The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-19
NEW EPOCH FORRED CROSS
Relief Administered At B Disasters In Six YearRoe Red
 Cross Plays In Times of eace--How s5,ooo,0oo # Has Been Expended
By ERNEST F. BICKNELL National Director American Red Cross Exclusive Service The Survey Press Bureau

A charter granted by Congress and ap- proved by the President January 5, 19O5
 began a new epoch for the American Red Cross. This assigned broad powers to the Red Cross and gave it an official status. William H. Taft, then Secre- tary of War, accepted it's presidency. a position which he still holds. The respon- abilities of the organization, according to its charter, are as follows:
 "To furnish volunteer aid to the sick and wounded of armies in time of war.
 and to carry on a system of na- tional and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, fam inc. fire, floods. and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same.' The Red Cross Is governed by a cen tral committee of IS. of whom six are appointed by the President of the United
 States and 12 elected. This committee appoints a national director. Under the central committee are state boards, which are financial representatives in the collec- ton and disbursement of relief funds in their respective states, and chapters which are local groups of members. | Field work is divided into three classes and Is assigned to three boards, the war relief board the national relief board
 and the international relief board.
 The war relief board at present con- ducts department of first aid and de-
 partment of nursing. Miners, railroad men, sailors, workmen in great industrial l est a c taught the practical application of first | aid to the injured.s A car especially | equipped carries lecturers to all parts of l the country. Local physicians continue l the instruction after the car passes on. | Several thousand men are now receiving | instruction in first aid in Pennsylvania, l West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Iowa, Tennessee and other states. The | Red Cross also supervises the first aid l instruction given by those in charge of | the seven mine rescue cars of the United l s, tes bureau of mines. In time of war the knowledge of first aid widely. incul-
 cated would bring Into the volunteer armies many men we'll prepared for serv- | ice in hospitals and in the care of wound | ed on the battle fields.
 Under the department of nursing grad | uate nurses are also enrolled for service
 in time of war or disaster.
 | All Red Cross work is under the con trol of the national relief board. The na- tional director represents this board and the central committee at the scene of disaster and organizes and directs the rescue work. Relief funds are In the cus-
 tody of the board of the state in which | the disaster has occurred and are paid out on requisition of the national direc- tor or the proper officers of the local committee as approved by the national director.
 The Red Cross has enlisted the cooper | ation of certain of the strongest charity organization societies. These pledge
 themselves, On request to send members Il of their regular trained forces to the
 scene of a disaster to serve as a fixed nucleus for the staff of volunteers from the community. These experienced agents are also enabled to assist in the difficult | work of rehabilitation, after the volun- l teers have returned to their homes and usual employments. At present the char ity organization societies of Atlanta.
 brooklyn. Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford. Minneapolis, New Haven, New York city, Pittsburg. St.
 Louis, St. Paul, San Francisco and Wash