Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-01

lean National Red Cross there Is a
rigid governmental audit OF all &C
counts. Annually all receipts and ex-
penditures must be reported to the Sec
rotary of War, who has a careful scru-
tiny made by the auditing officers of
the department. In this way there Is
strict accounting for every penny OF
regular income and contributions. The
accounts are printed by order Of Con-
gress and made public to the world.
Thus the machinery for doing the
work is provided for. AS to the actual
work. the raising of money for relief
and furnishing that relief, the Red
Cross is dependent on public generos-
ity. It's activities are limited only by
the resources behind it. If the public
withholds contributions the measure
of relief extended necessarily Is small.
"a first step in the new organization
was to obtain a trained personnel. This
was vital. The need was felt first In
the San Francisco disaster of 1906.
There excellent people in numbers stood
ready to help, but they did not know
how. The Red Cross had 100000 to
spend for relief there. but was in diff
ficulty to have it spent properly.
"It was natural that the organization
should turn to charitable organizations
for trained assistance. The man for
the place was found in the person OF
Ernest p. BickneN Of Chicago, who had
been with the bureau OF charities OF
that city for several years. He was
asked to take the post of national d.
rector. He accepted and has occupied
it since. He now has four trained as
sistants.
How shall relief be given? was the
next question 1t was evident that
there are three classes of work: not
closely associated, in the field OF the
Red Cross. We have grouped these as
First, relief of emergencies. such as
foods, fires, mine disasters. earth
quakes and the like within the United
states. In order to handle this class
we have created the national relief
board, which consists of fifteen persons
with Miss Boardman as chairman. Be
occasions in which this board operated.
expanding in the relief OF human suf-
fering in this country about 100000
in the aggregate
lief of emergencies caused by d1sas-
tiers in foreign countries. The Messina
earthquake and the floods in China
are typical Of these. The interna-
tional relief board; of which the coun-
selor of the Department of State Is
chairman, has jurisdiction over these.
In it's existence it has expended nearly
100000. Of which nearly 900 900
was expended by reason of the Mes
sina disaster.
"The third classification is war re-
lief directed also by a board of which
the surgeon general of the army Is
chairman Up to the beginning of
this war In Europe 1t has not had a
great deal to do. Now. with the most
stupendous war the world has known
in progress, the field of its activities
Is unlimited; or. more properly speak
ing, limited only by the support given
to it by the American people. The
chairman of the central committee is
ex-officto a member of all these boards.
1.-The Japanese.Russian war and the
Boer war were fought before the Ma
tional Red Cross was reorganiZed on
its present comprehensive scale. The
war in Mexico. though prolonged and
though offering an opportunity for re-
lief work. did not attract the attention
of the American people in a degree