Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1921-02-13 | Page 3 | Mercy Fleet to Sail for China

oo MERCY FLEET TO MR CHINA Volunteer Sailors on U. S. Ships Will Take Grain . Donated By Farmers WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 To relieve re-lieve the starving thousands in China, a mercy fleet of shipping board v. s-sels. s-sels. manned by volunteer crews of; American naval reservists and carrying carry-ing great stores of grain donated by ' American fanners and hauled to Ho-Pacific Ho-Pacific coast by volunteer railroad employes, would set sail across the I'adfti . und. r plans outlined today to. Secretary Daniels by a committee, headed by Carl Yrooman, former assistant as-sistant secretary of agriculture. Mr. Yrooman said that farmers hnd donated tlu.- grain and that members, of the railway brotherhoods had of-j ferod to give their services without pay to haul It to the west coast The naval secretary was enthusiastic! about the proposal anil arranged for' an Immediate conference with ship-plhg ship-plhg board officials to see about getting get-ting the vessels. He told the romniil-t.-e hi felt certain there would be no difficulty in getting enough naval re-i serves to volunteer for the trip without with-out pay or contingent upon congress granting tho latter, the men to be pro-, vlded with transportation, quarters and fr.od by the navy The committee explained to Mr Daniels the necessity for Immediate action in view of the terrible conditions condi-tions prevailing In the famine areas of China and the time necessary for, the long voyage,