New-York tribune., 1919-02-17
Crops and Cattle Stolen
and French and Belgian
People Left to Starve
No Penitence Expressed
Relief Work Cited as the
First Joint Enterprise of
the Future Allied Powers

PARIS, Feb. 16.-Reviewing the re
lief and food conditions in Northern
France and Belgium in an address be
fore the Circle Volnay last night, Her
bert Hoover, United States Food Ad
ministrator and director general o1
the inter-Allied relief organization
said
ut was about year after the foun-
datlon Of the Commission for Relief in
Belgium that any other systematic at
tempt was made at food administration
in the world. This commission also
represents the first inter-Allied opera
tion which embraced the United States
for its financial support and admins
tration in the joint effort with France,
England and Belgium. Its enterprise
is of considerable volume, as its trans
actions now exceed 100000, 900 francs
($1 1000, ,000,000).
New Problem After Armistice
subsequently, the spread of the
food shortage in the world ultimately y
endangered the supply Of even the Al
lied governments themselves. and
again there was Allied action in its
solution. The whole situation of the
Allied world has now passed, but the
enormous food problems of 200, 900 900
people now dominated by Germany.
81 have recently revisited the devas-
tated regions Of Northern France and
Belgium. There is no man, even without
personal experience of one and one-half
years of German rule, who could pay
a mere casual visit to Northern
France and Belgium without expert
encing renewed fire Of Indignation at
the men and forces which brought
about this appalling situation.
1T Is now four years and three
months since l first came into contact
with the people of the invaded regions.
At that time my American and Bel
gian colleagues had established the re-
lief Of Belgium, but there came on
situation of the French population un-
der German CONTROL
"The Germans, in defiance Of every
canon of international law and moral
lty, even human decency, had taken
from the French population their har-
vest and cattle, and the French women
and children were combing over the
awful heaps in the German camps.
Agreement With Berlin Reached
with the backing of the American
ed with the German government. bv
which it was undertaken that there
should be no Interference with the dis
trlbutlon Of foodstuffs, that there
should be protection Of the products of
the population agreements which read
well to the world, agreements which
We're often carried out in the letter.
but never, except under pressure car
RED out in the spirit, which involved
years of constant complaint, pickering
pressure and intervention bv neu+ral
despite the depth Of feeling 7 have
IN these matters, I am not prepared
10 say that the German race is beyond
redemption, that 1t is not our duty to
endeayor to build up that people TO
1ne decency of membership in the
league of nations. There is, perhaps.
one step outstanding to-day in their
progress in that direction more lack
ing than any other, and that is total
abstinence from any expression of re-
great. If the seventy millions of Cor
mans were to shed the tears Of Niobo
for the next thousand years thew could
not wash away the human misery for
which they have been responsible in
Helglum and Northern France alone.
When the United States came into
""i ~ Was necessary tor the ra-
llef commission to retreat out of the
north of France and secure the as
5lstance of neutrals. By that time the
organization had been built up mil
1t required no Intervention in its ad-
features, but merelv
guardianship. ''S
Upon the retreat of the Germans
ana the freedom of this population, a
truly appalling situation has faced The
Administration in France. Here was q
population which could not even be SeS
With the rudments Of subsistence
through any ordinary means of distri.
oution:: There was no possibility Of
ne rehabilitation of Wholesale or ro-
an trades. of the food manufactures
@hlch were maintained in the ordinary
lie of the people.
Tho task of tho care of the neon1a
md OF the reconstruction of the North
$ $ appalling. The Preparations Of Of
'lans, OF projects, of means. of matariol
~ which reconstruction can be con-
'tltuted on an enduring basis take
lme for development. But in The
meantime the population must bave
very care. There is depth of human
misery that requires urgent remedy
lay by day in temporary shelter ana
heo'cal attention, as we'll as food"