Bridgeton pioneer., 1916-06-15
REFUGEES CROWD
FRENCH CITIES
Government Now Caring For
Nearly a Million Persons.
LIVE ON Is CENTS A DAY.

Included Among These Are $4,000
BeIgians and 1900 Servians-Others
Come From Fortified French Cities
Near Battle Lines-Some Earn Own
Living.
Nearly a million people, the exact
figures being 92S,OO0, who have been
driven from their homes are scattered
throughout France and draw allow.
ances from the government, half the
number being under sixteen years of
age. The greatest number, 762, 900,
are French, refugees from the invaded
departments, from the fortified towns
which could no longer keep useless
mouths" and from the danger zone of
the front. The Belgians number 143,.
600; Alsace and Lorraine have sent 12,-
600 and Servia 1000.
In addition to these refugees who
need state aid, there are about 10000
who have means of their own, but
these decrease as their means become
exhausted.
The first class of refugees to be aided
was the useless mouths from for
tresses like Maubeuge, Nerdun, Toul
Epinal and Belfort. Before the war
had lasted fortnight $4,000 Of these
had to be provided with homes else
where
After the battle of Charleroi and the
rapid onruSh of the Germans 11J.000
Belgians and French had to be sent to
the rear, and when Paris was threat
ened with an attack early in Septem-
ber $4,000 who had built homes within
the zone of the capitals Notifications
had to be moved.
Live With Private Families.
Refugees were first installed in emp
ty buildings, schoolhouses, etc, but it
was soon found that some regular prtt-
ciple must be adopted, and every fam
lily not touched by the war was called
upon to receive refugee family, the
state paying the expenses.
The battle of the Marne slackened
the inflow of refugees for q time but
when operations moved to the north
the number became so great that they
had to be moved not only by train, but
by ships, which carried them from
Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne to La
Pallice, whence they We're distributed
among the southwest departments.
Many families who had been taken to
Germany from the invaded districts
were returned via Switzerland and had
to be provided for
The money aid given to refugees has
been fixed at the same rate as the al
lOwance made to the wives and fami-
lies of mobilized soldiers, 25 cents a
day for each adult and 10 cents for
each child under sixteen.
When refugees had settled down and
could earn something by their labor a
difficult question had to be solved 1t
would manifestly be unfair to suppress
the grant of a poor woman who could
only earn, say, % cents day, and vet
those who could earn q living wage
(and it must be remembered that the
war had caused great demand for Ia
bor) could not expect to receive a grant
In addition. The question was left to
the prefect of the department to decide
with the aid of three members of a
committee formed to distribute aid in
kind the gifts of private individuals,
beneficent societies, etc. No hard and
fast rules were laid down, but any ref
ugee who without valid excuse refused
any offer of work which was properly
paid and suited his or her capacities
had the allowance suppressed.
Many refugees have found well paid
work in munition factories and have
thus been able to maintain themselves
and cooperate directly toward their re-
turn to their old homes.