Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-09-20

THE provisioning department" says
the report, lis charged with the duty Of
revictualling the whole 100000 people
with necessary imports, and up to June
80 had either delivered or had in stock
over 100000 tons of foodstuffs for the Bel
gian section to the gross value of over
S45, 100000 The whole of these foodstuffs
are resold to the population through a
broad system of reticulation, and the
profit earned on these operations Is de-
voted to the support of the destitute.
Such profits have been made possible by
the volunteer executive. commercial and
transportation services, and the amount
of these profits-about s4,SooOOO to date
is the measure of the value of such vol
untary service
After referring to the work Of the
financial relief and benevolent depart
ments, the committee states that half a
million people who might otherwise have
fallen into restitution have been provid-
ed for through the remittances made
available by this department, which to
June 80 totaled about $50, OO0, 900.
Through the benevolent department.,
the report continues. 1.-The charity of the
| world and of the Belgian people them
selves is modified to the support of the
destitute, and through it over 2,75O0OO
persons are now being assisted in some
measure with food and clothing. The to-
tai resources made available to the COM
mission from abroad for the support of
the destitute was over s31 600, 600 to June
80, and the expenditure from these
sources was at that date s25,o0O0OO, and is
| now proceeding at the rate of about
$50oo,000 per month. Beyond this ex-
penditure lies local charity, now exceed
ing 100000. The Belgian people have
risen to an unprecedented emergency
with the utmost devotion, and aside from
local charity about so per cent. of the
charitable funds of the commission from
abroad are provided by Belgians and Bel
gian institutions.
THE response Of the American. British
and other people to the plea on behalf
of the Belgians has been without parallel
| in international NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
! today to nearly sl5,OOO0oo in cash, food
and clothing.
THE growing and gloomy problem is
one of unemployment. for month by
| iI'oIltI larger proportion OF the ln0uS-
trial mass of over 3.5OO,ooo people falls
further and further into restitution.
Generous as the resources placed at
| the commissions disposal are, they are
pitifully small when spread over the
! number who are wholly dependent or who
are becoming dependent with increas sing
frequency 1t will appear from this re-
| port that the commission is transmit
| ting s5,Ooo,0D0 month from the outside
world for the destitute. yet this sum
divided over those now unemployed and
destitute would average less than nve
cents per day. 1t is evident that the
| commissions work has been only supple
mental to individual resources and these
| can obviously but diminish throughout
the period of the war unless something
can be done to at least overcome the in.
/ dustrial stagnation''
| In addition to the Belgian people, the
commission also supplies the French
| population within the German occupied
territory, which number about 1890, 600
The cost of supporting these people
amounts to about 100000 a. month. and
is accomplished entirely without recourse
to charity by financial arrangements
! which the commission has instituted
whereby the towns in the occupied zone
secure loans from the banks Of Paris.