Iditarod pioneer., 1917-06-16
One Million Belgian Children Must Have an Extra Ration Each Day or They Are Goino to Die of Slow Starvation


 Going to Die of Slow Starvation
 This extra ration consists of biscuit made with lard or fat and cup of cocoa. That is all; but it is enough to arrest de generation of the growing child. That Is all but 1t is enough to check the ravages of tuberculosis, rickets, and other diseases that have begun to develop with appalling rapdity among the under nourshed chll dren Thqt is all; but it means the differ ence between life and death, between con- tinued vitality and slow starvation. One biscuit day! A little more, and oh, how much it isn
 One Dollar Month Will Supply This Extra
 Raticn and Save a Child
 "The appeal comes to the United States to furnish that money and save these chyI- aren. It comes from Herbert Hoover, chair man of the Commission for Relief in Bei- gium It comes from the heads of churches. It comes from American physicians lDr Lucas of the University of California Is one of them who have made examinations ot these children for the commission. It E an appeal that comes from the most distressed Hstcn on earth to the wealthiest nstlon the 1un ever shone upon.
 How in Gods Name Can Such an Appeal Be Disregarded?
 Think of it. you Americans who read this, you fathers and mothers of growing children The controller of the currency in Washington few days ago proclaimed the wealth of the United States as S220 900 .000.O00 On the first day Of the new year enc single industry-the railways had 0 I q Lo T fiIln on railway bonds For two and one-helf years Belgium, formerly the beehive of Eurcpe.' has been rescued from destruction at a cost of over S200,G00,0GO and the United States has contributed less than s9 100000 of this sum- Yet the Commis- scn for Relief in Belgium is composed al most entirely of Americans. Ii works un3ec the Amcriccn fsg. That flag has protected is workers, protected the trucks that car lied the proHsionr, protected the ships that brought them All through the towns and viliagas of Belgium the people in gratitude tool, bits of yarn and cottcn and made small American flags, cclored them with paints and dyes, pinned or seWed them to ther ragged garments. and wore them proudly weel. after week. t Is 10 America that their hearts have gone out Yet while France and | Eneland have been between them providing $7,CO0,C00 month fer the support of Bel gium, the people of the United States have contributed less than S9 9O00C00 in more than two years While scores of Americans have been devoting their whole time to the work of relief without dollar of recon pense-some of them were capable Of earn ing the highest salaries paid-wlnning for their country and their flag imperishable honor and gratitude, the support they have received from their own countrymen has been pitifully inadequate. For all the dis tressed people of Europe, Asia and Africa, according to the controller of the currency, we have contributed, since the war began, | less than one-twentieth of 1 per cent of our aggregate income. That Is to say we have diverted one dollar out of s2000 of income to the relief of such distress as the world has never before seen. And in the same time provisions for the Belgians alone have been purchased from this country to | the amount of over S100,000,000, according to the official documents of the Relief Com mission.
 '1t is not generally understood that, even in times of peace, Belgium has to import IS per cent of her breadstuffs. Even in normal conditions she produces but p per cent. The harvest of 1914 was never reaped The American commissioners all testify that those Belgians who have means have done and are doing their utmost in relief work It is "up to" America to save these million slowly starving children if they are to be saved-to give Alfons and Josef, and Geral- dina, and Achiel, and the rest, biscuit a 1 day as supplementary meal, in addition to the less than poorhouse rations they are now getting"
 Herbert Hoovers Appeal
 Before a gathering of the Rocky Mountain Club in New York recently MT. Hoover said in part:
 Our finances are in great jeopardy. As ! time goes on the situation becomes more desperate in Europe; our necessities grow greater; it is growing more and more diff cult to see our way through. Today our budget calls for about S18000000 to $19,- GOO, 900 a month, if we are not to reduce the already short food supply of these peo- pie We are receiving 4,0O0,0 900 month from the allied governments There is no hope of any increase in that, and there is always the possibility that at some stage we may lose 1t altogether. In any event, we ,are from s3,000,000 to S5,000,O0O a month short. We have to raise this money by public charity and the few financial conces- sions which we are able to secure, and we | thought that perhaps the American people