The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-03

establish in this situation were hopeless
ly insufficient. Ultimately, we secure,
the support Of the allied governments
and now, after 500 weary days, we lool
back on an expenditure of some $3.50,
100000 of which $30,000,000 have beer
from charity, and of which America ha,
found under $9,000,000."
Altogether we have created struc
ture composed of over 5000 committees, ;
continued Mr.. Hoover. sour organization
now represents volunteer service OF
some $4,000 people. We buy our owr
material, we employ from fifty to seven.
ty cargo ships at all times, and these
ships fly the flag of the commission for
relief in Belgium and this is to-day the
only flag at sea that is immune from at
tack or seizure We employ hundreds
of tugs and railway cars. We operate
warehouses, mills, factories, and month
ly distribute 220,000,000 pounds of bread
and 20,000,000 pounds of bacon and lard
| 100000 cans of condensed milk, beans,
corn, coffee, sugar, and thousands of tons
| of other commodities. Our departments
every month consume the wheat prod
uct of nearly 100000 acres of American
| lands.
TO insure efficiency we have asked for
and always received the advice and gra-
tuitous service of the worlds greater
commercial houses and banks and ac-
countantsand TODD experts. The monument
of our efficiency lies in the fact that the
bread sold in Belgium to those who can
pay has always been from Is per cent
to 20 per cent cheaper than in New
York City.
ITO assure the integrity of our or
lganizaton, we maintain bureaus of ac-
counting, audit, statistics, and inspec-
tion, covering the whole range from New
York and Buenos Aires to the last viii
lage in northern France and Belgium.
Beyond all these questions, we have
had to take direct or indirect control
over the native food supply of the coun-
try. With all the resources we could as
semble there could be no hope of main
tanning this population alive unless we
could reduce their food consumption by
at least so per cent, and to do this we
must directly or indirectly control every
mans food. In fact, we must repress
consumption down to the absolute crust
upon which the human body can main
tain an existence in health Such a re-
duction of consumption must be accom-
panied by rigid adjustment of good
supplies to various classes, rigid JUS
tice in distribution to each individual,
lest if some obtained more others might
starve
"Such an instance as this lies in the
feeding of the children. From early in
the work special meals in public can
teens were provided for the babies and
mothers but in July last year the physi-
clans of the country reported to us an
alarming increase in glandular tuber-
culosis among adolescent children. We
Immediately instituted an investigation,
and developed the fact that the grow
ing children of the industrial and mid
dle-classes were showing signs Of under
nourishment and that we must find and
apply immediate remedy. We turned
to the public schools, to the teachers
organizations, to the use of the build
ings and we installed daily meal to l..
100000 school children as an extra and
supply, in extension to the
100000 babies 10 whom we were already
giving special food. This extra service
costs over a million month on to our
burden and we asked America to help
us in this for the children, but with
poor response.
Eve never have seen day when our
finance was certain for sixty days ahead,
nor in two years time when our con-
tracts did not exceed our assets from
five to twenty million dollars. The Bel
gian relief is haunted in every dark
hour by the grim tragedy Of possible
failure.
Americans opened the door to Bel
GUM and have founded and sustained
this enterprise in its administration and
in its political phases. We felt that it
was the national duty for America who |
stood out unframed in this vast swelter
TO keep alight the lamp of humanity. /
Of the S250,000,000 spent in this work |
approximately S30O00000 has come to
our hand from the public benevoence
IF the world and less than S9000,o00 |
IF this sum has come from the Ameri- |
an people. And with the exception of |
me great gift of 100000 it has been
he little rills of charity of the poor to-
wards the poor. The great bulk of this
has been furnished by the
lllied governments and has been debited
o the Belgian government or to the COM
nunes in northern France which have
'eceived its benefits. They have vet
o repay all of this expenditure and they
assume this burden cheerfully and with
he dignity of free men.
"Of this vast sum of money we have
.pent over $l50,000,000 in the United
states in thepurchase of supplies and of
his sum America has made war prof
t of at least S30,O00,o00. Gentlemen,
europe has begun to take stock of us.
We laid claim to idealism, devotion
o humanity and TO great benevolence.
"This has wider import than mere
CURES Time and time again when the
DOR to Belgium threatened to close We
ave defended its portals by the asser-
ion that this was an American enter
rise, that the sensibilities of the Amer
AN people would be wounded beyond
leasure, would be outraged, if its work
rere interfered with. Our moral strength
as been based upon this assertion.