Bisbee daily review., 1919-01-02
GIGANTIC TASK. FACES AMERICA. IN WAR FIELDS.
Herbert C. Hoover, of Com mission for Relief in Bel gium, Says 60 Per Cent of Population Is Destitute
By Review Leased wlre)

CBy Review Leased Wire)
 WASHINGTON, Jan. l. Reliei
 work being carried on in northern
 France by the commission for relief
 in Belgium and the pitiable condition
 of the 100000 inhabitants of that
 section who escaped the German in
 vasion is described in a cablegram received at headquarters of the com mission here from Herbert C. Hoover in Paris.
 Mir HOover's message, made public tonight, revealed that the work of re- lief and rehabilitation in France will fall more heavily oni the commission than had been expected. fhe destruc- i ticn wrought by the German army was so complete, MT Hoover said, ! that the relief work must include not ! only food and clothing, but housing ! over considerable area.
 EnIargine Organization.
 An enlarged organization to handle the situation is being built up and sup plies have been obtained from the quartermaster's department of the American army. A large amount of secondhand barrack material also has been taken over and 150 volun- teers from the American navy are experimenting the construction of barracks near ruined villages for the inhabitants.
 Industrial life in the invaded region has been almost completely paralyzed. MT. Hoover said. Railroads have been alr hnnafacc nf racop. struction for many months, the coal mines have been destroyed and there is scarcely a slngle factory that can be operated without a very large DOT tion of new equipment.
 The commission for relief in Bel gium," said MT. Hoover's message. had hoped to surrender the task of relief of northern France to the French government immediately upon the German retreat It has been found impossible, however. for the French government to undertake the food supply of this area for some months to come, and upon the urgent request of that government, the commission has decided to continue.
 Dependent on Rations.
 After the fOur-year paralysis of wholesale and retail business, with the destruction of the principal towns and shops, these trades have disap- peared and the people are today de- pendent upon ration issued directly to them just as before the German evacuation. Until transport and trade can be rehabilitated the present sys- for hA .If tribUtion is done by the trades. These arrangements necessitate some reor- ganization of the relief work and its entire separation from Belgium.
 Twenty members of the commits sion for relief in Belgium who joined the American army as officers have been released by General Pershing to undertake this work.
 The population of this area at the moment of the retreat was about l. 500.000, there being also about 300, 900 ] refugees in Belgium who are return ing and some 500,000 refugees in | France, all of whom are anxious to . return to their native soil
 Stupendous Problem.
 The destruction of some 20 prin- | cipal towns and literally hundreds of . villages renders the return of these . refugees 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 off cial urgings and the roads are a con tinuous procession of these pitiable hnn Tu Af rl, their villages to find every vestige { of shelter destroyed and finally wan der into the villages further back from the actual battle area which are themselves already Overcrowded to heart-breaking degree.
 Tn order to remedy this situation to some extent the commission for relief in Belgium has obtained the services of 150 sailors from the American navy and is taking over large amount of secondhand barrack material from the navy and army. These barracks are in course of erection adjacent to the dstroyed villages, under the sUperin- tendence of the navy volunteers.
 "A large amount of boots and shoes and war clothing has been taken over from the quartermaster' supplies and these are being distributed to the people. The French government is to obtain some cattle from Switzerland, and horses from the various armies, which. together with the meager supply of agricultural may enable the popula- ton to get in some portion of next years crops in such of those areas as are not too badly destroyed by battle
 Destroy Industrial Facilities.
 "The entire industrial facilities of the region have been destroyed by the Germans There is single factory that can be operated without a very
 (csntinued sn Page Five)