Arizona republican., 1919-01-02
RELIEF BURDEN OF
 FRANCE ON HOOVER
(Continued from Page One)

fCOIlllhucu HUH I dSt OItt and the people are today dependent upon a ration issued directly to them, just as before the German evacuation. Until transport and trade can be reha- bilitated, the present system must go on, for the French distribution is done by the tfades. These arrangements necessitate some reorganization of the relief work and it's entire separation from Belgium.
 Twenty members of the commission for relief in Belgium, who joined the American army officers, have been re- leased by General Pershing to under take this work.
 "The population of this area, at the moment of release, was about 1,500, 000. there being also about 300,00 refugees in Belgium who are returning and some 500,000 refugees in France, all of whom are anxious to return to their native soil.
 Twenty Cities Destroyed
 "rhe destruction of some twenty principal towns and literally hundreds of villages renders the return of these refugees a stupendous problem. Every effort is being made to restrain them from going back until some systematic provision for shelter can be completed, but they eVade all official urgings and the roads are a continuous procession of these pitiable bodies. Thousands of them reach their villages to find every vestige of shelter destroyed, and finally wander into the villages further back from the acute battle area, which are themselves already overcroWded to a heart breaking degree
 Tn order to remedy this situation to some extent, the commission for relief in Belgium has obtained the services of 150 volunteers from the American navy, and is taking over large amount | of second hand barrack material from l the army and navy. These barracks are in course of erection adjacent tC 1 the destroyed villages, under the su- perintendence of the navy volunteers "A large amount of boots and shoes and war clothing has been taken over | from the quartermaster's supplies, anC | these are being distributed to the peo- l pie. The French government is en- l deavoring to obtain some cattle from | Switzerland and horses from the various armies, which, together witt | the meager supply of agricultural i'm l plementS, may enable the population | to get in some portion of next year, crops in such of these areas as are no | lUp Dduiy DS bdlllt.
 Industrial Life Paralyzed
 The entire industrial life of the re | zion has been destroyed by the Ger mans. There is scarcely a single fac | tory that can be operated without { very large portion of new equipment The coal mines are totally destroyed and the network of railways in thi! region has been rendered almost hope less of reconstruction for many months The German method of destruction wa to bend every single rail by eXplodin: a hand grenade under it, rendering i useless for all time. The Grand Cana du Nord. which connects this sectiol of France with the Belgian canal sys tenn, and is the natural entrepot fo goods from Antwerp or Rotterdam was itself practically the fighting lin for months, and is so badly destroyet 1 that it will take fully year for it complete reconstruction.
 The relief is based upon the allow ance of food to the value of about 8 cents per day to the destitute. Tn whole extent of Restitution is not ye known, but appears to be fully 60 pc cent of the people"