Evening journal., 1919-01-02
unnHCn MIIeT CCCn
IIUUVLn WUUI lLLU
100000 FRENCH
Reports Relief Work in
Northern France Has to
be Extended
HOUSING Is THE
MOST VITAL NEED


WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.--Work beine
carried on in northern Franco by The
commission for relief in Belgium and
Ne pitiaDle condition Of the 100000
inhabitants OF that section who escaped
the German invasion are described In a
sxblsgram received at the headquarters
VI the commission here from Herbert
x Hoover, at Paris.
Mr.. Hoover's message revealed that
tnc work OF relief and rehabilitation IN
France viii fall more heavily on the
commission than had been expected.
The destruction wrought by the Ger
man army was complete, Mr.. Hoover
said, that the relief work must Include
not only food and clothing, but hous-
ing over a considerable area.
An enlarged organization TO handle
the situation is being built up and sup
piles have been obtained from the Quar-
termaster's Department Of the Ameri-
oan army. A large amount Of second
hand barrack material also has been
taken over from the army and navy,
and i50 volunteers from the American
Navy are experimenting the construc-
tion OF barracks near ruined villages
for the inhabitants.
Il has been found impossible 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 COM
mission has decided to continue the
work
after the four year paralysis OF
wholesale and retail business with the
destruction OF the principal towns and
shops, these trades have disappeared
and the people today are dependent
upon a ration issued directly TO them,
Just as before the German evacuation.
Until transport and trade can be re-
habilftated the present system must
so on, for the French distribution Is
done by the trades. These arrange
monts necessitate some reorganization
OF the relief work and its entire separa-
ton from Belgium.
"The population Of this area at the
moment Of the retreat was about t,J00,-
900, there being also about 100000 ref
ugees in Belgium who are returning
and some 10000 refugees in France,
all Of whom are anxious to return TO
lheir native SOIL -
"The destruction OF some twenty |
principal towns and literally hundreds |
OF villages renders the return OF these |
refugees a slupendOus problem.
"Eyery effort Is being made 10 re- |
strain them from going back until some |
systematic provision for shelter can be |
completed. but they ovade all Official /
urgings and on the roads there Is a /
af s4fN N,f
bodies. Thousands Of them reach their
villages to find every yestige OF shelter |
destroyed and finally wander into The /
villages further back from the acute /
battle area, which are themselves all
ready oyercrowded to heartbreaklng |
degree.
"a large amount OF boots and shoes
and warm clothing has been taken over
from the quartermasters' supplies and |
these are being distributed. The French |
is endeavoring to obtain 1
some cattle from Switzerland, and /
horses from the various armies, which /
together with the meagre supply Of ag- |
rlcultural implements may enable the /
population to get in some portion Of /
next years crops in such Of these areas
as are not too severely damaged by
battle.
THE entire Industrial life Of the re-
gion has been destroyed by the Ger
mans. There is scarcely a single factory |
that can be operated without a very 1
large portion Of new equipment. The 4
coal mines are totally destroyed and the
net work o. railways in this region has
been rendered almost hopeless OF recon
siruction for many months.
"The German method OF destruction |
was to bend every single rail by ex-
ploding a hand grenade under it, max
ing it useless for all time. The Grand |
Canal du Nord, which connects this sec
tion OF France with the Belgian canal |
system and is the natural entrepot for
goods for Antwerp or Rotterdam. was
Itself practically the fighting line for /
months, and is so badly destroyed that \
it viii take fully a year for its COM
plete reconstruction.
The relief is based upon the al
lowance OF food to the value of about
;5 cents a day TO the destitute, those
having any resources or employment |
being required to pay. The whole ex-
tent Of the destitution is not yet known, |
but appears to be fully 60 per cent. Of |
. D. IL