Show THOUSANDS STARVED santiago de cuba feb 18 correspondence pon dence of the associated press while the U S cruiser montgomery was at matanzas recently a board of officers was appointed to inquire into the condition of the people of that province although the exact terms of the report are not known it may be said that in substance it sets forth that there ate are people absolutely without food and clothing within the city limits about of these live in small huts of palm branches these huts form three separate villages beyond the built up portions of the city the other unfortunates live in the streets of the city and are absolutely sol without homes or shelter these theoe people are of the laboring class who have been driven into the cities from their country homes which have been destroyed in the war operations a most of them are women and children and they are all emaciated emaciate ed side sick and almost beyond relief unless they can have the benefit of regular treatment in the hospitals As it ID they are dying in the streets tor for want of food according to statistics gath gathered ered from the best official sources the number of deaths athe in the province of matanzas imn from starvation to is and the num akison aKI of starving people at present in the province is estimated at out of a total population of in december 1897 and the number of starving people is rapidly Inc increasing teasing in the city of matanzas alone there have been about deaths during the past year and the number is increasing daily the death rate at present averages 46 8 per day as shown by the reports from the cemetery the increase in the death rate to is due to the fact that the distress is no longer confined to the laboring class most of whom have already perished it is now extended to the people who before the war were in moderate comfortable clr i cum stances those now begging in the streets were in large part well to do people or children of the well to do in addition the citizens of the city of matanzas themselves are begging for the actual necessities of life having exhausted their resources in order to supply the needs of the laboring class who have been quartered upon them the citizens of matanzas have an organized system of relief for the starving people but it is entirely in adequate and Is dally daily becoming more glaringly so for the resources of those who were well to do are rapidly diminishing while the demand for food is 19 constantly increasing at one of the stations the board of officers found starving this being the actual number of people for which the citizens had been able to provide relief there pans japans of rice and fish were arranged in rows ready for distribution among the people who were waiting in another part of the house but this relief does not begin to supply relief for the people who are starving in the streets street for the citizens are only able to issue food three times a day at each place and then to only about at a time consequently only about of the destitute people receive food on a day it should be added that a large number of the citizens of matanzas have fed the starving in the streets in front of their own homes but the citizens themselves are feeling the pinch and privation and unless as si stence soon comes to them they will be compelled in self elf protection to cease the work of charity in which they are now engaged and which is seemingly the only salvation for the starving thousands the only other public relief at matan Rs as is that given to the sick children by the management of the emergency hospital which is under the direction of the volunteer fire department of Matanzas There about eighty children are treated daily and are furnished with nourishment under the direction of the city physicians these statements are the conclusions facts and figures arrived at by board of U S naval off officers leerA when the U S naval officers landed they were constantly followed by clamoring crowds of starving men women and children who importuned importuner them in the most heartrending manner for a little food for the want of which they were slowly dying the TJ S consul at matanzas has done everything possible under the circumstances cum stances but when the montgomery left there in the first days of february the consul had only enough rations remaining to last about two weeks after which the fund appropriated by congress would have been exhausted and then the sufferers of matanzas would I 1 include the american citizens at that place who have hitherto received relief through the U S consulate at that time the consul had received a petition signed by the american citizens of matanzas setting forth in detail the need in which they stood of immediate relief from the dangers of i starvation so far as the board of officers of the montgomery could ascertain Ma matana tang at that time needed a supply of foot food for people for at least one month in addition to supplies of condensed I 1 milk for invalids and medicines of erf au ab kinds the people of matanzas are RIM in urgent need of clothing moet most of them being in filthy rags the spanish authorities it may bet said in conclusion have rendered RU att the assistance which it seems pos possible i i for them to provide on two oce occasions j they have given to the fund top for the destitute but so far as the board 1 could learn this was all the government govern mAnt was in a position to contribute to tt tua relief odthe of the starving dying peo pea 1 pie in the streets of matanzas |