Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-05-14
Men Who Fled Before
Central Powers Armies
Drift Back.
STEAM PLOWS WORK
AND PEACE REIGNS
Cows, Pigs and Chickens
Redistributed: Women
Taking Part.

Correspondence of The Associated Press
AIISII, Serbia, April 15.-GreaI
~ numbers OF Serbians who fled
before the advancing armies of the cen.
tral powers last fall and winter are re-
turning to their former homes. Most
OF the returning fugitives come from
districts along the Montenegrin and
Albanian frontiers. over which they
found it impossible to accompany the
retreating army, and most of them
also are of the urban class, as the
rural Serbian population for the most
part remained at home.
Several carloads of the returning
Serbs pass northward every day.
largely destined for Belgrade, and
they seem cheerful enough at the
prospect of getting back to their old
homes. Owing to the lack of rolling
stock. they are obliged to travel in
freight cars. but with the warmer
weather the discomfort of this is miti-
gated So far comparatively few
young men have returned. The
armies of occupation are doing what
they can to assist in the repatriation.
Farms Rcjuvcnatcd.
The Serbian farms, which have
been badly neglected since the out
break of the war. are now being cul-
tivated. The Germans and Auslro-
Hungarians have brought numbers of
steam -plows into the country. and the
soldiers are everywhere at work,
plowing and sowing. Some of this has
been so long uncultivated that a Wig
orous stand of scrub oak has con-
quered II.
The Serbian women are doing their
part in the agricultural work. The mil
itary commanders lave effected a re-
distribution Of the country's livestock
by acquisitions in those parts not af-
fected by the war and most of the
households again have a cow. some
pigs and chicken. MIX and eggs can
be bought everywhere. At Nish milk
costs about ten cents a liter and eggs
IS cents dozen. Meat is scarce but
Tread may be obtained in any quaint
ity and without bread cards. The
women and children look well-fed but
most of them are poorly dressed.
Women Gratificd.
Several women with whom the AS
sociated Press correspondent talked
said that they were glad the war had
passed beyond Serbia's borders. They
wanted to know when their men
would return. None had any news Of
them. 1t was immaterial to them,
they said, who governed Serbia in the
future provided there was no more
war. one young woman in city dress,
however. held different views and eX-
pressed them in fairly good French.
A year ago Serbia was in the
clutches OF terrible epidemic of ty-
phus, typhoid fever and other dis
eases. These. it is asserted. have been
completely wiped out. The occupa-
ton troops compel the population to
obey the sanitary rules established by
the military authorities, with the re-
suit that Serbian villages have never
beer so clean. The mud of decades
has been carted away. and the streets
have been covered with gravel and
crushed rock. Sanitation in the home
is effected through thorough inspec-
ton.
Civil Rule Prevails.
Civil government has already been
esta ablished in the Austro- Hungarian
and Bulgarian spheres in Serbia and
the Bulgarian territory in Macedonia,
hut the districts held by the Germans
are still under military rule. because
1t is said. no permanent occupation Of
the district is contemplated. Railway
traffic and postal service are in the
hands Of the military authorities, but
the Serbian population is permitted to
use them. Schools and churches have
been reopcned in many parts of the
,tv-.-