Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1919 — CARRY FOOD BY AIR [ARTICLE]

CARRY FOOD BY AIR

* Paris —The French government has decided to Install an airplane servicte to feed inhabitants of the redeemed districts of northern France until railways destroyed by the Germans In their retreat can be restored. With 200 airplanes at least 200,000 people of the stricken provinces can be fed daily. It is believed this number of planes could carry 100,000 pounds of flour, 10,000 pounds of sugar, 10,000 pounds of butter, 30,000 pounds of vegetables and 10.000 pounds of condensed food. While this will -be the most gigantic scale on which airplanes have been used for feeding a country, yet the system is not entirely new. During the war it was successfully used by the British in carrying food to their troops In Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Macedonia. In November. l0l7; during the French offensive against the Ghemin dea Dames, it was

used by the Germans. A detachment of their troops, completely encircled, was kept supplied with food by air planes that dropped baskets containing bread, kraut, canned meat and other supplies. For the airplanes that will- be necessary for the new service for feeding the north of" France, the French government will first of .all make use of its own bombing machines. After this it expects to be able to utilize not l eßs than 100 planes turned over by Germany Under the terms of armistice. In addition, France hopes that both England and the United States will place at her disposal a number of their bombing machines now lying idle in France. « Vital as the new service will be for feeding the north of France, It also will help solve the problem of the gradual transformation of the military aviation service for peace time*.