Show RED CROSS GIFTS war council on retirement announces cash and supplies contributed WORKERS WILL CARRY ON five din 0 ig societies in world wide plan H P davison heads international american red cross croat commission dr livingston farrand permanent leader of peace organization washington vash in agton special henry P davison at as issues the following statement on behnk behalf of the war council of the american red lied cross to the american people tile tho war council of the american red cross crosa appointed by president wll son on may 10 1017 1917 to carry on the work of tile tho american red cross during the war at their request and by vote of the central committee ceased at midnight february 28 immediately the armistice was signed tile tho war council instituted studies to determine when the strictly war work of tho the organization would have been matured to en aide ahle tile the direct direction lon of affairs to b bo 0 resumed su ined by the permanent staff glenry P davison Dav lson being in paris when the armistice avas signed summoned a conference there of the heads of nil all the red cross commissions in europe to canvass tho si situation tuition after considering si nil all the factors actor it was concluded to make the transition on murch 1 the very fortunate choice of dr livingston forrand as the new chairman of the central committee and thereby the tha permanent chief executive of the red lied cross makes possible the consummation of this plan under the most favorable conditions accounts audited by war department detailed reports to congress and a complete audit of its accounts by the war department will constitute abe final record of nod bed cross activity during tho war although it has been the rule to make public all expenditures when and to give detailed information relative lye to all work undertaken the yar ayar council in turning oyer oer its it to dr var rand and his associates desire to give a brief resume of red cross crosa war time activities to the american people to whom the lied cross belong and whose generous contributions have made possible all that lias has bein been accomplished 41 during the past nearly twenty no n the Amert american can people have hav given in cash nod supplies to the american red cross more than no value can be placed upon the contributions of service which have been given without stint and of i tont lints at great sacrifice by millions of f our people the effort of the american red cross crois in this war has constituted by far the largest lars est voluntary gifts of money of hand and heart ever contributed tri buted purely for the relief of human suffering through tile the red cross the heart and spirit of the whole Amer american icah people have been mobilized to take care of 0 obrown rown ou our own to relieve the misery incident to the war and also to reveal to the world the th supreme idis iff of our national life everyone who has had any part in till war effort of the red cross Is go n fitlow to congratulate himself no thanks from anyone could be equal IQ in value to ta me self satisfaction everyone should feel for the part taken fully Ame american women have exerted arted themselves in rid red crota cross se kierr to lc hits ha over adult members when we entered the war the american red cross had about members today as the result of the recent raced christmas membership roll call there are upwards of full paid members outside of the members of the junior rol gross cross numbering school children additional the chief effort of the red croat croas during the war has been to care for our ou men in service and to did aid our army aud and navy wherever the red dross way may be called on to assist As A to te this phase of the work surgeon gen ml Ire ireland landof of the tha U S army recently sald ald the tha red cross has bas been an enterprise as vast as the war itself from the beginning it hns has done those things which the army medical edical Al corps wanted done but could not itself the othe red cross endeavor in france his has naturally been upon an exceptionally large scale where service tints tins bea rendered to the american army and french army amy and the french people as a well the latter particularly ticul arly during tile trying period when tile the allied world was waiting to or the american army to arise in fore ore and power Il hospital emergency for our army in france has egnati 7 diminished but the tha red cross crosa to t still being called upon for service upon udon it a large scalo scale in the great base baco hospitals where thousands of american tick sick and wounded art are still till receiving loa at time these hospitals the tha nd cross crosa huts hats and nr r me amusement ann ana relur emion 0 the men as they become convalescent our army of occupation in germany was f followed with medical units prepared to render the same emergency gild aid and supply service which was the primary business of the red cross burink hostilities the army canteen canteen pi ei vice alon alona the lines of travel giai I 1 as actually increased since the armistice As for work among the french people now that hostilities have ceased tho french themselves naturally prefer ns its far as possible to provide for their own it line lids accordingly been de ei mined that the guiding principle of lied cross policy in france henceforth shall be to have punctilious regard to its every responsibility butto but to direct its efforts primarily to assisting french relief