FAMILIES OF MOBILIZED MEN 139
of 13.5 rubles a month. The zemstvo investigation disclosed 1,700
families in particular distress and a total of 25,523 rubles was expended
 for their relief out of the zemstvo funds by October, 1915.
For the whole period from the beginning of the War this amounted
to about 15 rubles a family. All other organizations operating in the
district, together with private individuals, gave a total of 46,570
rubles for the benefit of 6,800 families, which made an average of
6 to 7 rubles per family for the entire period. At the same time,
nineteen village relief committees, twenty parochial relief committees,
 and sixteen other organizations were engaged in the relief of
soldiers’ families in the same district, not to mention the official
volost relief committees and the zemstvo commissioners directing the
work locally. Of course, this is merely one instance, and the organization
 of relief was probably quite different elsewhere.

Nature of Relief.

We now have to deal with the question of the nature of the relief
granted by the zemstvos. Its more important features have already
been noted in the table furnished above. We may combine them
roughly in three groups: (1) direct assistance to families of mobilized
 men; (2) the care of the orphans of soldiers killed in action;
 and (3) assistance toward the upkeep of farms left without
working hands.
Direct aid was particularly needed by the families of workers and
artisans in the larger cities, who found themselves in a truly desperate
 situation after the outbreak of the War. In Petrograd the
district zemstvo board hastened to organize relief committees (there
were nineteen altogether) which began their work by opening soup
kitchens in the school buildings, where about 6,000 dinners were
supplied daily to families of mobilized soldiers, with milk for their
children. Next in importance was the problem of housing. Those
most desperately in need of dwelling accommodations, were quartered
in the school buildings which stood idle during vacations. Then followed
 vigorous efforts on the part of the relief committees to find
permanent quarters for these families, subscriptions were collected,
premises were rented, and a considerable number of dwellings were
placed at their disposal by the landlords rent free. These quarters.