs sold in Belgium to those who still had resources were paid for in paper, This money had no value outside of Bel gium and was depreciated there. The commission announced it would accept for brea adstuffs and this immediately re- stored the whole paper currency of the country to it's full value
 eeotiations were opened with the bel- ligerents for permission to set up form of exchange, whereby persons or insti- tutions abroad owing money in Belgium should turn over to the commission the amount due in sterling or dollars. The commission undertook to pay their debts for them in Belgium out of paper money received from the sale of foodstuffs. The helligerents agreed and the commission today Is the only institution doing sys- tematic banking business across enemy lines.
 Doing Banking Business
 By degrees the commission has extend ed this exchange department of it's or sanitation. It has induced many we'll to-do. Belgians to pledge their credit for moneys handed over to the commission in gold. which in turn Is paid to them in Belgium in paper, The commission also has advanced money to the communal governments, taking their obligations therefor, and by pledging these obliga- tions abroad has obtained further re- sources.
 The communes have been enabled in this manner to procure money to pay communal officers, maintain the schools and keep up municipal works
 Thus the cycle of credit was re-estab- lished and many thousands of well-to-do persons were saved from the bread line Before this machinery was set up vir- tually the whole population was depend- ont on the world s charity.
 The commission estimated that it would cost about SS,000.00O a month to support the destitute. Having complete monop- oly of the importation of foodstuffs the commission decided. to fix the price of bread to show small profit. This profit has been turned over toward the support of the destitute
 COmmunes Feed People
 Fun thermore, as some Of the cOmmunes in Belgium still had resources. the com mission decided that portion of the cost of feeding the impoverished should be imposed on the communes By these means the amount of benevolence claimed from the outside world has been re- duced largely.
 The commission has maintained the price of bread in Belgium since November 1. at an average figure of more than 10 per cent under the price of bread in London. Notwithstanding this fact. 1t is probable that the profit derived from the sale of bread by the first of August will have amounted to So per cent of as much as the benevolence of the entire world.
 The commission also has advanced money to manufacturers to employ labor and thus produce material. the exporta- ton from Belgium of which the com mission has arranged
 An the net result of these operations the Belgians although they faced fam inc. never have had tn meet it. From the middle of November to this day there has been no starvation in Belgium. no matter how destitute the individual
 oe late the commission has extended lts Woek int6 nor(hern yfance and talcan en n o1111o 1Go11lD porDona,