The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-06-26
RELIEF AGENCIES
RAPIDLY RESTORE.
DEVASTATED AREA



FRENCH FRONT, June % Amer
lean. French and British civilian, arc
working m closest cooperation with
the French military and civil authorl
ties in restoring the lands devastated
by the Germans when they huriicdly
quit the lines they had held for two
years from Nuyun tu the Summc ne
Associated Press correspondent after
visiting Noyon the adopted daughtrr
OF Washington, went through the en-
tire district and observed what was
being done
Particular Localities Succored.
Others have followed the example ot
the federal capital and have devoted
their energies to the SuCyOr OF par
ticular localities For Instance the
American fund Tor French wounded
has stepped aside from ITS original
idea and taken full chargc Of the ham
let OF BchrlCourt, with It's rs remain
ing inhabitants, all OF whom were iu
the greatest distress. American women
have seen S II that all these poor pco-
pie are provided with their most ncr-
esSary requirements in the way OF food
and clothing
The Comtesse DE- Chambrannes Ia
Pallce has taken TO herself the ham
let Of Maucourt. Of which only heap,
OF bricks and stones remain, and Will
rebuild it.
Rothchld Opens Depot.
Doctor Baron Henri DC Rothchl'd
has opened a food and clothing depot
at Noyou and sends everything nccc'-
sary TO any applicant ~ any part "'
the afflicted district
All this, however, j. but a drop in
the ocean when It IS realized that there
are 2Ij villages and hamlet, spread
over the country which the Germans
before their. retreat tried 10 make INTO
desert One hundred OF these small
communities are now Just heaps ui
stones and bricks without one habltdble
room or cellar among them while ot
the remainder third were partly
demolished and the rest only slightly
$4,000 Without Shelter.
I'm this region $4,000 old men and
women and young children under IS
years were lett without shelter OF food
BY the Germans Some 1900 OF these
evacuated Immediately TO the interior
OF France where a proportion OF then
Joined relatives.
The military authorities have
grappled in a mastery way with this
vast problem which confront, them ol
providing for large destitute com
munity Immediately behind the lines
where 4 shield oi French lk5h and
steel was holaing back the Germans
from a possible return. They set 20
work tp organize the country and rs
people The first step was io provide
food and this was done through the mil
ltary commlSsariat, as there was no
means OF civilian transport OF supplies
from other parts of France
Cultivation Started.
Then came the question OF putting
in cultivation again the 10000 acres
Of agricultural lands comprised IN the
Ione II was late IN the season but a
practicable scheme va, at once iormu-
lated and put into effect The devaN-
tated country was divided into seven
sections and composed OF twenty-five
communes each III charge OF an oill-
Ger with skilled aides Horses were
lent by the army broken plowS and
harrows were repaired by motor me
chanics OF the army, seeds OF all kinds
were procured and work on the land
was begun For this manual labor was
necessary and this was found among
the many peasants and small farmers
IN the ranks
Thirty American tractors were found
lying Idle IN a depot not lar from the
stricken district and these were trans
ported to the places where they could
be most useful and put to work The
labor was dangerous owing TO the pres
encc OF mexploded shells undet the