The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-22
SERB RELIEF
IS CHARGE
500 Families Starving in Neutrality-suspicious. and
Dishonesty Render American Aid Useless-Con-
tributions Sold in Private Shops.

CHICAGO. Dec. 2i.-The Chicago
Tribune prints the following from its
correspondent at Monastir:
An American doctor here makes tho
pi edictlon that this winter will see star
walton In Serbia N q larger scale than
has ever before been seen.
There are now 500 families In Mon
astir who arc actually starving. Later
In the winter this number will be In
creased and every town and village will
be fled with hungry people,. All kinds
of supplies OF 6ood and medicine and
clothing will he required. n generous
people could not do bette: than to help
to their utmost to relieve this condition.
Th frat requisite. however, In the
matter Of giving relief to Serbia Is TO
see that reliable and responsible agencies
are selected for the proper distribution
OF these supplies One hears the most
appalling stories OF dishonesty and In
competency regarding the funds and sup
plies that have been sent from America
In the past.
An American doctor told me that there
were warehouses In Nish full Of medical
and food supplies sent from America
that had never been distributed. owing
to lack Of organization In the Serbian
pPfh" '" S'o'~
now fallen into the hands OF tho Bull
CARS. Another doctor. an American. to.
mo that cigarettes n cigars sent for
the soldiers had been divided among
the officers and that large quantities OF
relief goods were on sale In private
shops In Nish. There was evidence Of
shameful dishonesty and graft on the
part of the officials. but perhaps "A more
charitable view would be that the fault
was due mainly to a pitiful incompe.
tence.
Honest Distribution Needed.
This must not be construed
as an effort to discourage help for the
Eerbians. The help should come and In
great quantities very soon. and every
one who hates to see "A woman and
child suffer from actual hunger should
help to his greatest capabilities. The
| one point OF prime Importance is that
| people should give and the next point.
OF almost equal Importance. Is that the
stun that Is given should be properly
| and honestly distributed. There Is no
sense In sending supplies which are
either diverted from their real purpose
or allowed to lie In warehouses because
OF poor organization. q.
There are many men fighting In the
| CtTD hTIny WHO nave HNOu III <NtiicTbGd.
| On the train coming from Salon!ca there
wac a little detachment Of ten or twelve
Serbs and M~ontenegrins. Several Of
them had lived In America and spoke
English amazingly well.
II has been rather a common expe-
| rience to start a conversation In falter-
Ing French with a Serb soldier and then
to have him come back at you with II
guess" or "Sure."
My first experience was at the station
In salonica. l rather expected to find
Greeks speaking pure American. for
there are a lot OF them In the Greek
army who nave lived in the States. But
! was not prepared to And any Ameri-
| can'zed Serbs. This nan was an intel
ligent man h had the look OF a lawyer
or a professor, He was In the uniform
of a private soldier. carried his rife and
had a hand grenade In his pocket.
In another pocket he had his pocket
book with a picture OF his wife. who died
OF dried and withered flowers clingins
TO 1t, and he said he had come over to
fight soon after her death
He had been In Serbia ever Since. but
until recently had seen no action because
for the greater part OF the last year
there has been no fighting In Serbia.
He now belongs to the 'comitad1!s." a
1OTl Ot BucTTiiu OT8htiishtioH' WHICH, "a
not directly under the supervision OF the
Government, but which In aided fnan-
cially by the Government.
These c0mitadJis are an extremely
picturesque elemeRt In Balkan warfare,
The B~ulgarians have their comitadjls
organized In Serb territory m the Serbs
have their comitad1is organised In Bull
gar territory. A reward Is offered for
each comitadji OF the enemy who Ia
killed. and in consequence there IL q lot
Of killing going on. One hundred and
nifty dinars--about S20--is the reward
paid, and In consequence OF this mun!f'
cent amount there Ii 4 keen activity In
killing AZ we'll AS frequent mistakes.
The comitadjis operate In bands OF
thirty and forty and make their head
quarters In the mountain towns, Be
tween the BulEar and Serb comItadji,
there IL II constant and deadly warfare
and the less freQusnted roads and trail,