The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-28
Says Herbert c. Hoover's Resourcefulness As Head of Relief Commission Averted,Unparalleled Desz titution Throughout Bel gium.


 The Remington F'Oremen's club brought it's series of meetings to close last night with a whir1wind finish that has whetted the appetites of the members for what is to come when the season opens again after the summer
 Dr. Horace Fletcher, famous for his views on food and nutrition, for his work on the Belgium Relief Commis- sion and for years a worldwide Tav- eIer threw many side lights on the European war and explained some in l4ereSting features of the great catas- trophe which far have been left untouched by the war correspondents
 He paid a tribute to the genius Of | the American people by announcing that of all the wonderful exploits he had seen abroad none had so impress ed him as the establishment over might as it were, of the Remington Arms Works. There was nothing in Europe,'' he said that equalled this feat of American enterprise.
 I Belgium, confident in her resources and expecting as did most of the European people that the war would fbe over within six months, had made lplies and in due course began to suffer from the keen edge of famine ''1t was due to an American Dr. F1et- Fcher said, Herbert c. Hoover, a fla E1nous mining engineer then stationed in London that unparalleled destitu- ifion did not prevail
 MT Hoover who had established by his own efforts and largely by his own 1neans an emergency loan office for fhis stranded fellow countrymen in Europe, had shown himself such a master of organization in relief mat ters that he was petitioned to take lcharge of conditions in Belgium which then threatened appalling disaster and ruin to hundreds of thousands of des- gtitute people. A commission was ap- pointed for the purpose of which he was chairman, assisted by Captain Luce, and by their efforts and the aid of wireless te1egraphy large quantities .ef wheat were diverted from vessels then at sea to the port of Rotterdam and thence distributed to the needy 4Be1g1ans.
 A system of economic ratfons was also established and by sf1rewdness energy and foresight added to the highest principles O" phi1a nthropy, the people of unfortunate Belgium were saved from what threatened to be ut ter extermfnation by famine. This stupendous work too was done by mer who considered themselves amply re- warded by the good that they had done Funds poured into their hands from all parts of the civilized worlt and were administered at the extra. ordinary low overhead cost of les. tlla1 one per cent.
 Probably the most distressing sit nation oe the war was coincident wit the retreat of the Russians througl Poland. They burned everything be fore them and passed on leaving tn destitute people behind to be buffete again by the pursuing Germans Something providentiaI always seem to intervene to prevent annihi1atio1 in straits such as these and in thi case it was potato crop. The DO tatoes safe underground, escaped tn general devastation and saved the live of the unfortunate Polanders.
 The Belgians are doing a great dea to help themselves. They are re sourcefuI and energetic and too prou to accept aims without offering to re fund advances. They had great re sources outside the country and dre1 upon these to repay whatever hal been loaned them so far as the mean 0ras in their power.