Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-05
sTUPENDOUs WORK IS
NEEDED IN BELGIUM
Reconstruction Of Hun-Dcstroyed
Country Will Require Large
Means.
FOOD SUPPLY is STILL SCARCE
During furnishing Years Under Kai-
scr's Rule Death Rate Greatly Ina
creased, Due to Weakened Condi-
ton OF Hungry People.


ton Of Hungry People.
by PATRICK OFLAIIERTY.
Written Before Signing of the Armis-
tice.)
LONDON, december 6.-The rcpatria-
ion OF the thousands of Belgian refu-
aees in England will not begin. prob
ABLY, until next spring.
mere Is at present too much disease
IN Belgium for repatriation to begin
There will probably be passports for
Few Belgians TO return to their ma
i've country. now that the Hun has
GRr nic;s II under the pressure OF the
beislan and other armies. but only a
rev Belsians will be allowed 10 return
vii be only those whose presence IN
nc-sS>um is essential for the planning
OF rcconstruction. >,
The Germans had no SOONER been
forced out OF Ostend than Belgian refu-
gees began to thronG Belgian head
quarters in London dema ndInG permits
applications were turned down.
For Belgium, as the Hun is cvacuat-
ing 1t. Is a great sore on the face Of
The Belgian people have remained
sufcrinGs, but only those who have
seen the cities and towns left by the
1ermans know what n stupendous pro-
"ill have to be achieved before re-
patriation can. begin on any scale.
have talked TO a number OF BeIgians
Who have. returned from their native
and within the last day or two. Here
arc some OF the facts they tell me.
respecting present-day conditions:
HUN HAD CLEANED
OUT KITCHEN-LARDERs
Ono from a town Of some 1000 per-
sons near Mons, which, before the war
was an industrial community. said that
reserves OF any kind. The Hun had
taken them all. The people had lived
for the relief Of Beleium1 ration Atom
which is half living ration.
Ever SINCE the Hun occupied the land
me {. r. b. ration has frequently had
10 be eaten In advance, so that fam
ilies in awaiting their semiweekiy
food in the house for Whole day a,
time. AS a general rule two scani
meals were eaten and the families went
supper The women and Older children.
who were not admitted to the c. Il. b.
soup ration. suffered especially from
part OF their bread ration TO the
father who, needed II 10 have strength
for his daily work. The men. especial
~ the miners. were In greatly weak
ened. and emaciated condition. due to
the fact that their work was using up
their bodies faster than their scant
food allowance could make uD for the
lost energy.
When one considers that before the
;itude Of meat. butter and eggs. ate
twice as much bread as he has eaten al,
any time during the war. with prac..
other foods. thc suffering which he has
endured becomes apparent.
have just heard too. Of an inves-
Company OF charleroi. This Company.
whieh has IS FURNISHED Iis its services in no
OF the war. has spent millions of francs
in the form of special indemnities and
It's ast yearv rs goe sbews
tina, for the three months OF the year.
without any epidemic. the mortality
AS that for the, same period in the
year 1913. that the physical resistance
10 sickness had cut down to one-th!rd
the normal resistance. i. e. that three
times as many men were on the sick
and disabled list. and that the aver
age weight OF its workers. except the
per cent who arc growing young men.
had made an astounding drop.
POWER or RESISTANCE
Since the beginning OF the war IS
each. It's report brings out further
startling facts; It's high mortality rate
longer had the physical resistance TO
asht of even such simple ailments as
the grippe.
One OF my informants tells me that
on recent morning he was at Mons.
where a group OF twenty workmen's
he Sas a heF ei he 4 ssoFs
member. Their leader was woman
whose face showed strength and char
she broke down completely before the
,ypiiied the suffering in the Hun-held
At Mons. a town before the war Of
10000 persons: the number of deaths
has been doubling ycarly since the war,
despite the reduction in the population.
The country-wide weaknesses which
are following the wake OF the food
scarcity VIII sho% for
OF the people who are left In Belgium.
The prograss OF tuberculosis has taken
an alarming turn in the last few
intensified by. the arrival. especially
sou the and soppous pars of
French refugees; The French arriv-
ing at t. MONS Nc and Chartered have been
GUM without appeal to her invader.
and in a wise between the Huns and the
allies, has been in an extremely doll
the everlasting credit Of her people
that. despite the underhanded cam
paiEn OF anti-English propaganda
ried on in its efforts to ALLEVIATE the
Walloons from the Flemish peoples,
the Belgian morale us maintained it
self beyond reproach. Resistance to
submission, quiet but merchandising,
has never slackened. This would be
evident to any one who has had the
opportunity TO learn at first hand OF
tho stern night put up by the PROV
inces of Southern Belgium against Hun
requistion of men. The town Of Tour
nal paid 100000 francs rather than
COUGHS and COLDS