societies the liberated and devastated regions of prance france have been divided by tho the government into email districts each officially assigned to a designated french relief ration cation the american red cross work in france was initiated by a commission of eighteen men who landed on french shores june 13 1017 1917 since then conle persons have been upon the rolls in france of whom were actively engaged whon the armistice was na signed an indication of the present scale of the work will bo be obtained from the fact that the services of persons are still required our american expeditionary force having largely evacuated england tile the activities of tile the red cross commes slon glon there are naturally upon a diminishing ashing scalo scale period active operations are still in progress in archangel and siberia the work woric in italy hns has been almost entirely on behalf of the file civilian pop or of that country in the critical hours of italis struggle the american deop peaple ae through their red cross sent a practical message of sympathy and relief for or which the government and people of italy have never ceased to express their gratitude and personnel to near east bait the occasion for such concentration of effort in italy england belgium and even in france having ally and normally diminished it ham hai been possible to divert supplies and personnel in large measure to the ald aid of those people in the near east who hay hitherto been inaccessible to outside assistance but whose sufferings hive have been upon an appalling scale cale the needs of these peoples are so 0 o tast that government along alone can moot meet them but the american red cross crosa Is making au an effort to relieve immediately th more mord acute distress an group of Amer american icom workers has been dispatched patched dla to carry caffy needed supplies and to work this in the various balkan countries irle s in order to ordinate coordinate co their IKI activities tivi ties a balkan cominis commission slon lias has ben bea established with headquarters at romo rom 9 italy from froin which point alone 9 the balkan centers can be reached promptly A commission has hag just reached reach edl po lod load with doctors and nurses medical supplies upp lles and food ford for sick children and invalid an Amerl american amerlean can red cross commission has also been appointed t to ild aid tit in relieving the tha suffering of ruton ton prisoners still confined coa in german briton on camps an important commission li Is corking in palestine through ta the war special operation cooperation co has bow given to the th armenian end and syrian re ilef commission which was tile the only agency able to carry relief in the la in arlor of turkish dominions red rd cross will continue red cross effort Is thus far flung it will continue to be so eo but tho th movement represented by this work IMS likewise a assumed an intimate place la in tile lie dally life of our people at horns hom the army of workers which has ben be recruited and trained during tho war must not be de mobilized all our experience per peri lence ence in the war shows allows cl early clearly that there Is six an unlimited field for service ot of the kind which can be performed with pecullar peculiar effectiveness by the red cro cross what whai its future tasks may be it Is yet impossible to forecast W know that so long lone as there to Is an amerlean american army in the field the red cross cron will have a special function to perform nothing could be of greater importance to the american R red ed cross th thai an the plans just set in motion by the five great red cross societies of the world to develop a program of extended activities tivi ti ties in the interest Inte resit of humanity the conception involves not atone efforts to relieve human suffering but to prevent it not alone alona a movement by the ho people of an la individual but an attempt to arbuse all people to a sense of their responsibility for the welfare of their fellow beings throughout the world it Is a program both ideal a and ln d practical ideal in that its supreme alin aim Is nothing less than veritable ier Il teace lence on earth good will to men and practical in that it seeks to take means and measures meas urea which are actually available and make them effective in meeting without delay the crisis which Is dally recurrent in the lives of all peoples for accomplishing its mission in the years of peace which must lie ile ahead of us the red cross will require tho the ablest possible bla leadership and must enjoy tho the continued support sympathy and participation in its work of the whole american people it Is particularly fortunate fortuna tn that such euch a n man as dr farrand should have bea selected as aa tho the permanent head of the abo organization US the uD unstinted stInted fashion lu la waa alt th all out our ox 01 me war is the best beat ahsu assurance r ince unit that our lied hod cross will continue to receive that oo opera tion ion which will make its work a source of pride end and inspiration to every american 11 mr davison as chairman of tile the international ter of the annerl can red cross lias has undertaken to represent the american red cross in the preparation of the program for extended rea lied cross activities and will spend the next several months in europa in consultation with other red cross societies for that purpose tulia WAR COUNCIL of TUB AMERICAN RED CROSS henry 11 I 1 davison chairman |