The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-03
FRIENDS Toll AT
RECONSTRUCTION
WORK IN FRANCE
Every Phase of Relief of
Stricken People Undertake
en- by Expedition.

PHILADELPHIA little cart
biting and banging through the YET
NV haze of dusk. The man pushing
ehlnd; the woman pulling in front"
rms picture is memory today, but
ne french refugee returning to a de-
erted and uninhabited country which
ad once held his home and furnished
is livelihood, has become one of
RANGES most vital problems. Fortu.
ately, this grave question Is being
uccessfully solved by the American
friends service committee, whose
'eadquarters are located at No. 20
'outh Twelfth street, says the Record.
The Friends War Victims Relief
Expedition was asked by the French
administration to take charge of the
construction in the district between
Clermant-en-Argonne and Verdun, a
section that has seen almost continu-
,us fighting and Is nearly a complete
waste. But the French peasant, pas.
sionately attached to his home, is re.
turning to this land of hideous renoun.
despite the hardships and difficulties
that he knows await him.
Needs Of Refugees.
The returning refugee must be sup
1lied with houses, furniture, agricul.
ural machinery, garden seeds, tools
The Friends committee has taken up.
N itself the arduous burden of re.
'uilding and putting in operation forty
illages. The mission is constructing
ouses at the rate of four day in
ONE sections and ten to fifteen a
reek in other parts.
In a report submitted recently il
as announced that 225 houses had
or
mes, 200 Neuvily, rs; Aubreville
}. and many near completion in &c
Their villages. In each community
ne mission conducts a relief depart
aent, a cooperative store and med
cal hut. Many of the refugees while
way worked in the southern part OF
france and received high wages, sc
how, while they have nothing else
hey have a tidy sum of money. TIC
.hese the committee, through the CO
operative store, sells household goods
'arming implements and the necessi
les of life at cost price. Those who
lave not the means to buy their needs
he relief department supplies with
everything necessary.
Lines of Relief.
Another function Of the relief de-
,artment is the caring of the return
ID refugees until they have received
/ house With the medical depart
nent, which has installed water sup
olies, and even an electric plant at
Varennes, and the transport system
operating it's own railroad between
Aubreville and Varennes, it will be
seen that the mission is very busy
Requests for houses are received
1aily. One worker in a letter says:
L am now doing relief work in this
,illage. Every day we have a new
amily move into one of our complet
ID mission houses.
The Friends committee hopes by the
irst of October to have it's work in
France completed with the exception
IF the relief department, whose efforts
must continue for some time, until
he small towns have attained a safe
economic basis and are self-support
ing. Sufficient transportation will be
continued and the cooperative stores
will be turned over to the Co-opera
tive Departments de la Mouse.
The Friends service committee now
has over 500 workers in France, one
third Of whom are Philadelphians and
third Of that third are female work
ers. From the 900 sewing clubs con
Quoted in this country by the mission
lS3,500 garments have been shipped
abroad, and four carloads Of food and
clothing will be sent from Philadelphia
his week for Serbia. In Germany
twenty-five tons OF clothing and zoe
ons of condensed milk are being dis
ributed by the American workers in
conjunction with the English Quakers
he milk and other food supplies
Fought from the United States army
Iurplus.