Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-27
IGRAPPLE WITH PROBLEM
OF REPAIRING DAMAGE
American. French and British Civil
ians Aid in Restoring Land
Devastated by Germans.
MISERY IS SEEN EVERYWHERE
Hundreds OF Villages and Hamlets
Laid in Ruins, While $4,000 Old
Men, Women and Children Are
Without Shelter or Food.
correspondence of Associated Press ]

s tCorrespo ndence Of Associated Prcss.1
FRENCH FRONT. June l1.-Amer-
lean. French and British civilians are
working In closest cooperation with
the French military and civil authori-
ties In restoring the lands devastated
by the Germans when they hurriedly
quit the lines they had held for two
years from Noyon TO the Somme. The
Associated Press correspondent after
visiting Noyon, went through the en-
tire district and observed what was
being done. others have devoted their
energies TO the succor OF the particular
localities.
The Comtcsse De Chahrannes La
Pallice has taken to herself the ham,
let OF Maucour1, OF which only heaps
of bricks and stones remain. and will
rebuild it.
Dr.. Baron Henri De Rothschild has
opened a food and clothing depot at
Noyon, and sends everything necessary
to any applicant in any part OF the
afflicted district
All this. however, is but a drop In
the ocean. There are e42 villages and
shamlets spread over the country which
the Germans tried to make into a
desert. One hundred OF these small
communities arc now just heaps Of
stones and bricks while of the re-
nrainder one third were partly de-
nolished and the rest only slightly
In this region $4,000 old r,en and
[w SEoen and young children under fiji
tee N years were left without shelter
|or TODD. Some 1900 of these were
|sent srnmediatcly to the interior of
|Ftanc where proportion of them
|joined. relatives.
|GRAPPi sE.. WITH PROBLEM
IN NiASTERLY WAY
The will Mary authorities have Crap
}pled In a nasterly way with the vast
1p,oblen VII dch confronts them OF pro-
|yfdingSfor a large destitute community
hmm ediately behind the lines. They
set toi work 10 organize the country
and its people. Tie first step was to
provide food, aE1 this was done
Through the mil ital v commissariat as
there was no me ans of civilian trans
port Of supplies fl ON other parts of
France.
Then came the question OF putting
In cultivation again i.he 100000 acres of
agricultural land com priscd in the zone.
The devastated coui TRY was divided
into seven sections ;and composed of
communcs each in charge
of an sofficer with skill led aids. Horses
were lent by the arm V. broken plows
and harrows we're rel aired by motor
mechanics OF the arm v, seeds of all
kinds were procured, Il; nd work on the
land was begun. Fur tn is manual labor
was necessary. and this was found
among the many peasants and small
farmers in the ranks
Thirty American tractors were found
slying idle in depot not far from tho
stricken district. and these were put
ito work.
In this way about 1000 acres have
been plowcd and sown with grain and
grass, and another $500 more plowed
and cleared of weeds. while with the
help Of American. English and French
4 donors. every family has been provided
with seeds and roots TO form n truck
garden. with the result that sufficient
produce is expected 10 make the COM
munity self-supporting.