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Show BELGIANS REFUSE TO RETURN HOI PENNILESS REFUGEES PREFER TO REMAIN IN HOLLAND TO BEING RULED BY GERMANS. Municipal Officers and School Teachers Teach-ers at Work Feeding Fugitives, Schools and Church Buildings Being Used to House Them. Flushing, Holland. A total of 8,000 penniless Belgians quartered in Flushing refuse absolutely to return to their homes in Antwerp or other Belgian cities in the hands of the Germans. It is true 100 refugees did go back to Antwerp Thursday, but the movement to get large numbers to return to the cities in the possession posses-sion of the enemy has been futile. All the school and church buildings of Flushing are occupied by impoverished impov-erished -Belgians. The schools haves been dismissed to accommodate them. The normal population of this city is 20,000, but it is today augmented by probably 10,000 Belgians, only 2,000 of 'shorn have funds and are able to pay their way. The municipality is1 bearing the expense of feeding and sheltering the destitute. I Many rufugees are leaving daily for England, but the Belgian andj British government have not granted the request of Flushing for trans-, ports to facilitate this movement, and-as and-as a result the burden of Flushing has not been lifted. All the municipal: officers and school teachers are at work feeding the fugitives. .Soup and meat is given for dinner, and the. other meals consist of meat, bread), cheese and Coffee. The refugees wash their clothes and iron them and cook their meals in the school houses. At night they sleep on straw under the seats. Physicians are keeping careful watch to see that no serious illnesq occurs, but the strain is greater than, the philanthropic citizens of Flushi ing can stand much longer. |