Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-02-17 | Page 25 | Belgian Laborers Receive Low Wage

BELGIAN LABORERS RECEIVE LOW WEE Many Are Suffering, but Plan Is Now on Foot to Relieve Distress. BEHIND THE BRITISH LINES IN" FRANCE AND BELGIUM, Fob. 2 (Cor--respondcr.ee) Conditions among the . fh'.OOO civilian ir.habitan.-js of free Belli Bel-li : u ni are i.o t bad except as a ff ec t i ng special classes, according to Captain John van Schaiek. Jr., acting director oi the department for Bete: um of the American Ameri-can F.ed Cross. Captain van Schaick told the correspondent of the Associated ; Press That farm .laborers were suffering j th.ro us it a combination o; low wages and : hisii prices and that the department had arranged to furnish relief to the distressed dis-tressed families. "The farmer:- get enormous prices for their produces. " said Captain van Schaick. "but the farm laborers get the same low-wage low-wage they had before the war, and, as they are exempt from military duty because be-cause of labor on the larms. they are not free lo change their employment or force a higher wage. There is genuine suffering among many families of this class on account of the high prices they have to pay tor everything they use. The department for Belgium has arranged to meet the need of such families and oilier e,ises of emergent distress in tiie following follow-ing way : ' "The Friend' Ambu-ance un;.t, under the -ot. ma ud of a Bri i ish arm y officer, has had for three years a health service in the Br:;ish zone of free BeigiTim. Several Sev-eral young university men have regularly visited homos, studied conditions and reported re-ported upon dangerous or insanitary health situations. This work iias been done under the minister of the interior. It has now h.-eu arrange.! to use these same younc men to distribute relief where needed. "Their perfect knowledge of the 1 a n -suase ana of conditions. ombme-d with I the h.iuh idr-ais which tiie Friends put in all o:" their relief work, makes the department depart-ment "-: Belgium feel that the tiling could Jiet be handled better. It is the conviction o th.e depart m--nt th.at this hind of work is helping win ih war by keeping up the spirit and morale of the