138 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR 
As a rule, the provincial zemstvos confined themselves to drafting 
a general plan of action, outlining the fundamental principles of 
the relief work and distributing the appropriations among the sev- 
eral districts either equally or in proportion to the number of men 
mobilized. The district zemstvos, on the basis of their own investiga- 
tions, would then grant the actual relief to those in need, working 
through the subsidiary organs that had either been in operation be- 
fore the War or been newly organized after its outbreak. Other 
bodies besides those connected with the zemstvos took part in the 
organization of the relief work. Such were the official volost relief 
committees and various charitable organizations. Lists of persons 
entitled to relief were usually discussed by village assemblies and, 
after amendment, were submitted to the district zemstvo board. The 
latter, in accordance with the instructions received from provincial 
assembly, would then compile the final lists. 
The district board and district committee of the Zemstvo Union 
were to see to it that the actual relief should be distributed locally 
as prescribed. However, the local organizations of the zemstvo and 
charitable institutions usually collected funds also on their own 
initiative. In the cities relief committees arranged concerts, theatri- 
cal performances, lotteries, public lectures, and other entertain- 
ments, and in the rural districts did everything in their power to 
collect donations and to impress on the peasants the importance of 
helping the sick and wounded, as well as the families of the soldiers, 
arging them to contribute in money or in kind or give their labor in 
the harvest season instead. In this way assistance was offered from 
all sides to the families of the mobilized men. In the first place, the 
law gave these families a right to government allowances, which 
varied with the period and the locality. During the first year of the 
War the average receipts of a family from this source were 13 to 15 
rubles a month. Next came the additional zemstvo allowances to 
necessitous families, and lastly there were local charities contribut- 
ing their share to supplement the other two sources of relief. 
By way of example we may mention the district of Dnieprovsk in 
the province of Taurida, where 17,328 families aggregating 65,513 
persons were receiving the government allowances on October 1, 
1915. The monthly amount of the allowances fluctuated between 
2.82 rubles and 3.56 rubles a head. A family received an average