The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-07-28
TAFT WANTS RED
CROSS IN HAWAII
Has Asked That a Territorial
Branch Be Formed
Here.

A Territorial Red Cross organization
has been effected at the request of
Secretary of War Taft. Mrs. F. NJ.
Hatch received a letter from the Sec
.cretary of War, who is at the head of
the American National Red Cross, !"
asking for the formation of such an
organization here, as there has already
been organized one in almost every
other state and territory in the Union.
In acting on this requet, Mrs. Hatch
called a meeting at her residence last
Thursday, at which a preliminary or
ganization was effected, and officers
elected. These officers have not all
as yet signified their acceptance, and
hence their names are not publicly
announced.
The American National Red Cross is
the permanent organization authorized
by Congress to use that name, and
to have the right to use the red cross
as described in the treaty of Geneva,
and to represent America in connection
with similar national societies of other
governments. There was Red Cross
organization as far back as 1869. 1t
was incorporated in 1881. and again in
1888, and 1900. But according to state
ment issued from the National Head
quarters, War Department, Washing
ton, lit was, however, practically u
small private society with Miss Clara
Barton at the head of 1t, having a
membership in the entire country of
but about three hundred"
Congress took the matter up, and in
January 1905, passed an act incorpor-
ating the American National Red
Cross. and providing for the creation
of branch organizations in each state
and territory.
Whether Secretary of War Taft's de-
sire to have a branch of the organfZa-
ton in Hawaii, has any significance or
bearing on future possibilitfe-for in
stance war in this part of the world
or not, or whether he simply desires
that Hawaii shall have her place in
the organization with every other state
and territory, everyone may answer
for himself. But he has asked that
a territorial organization be formed,
and Mrs Hatch has undertaken to
form it.
''The Red Cross is not a charitable
organization said Mrs. Hatch in ex-
planning the purposes of the organ
ization. s'It is a national and an inter
national organization in accordance
with the treaty of Geneva in 1864, re-
Gently revised at second convention
at Geneva in 1905. 1t is to furnish
voluntary aid to the sick and wounded
of armies in times of war, and to carry
on a system of national and interna-
tional relief in time of peace, and ap-
ply the same in mitigating the suffer-
ings caused by pestilence, famine, fire,
floods, and other great national calam-
titles. The idea is to have an organ
ization ready to act at any time; an
organization to which the national or
international organization can instant
ly send funds and relief the moment
a calamity creates need of relief. Any
man or woman may become an annual
member by contributing a dollar
year. or a life member by paying $25.
Half the funds are for the use of the
local society and the other half are
to be sent to the national headquar-
ters at Washington, and create the
fund instantly available when occasion
arises,
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