at a cost of from thre lire to six lire a meal.  Maternal refectories,   
usually feding more aduquately, afford a cost of eight lire per meal.    
THe cost of feeding children in an instituion three meals a day for an   
average of age seven years is approximately fifteen lire a day.  These   
                    are food costs only.                    
 
                                                            
 
 
In addition to these provisions for communal feeding of destitute   
persons, the Vatican through the Pontifical Commission, founded at the   
express wish of the Holy Father Pope Pius XII, begane its work in   
March of this year and, at the beginning, limited its activities to   
           Rome and the area near to the Capital.           
 
                                                            
 
 
As the war operations developed in intensity the problem of assisting   
the refugees became ever more complicted and the maxium effort was   
  made to bring relief to them in their tragic situation.   
 
                                                            
 
 
The work was carried out according to a plan which can be thus resolved   
in chronolgical order: 1) census 2) collection of money and clothing   
3) spiritual and material assistance 4) repatriation 5) spritual and   
                  material reconstruction.                  
 
                                                            
 
 
The Presidency of the commission has at its call a Secretariate, from   
which two offices depend for the realization of the work: the   
Organization Office (religious and material assistance in the refugee   
camps and hospitals; sanitary assistance; technical assistance;   
collecting center; press office and radio-cine-photgraphic services);   
the Administration office( research office; repatriation and   
rmation offices: legal department; stores; accountant's offi
 
                                                            
 
 
As the work deveoped it weas found necessary to set up 20 branch   
offfices in the various regions of Rome and other sections in the   
        Archdioceses and dioceses of Italy, many of