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Show SAYS BELGIANS ARE SUFFERING FDR FOOD Stanley Clarke, Member of Relief Commission, Is Visitor Here. Stanley Clarke, member of the Belgium Bel-gium relief commission and formerly an attache of the American consulate at Brussels, Belgium, a brother of A. D. Clarke of the Utah Copper company, is a guest at the Newhouse hotel with his mother, Mrs. P. B. Clarke. Until the breaking out of the war Mr. Clarke was attending school at Bruges, Belgium. The war caused the cessation of his studies and the school was transformed into a hospital. Having Hav-ing a knowledge of several languages, Mr. Clarke volunteered his services at the American consulate and performed a good mission in getting a large number num-ber of American school girls out of the war zone and safely carried beyond all chances of dangor. "On August SO of that year the Germans Ger-mans came in," said Mr. Clarke, "and took the city, but being an American they treated me royally. I then affiliated af-filiated myself with the commission for relief in Belgium. " America has contributed con-tributed much to the relief of the Belgians, though not as liberally as Australia and New Zealand. The latter lat-ter countries have given about 48 cents per capita, and America's contribution is 7 cents per capita. While the Belgians Bel-gians are getting a lot of support from the allied governments they are scarcely scarce-ly getting enough to keep them alive. Their rations are not enough to keep them healthy. The responses of the countries aiding the proverty-stricken country have been quite liberal, but with such an enormous demand food goes quickly. The population of all Belgium and northern France is 10,000,-000, 10,000,-000, of which there are about 3,000,000 absolutely destitute aud fed by the commission. com-mission. ' The other 7,000,000 are not so badly off and are able to pay the cost price of food. W'e have been supplying sup-plying food, clothing and money for necessities. At the present time we have 250 ships in our service, ships from England, the whole merchant marine ma-rine of Belgium and a number of German Ger-man ships. We are the only private concern having treaties with England and France to let supplies come into Belgium and a guarantee with the Germans Ger-mans that they will not interfere with their shipment. The allied governments govern-ments have given large subsidies as well. "All the relief work is volunteered and there are 45.000 workers outside of the Belgians themselves. The Belgians Bel-gians are very fond of the American people and look to them for everything. every-thing. They simply adore the stars and stripes, and in token of their gratitude many of them are wearing the American Ameri-can flag as a boutonierre. "The people are all hemmed in like cattle in their own country. There are no raw materials and very little farming. farm-ing. The whole wheat crop, even at its best, would keep them going only one-third of a year. There are no automobiles auto-mobiles or bicycles allowed to be used. One can imagine the terrible condition of affairs among 10,000.000 people when you come to consider that you could put forty-eight Belgiums in Texas and possibly pos-sibly four in the state of Utah." |