The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-17

reason there was often a curious ignor- ance amongst the hundreds of thou sands of people in the occupied territory as to what were the real occupational functions of the Americans who lived with them during the invasion, many thinking that they were merchants en- gagged in the sale of food.
 When the United States came into the war it was necessary for the relief com mission to retreat out of the north of France and secure the assistance of neu- trals. By that time the organization had been built up until it required no inter- vention in it's administrative features, but merely suardianship.
 T am happy 10 say that there never has been case or even a suggestion of dishonest dealings. Beyond this from the point of view of the administrator there has been that fidelity to duty, that carefulness as to detail and conciseness of thought and action which should stand out as monument to the abilities of the French people for all time.
 APPALLING SITUATION
 Upon the retreat of the Germans and the freedom of this population, a truly appalling situation has faced the ad- ministration in France. Here -Ss a population which could not even be fed with the rudiments of subsistence through any ordinary means of distri- button. There was no possibility of the rehabilitation of wholesale or re- tail trades, of the food manufactures which were maintained in the ordinary life or the people.
 The occupied population, after four years of endurance, has come out alive and in good health. It is, however, suffering from very natural mental apathy, and it will be months before 1t recovers its initial activity, that ac- tivity of mind and self-reliance so in- herent in the French people. You can not expect men who have suffered years of Imprisonment under continu- ous cruelty and terror to resume their mental activities, their energy and abil- ities in their daily tasks until they have had a period of acclima tization to their new surroundings and a grad ual resurrection of courage and initia- tive. The consequence is tha tthe pop ulation In the north requires not only physical assistance, but moral stimu- lation and leadership for gradually nursing them back through convales- ence.
 "The care of the people and of the reconstruction of the north is appall- ing. The preparations of plans, of protects, of means, of material by which reconstruction can be constituted on an enduring basis take time for de- velopment. It requires the assembling Of vast finances and material, and no people will accomplish it with the thor oughness of the French.
 This ultimate result is vital. but in the meantime the populatio must have every care. The Anglo-Saxon mind nat urally tends to a solution of the prob lems of the day, and, if I am allowed to make one suggestion it is that there is need of more Anglo o-Saxon adapta- bllity to the temporary measures pro- jected for northern France today and during the next six months. There is a depth of human misery that requires urgent remedy day by day in tenn porary shelter and medical attention, as well as food.
 DENUDED OF CATTLE
 "One of the first acts of the Ger mans was to denude the people of Bel guim to very large extent, and the north of France almost wholly, of their cattle. In consequence it has been necessary to maintain stream of con- densed milk and other food especially for children for the whole of the last four years. The European races are absolutely dependent for the rearing of their young on their cattle. There is no cruelty to the population greater than to rob them of their dairy stock Nor can the herd be restored over night. It takes years to rebuild the herd by breeding up from a few foun- dalton animals.
 "If there is one reparation which the Germans should be compelled to make above all others, it is that they should be required to return in actual cattle the dairy herds in the north of France and Belgium. It is not sufficient that they should pay for the cattle tES.y have taken. Children cannot be nursed on money"