Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-31
BELGIAN RELIEF
WELL ORGANIZED
IN SECOND YEAR
Enough Food Delivered Every
Day 10 Keep Nine Million
People Alive; Resources OF
Country Sadly Depleted

Rotterdam. brussels and belgian pro-
vincial offices Of the commission FOR
the relief Of Belgium, a correspon-
dent Of the Associated Press WAS PRIV
iloged 10 witness the preparations Tor
the fccond winters campaign OF the
huge relief body.
During its first year Of existence II
delivered into Belgium ana northern
France enough food 10 keep nine NIL
lion people alive involving an APP
prcximatc expenditure Of eighty mil
lion dollars, which provided almost
one million tons of provisions, WIN
the result that the population Of Bel
gium is today In better than ils nor
mai health after one year on the
commissions rations Not a single
person has died Of starvation In Hel-
GUM or northern France. There mas
been none of the diseases when re-
suit from underfeoding. and there =
ample justification for the recent
statement OF President Wilson that
tho lives of millions of people nave
been saved.
EsAtIN UiNt HVNFF'lf iii' A''.t'f
sources Of The country become more
and more depleted, particularly ID
the national livestock, for which inc
must import Fodder if the
country is not soon ia be entirely de-
nnded Of these necessities. rms
means much heavier importation of
food. AT the same time the charita-
bic purse Of the world is getting lean
or while the fighting governments
are getting more bitter in their form
Of warfare and less inclined To turn
a ready ear to cries Of civilian dis
tress and with heavy demands on
their war chests the possibilities of
government subventions Tor
the work Of relief becomes more re-
mote. Less and less becomes the
resources Of the Bel9ians
themselves while the difficulty is due
to the scarcity of shipping and az
present there is little indication Of
any remedy for this situation. Bel
GUM Is purely a manufacturing coun-
try. importing practically all of her
food and raw materials except coal.
Sixteen months of blockade have ex-
haustcd most 81 the raw material,
hence the growing length Of the bread
line. Not only have four and one
half million Of belgian work people
no means with which to buy bread,
but tholr spinning mills have run out
of material aftcr having run two days
weekly for the pas year SO clothing
rs well as food 1AustA be imported.
Every bleak December day with an
increase in the bread line brings an
even greater proportional increase of
The destitute in need of clothing.
Magnitude Of Operations.
The figures for the month of Oe-
Icher will give some idea Of the mag
nitudo Of the commissions provisions
ing business The following amounts
IF food in IONS were delivered during
Tho month. Wheat $1,000, lard 2,050,
bacon $3.50, rice 1000, maize 1900,
1900 tota. sale value being
81, 202, 600. The price charged by the
commission to district committees
per pound was Wheat 2.9i cents
lard 12.S cents, bacon i5.2 cents rice
}.7S cents. maize 2.43 cents. District
add a small margin to
over the incidental cost of milling,
he fixed price of white bread being
1886 cents n pound The total profit
If the commission for the month was
ST ,060,20i. The total purely benevo-
lent expenditure was S4,82S,l15, di-
yidcd as follows. Labor and purchas-
I'd material for clothing department
$3fa.7S5. which does not include val
tie of contributed material amounting
to approximately another hundred
thousand dollars; subsidies TO various
committees S4S3,3aS, sub
sides TO communal committees in
food and cash to the destitute, $3,-
627 900 This expenditure came from
the following sources. profits proNl-
sioning department Sl,050,20l, gen
aral gifts 10 the commission S456,000,
by credits from Belgian in
abroad S2,S16.91i. Bal
anee of receipts from food sales were
used in payments to financial relief
ana commercial exchange. All OF
the commission supplies are issued
only through ration cards and It is in
teresting to note that people not IN
possession OF these cards paid during
October the following prices Flour
II cents pound, bacon and lard 50
fents, butter rs cents.
In the head offices Of the commits
sion the correspondent saw innumer-
able reports from the New York,
Buenos Aires and Rangoon offices
showing that the volunteer helpers IN
those places never lose an opportun-
Ity to buy in the lowest market while
on quality goods SO that the
commission can sell TO the well-to-do
in Belgium with good conscience at
price which means immediate aid for
the bread line. A large staff in the
London office is kept busy chartering
ships on a scale only riNalled by the
governments. In Rotterdam
the steady regular arrival of from
seven to nine large steamers weekly
Is witnessed. These are unloaded by
the latest labor saving devices, and
the cargoes are transferred TO canal
boats for 1875 different destinations
within Belgium. All of the offices
visited by the correspondent were fill
ad with keen young Americans. who
walden through oceans Of reports.
papers and complaints as il
they had been doing such work all
Iheir lives
\mcficanS Source of Wonder.
Tho adaptahility of the Americans
10 do this work is a source OF unend-
ng wonder To the Europeans who
come in contact with them. A COM