Show RED GIFTS war council on retirement announces cash and supplies contributed WORKERS WILL CARRY ON five societies in world wide plan H P dahlson heads international american red cross commission dr livingston farrand permanent leader of peace organization washington special henry P dahlson as chairman issues the following statement on behalf of the war council of the american red cross to the american people the war council of the american red choss appointed by president wai eon on may 10 1017 to carry on the work of the american red croser during the war at their request and by vote of the central committee ceased at midnight february 28 immediately the armistice was algner the war council instituted studies to determine when the strict ly war work of the organization would have been sufficiently matured to enable the direction of affairs to be re fumed by the permanent staff henry P dahlson Dav lson being in paris when the armistice was signed a conference there of the heads of all the red cross commissions in europe to canvass the situation after considering si all the factors it was con eluded to make the transition on march 1 the very fortunate choice of dr as the new chairman of the central committee and thereby the permanent chief ex of the red cross makes ble the consummation of this plan under the most favorable conditions accounts audited by war department detailed reports to congress and a complete audit of ita accounts by the war department will constitute the final record of red cross activity dur ing the war although it has been the rule to make public all expend tures when authorized and to give detailed information relative to all work undertaken the war council in turn lag ov er its responsibilities to dr farrand and his associates desire to give a brief resume of red cross war time activities to the american people to whom the red cross belong and whose generous contributions have made pos elble all that has been accomplished during the past nearly twenty one months the american people have given in cash and supplies to the american cross more than no i alue can be placed upon the contributions of service which have been given without stint and oftentimes ten times at great sacrifice by millions of our people the effort of the american red cross in this war has constituted by far the largest voluntary gifts of money of hand and heart ever contributed tri buted purely for the relief of hu man suffering through the red cross the heart and spirit of the whole american people have been mobilized to take care of our own to relieve the misery incident to the war and also to reveal to the world the supreme idenys of our national life everyone who has had any part in this war effort of the red cross Is entitled to congratulate himself no thanks from anyone could be equal in value to the self satisfaction every one should feel for the part taken fully american women have exerted themselves in red cross service has over adult members when we entered the war the american red cross had about members today as the result of the recent christmas membership roll call there are upwards of full paid members outside of the mem bers of the junior red cross numbering perhaps school children additional the chief effort ot the red cross during the war has been to care fot our men in service and to did our army and navy wherever the red cross may be called on to assist As to this phase of the work surgeon gen eral ireland of the U S army recently said the red cross has been an enterprise as vast as the war itself prom the beginning it hag done those things which the army medical corps wanted done but could not do itself alia red cross endeavor in prance tins naturally been upon an exception ill SQ aca ha i tt ef fc wl ay vf heen rendered to the american army and to the brench arnay and the french people as well the latter par during the trying period when the allied orld was waiting for the american army to arise in force and power hospital emergency service for our army in france has greatly diminished but the bed cross la still being called upon for service upon a large scale in the great base hospitals where thousands of amerl can sick and wounded are still receiving attention at these hospitals the red cross supplies huts and facilities for the amusement and recreation of the men as they become convalescent our army of occupation in germany was followed with medical units pre pared to render the lame emergency aid and supply service which was the primary business of the red cross during hostilities the arav canteen service along the lines of travel ha actually increased since the armistice AM for work among the french people now that hostilities have ceased the french themselves naturally pre ter as far as possible to provide tor their own it has accordingly been determined ter mined that the guiding principle at bed cross policy in france henceforth be to have punctilious regard to its every responsibility but to direct its efforts primarily to assisting french relief societies the liberated and devastated regions of france have been divided by the government into small districts each officially assigned to a designated french relief organization the american red cross work in france was initiated by a commission of eighteen men who landed on brench shores june 13 1017 since then some persons have been upon the rolls in france of whom were actively engaged when the armistice was signed an indication of the proa ent scale ot the work will be obtained from the fact that the services cervices vices of persons are still required our american force having largely evacuated england the activities of the red cross commission there are naturally upon a diminishing scale period active operation are atall in progress in archangel and siberia the work in italy has been almost entirely on behalf of the chilian population of that country in the critical hours of italis struggle tho american people through their red cross sent a practical message of sympathy and relief for which the government and people of italy have never ceased to express their gratitude supplies and personnel to near east the occasion for such concentration of effort in italy england bel glum and even in france having naturally and normally diminished it has been possible to divert supplies and personnel in large measure to the aid of those people in the near east who have hitherto been inaccessible to outside assistance but whose sufferings have been upon an appalling scale the needs of these peoples are so vast that government alone can meet them but the american red cross Is making an effort to relieve immediately the more acute distress an extensive group of american workers has been dispatched to carry vitally needed supplies and to work this winter in the various balkan countries in order to co ordinate their activities tivi ties a balkan commission has been established with headquarters nt rome italy from which point alone all tho balkan centers can be reached promptly A commission has just reached po land with doctors and nurses medical supplies and food for sick children and invalids an american red cross commission has also been appointed to aid in relieving the suffering of russian still confined in german prison camps an important commission la atall working in palestine through tho war special co operation has been given to the armenian and syrian relief commission which was the only agency able to carry relief in tho la deilor of turkish dominions red crom will continue red choss effort la thus far flung it will continue to be so but tho movement represented by this work has likewise assumed an intimate place in the dally ufa of our people at home the army of workers baa been recruited and trained during the war must not be de mobilized all our experience peri ence in the war shows clearly that there Is an unlimited field for service of the kind which can be performed par formed with peculiar effectiveness by the red cross what its future tasks may bo it ta yet impossible to forecast we know that so long as there Is an american army in the field the red cross will have a function to perform nothing could be of greater importance to the american bed cross chaa the plans juat set in motion by tha five great aled soc latles of attus world B effi W HW |