The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-26
RELIEVE 25O,O5O
 IN WAR MISERY
Diversified Aid By National German Association
 Since August.
Correspondence of the Chicago
 News

(Correspondence of the Chicago
 News.)
 It is a freezing day. The door of a, vacated shop, which now bears the sign ''Underclothing Station of the Woman's National Service opens and a middle aged workingman en- ters.
 What can we do for you ?'' he is asked.
 ..Can you possibly give me some 1 clothing for my family?''
 How many children have you?''
 Flight
 fAges?''
 tsOne to 12.''
 The piles of underclothes, which reach the ceiling on all sides, are searched and two warm garments are found for each child. The fath- CT scans the garments with practi- cal eye.
 "We get along pretty we'll at children keep warm sleeping to- gether, but we have nothing for them in the daytime. myself have no shoes, and my wife needs a petticoat badly
 .sGarments of that kind are given out at the station just around the cor ner.'' is the reply.
 The man wrings the hands of the woman who has helped him, and; thanking her, hurries away. The
  be a private house, the rooms of which ared ivided into various cloth. ing departme en ts-son1e for shoes, others for waists and dresses, others for suits and men's overcoats and still others for hats. People are where and the man soon finds his shoes and the petticoat for his wife and is standing before the woman at the desk, who writes his name on a card with the numbers which are sewn on each garment
 Still Another Bureau
 You can count on our help all ply gets low, a notice to the public quickly rep1enishes the stock. Oh, you haven't food enough for your family? The information bureau of this district can help you out, and also find work for you?''
 Filled with astonishmer1t, the man hastens to the information bureau and after proving the hope1essness of his financial condition receives two itickets-one for 2 cents worth of milk, the other for I2 cents, worth of bread.
 ton as soon as possible,' he is told. land until you have some means of support you are entitled to these tickets every day Pay your landlord what money you can for the rent and for the present we will make up the rest''
 This is only one of the 25o.00oH eases of misery caused by the war in which relief has been given by the 1 Womans National Service associa- ] ton since August. The institution was founded August with the ob- ject of cooperating with all other social welfare organizations, but con centrating it's efforts on the relief of l the extremely poor. It's members are. women of all. classes. al parties and all creeds:
 Many a difficult problem arises. as a result of this attempt to unite varied forces said one Of the cflie4 workers, @but the organization holds together, nevertheless. Tn August as many as 25,00o people sought our aid in one week, but so thorough has been our work that this number has been gradually reduced to 15,o0O weekly. Many of these already have received some aid. Seventy thousand women have received pensions of A marks (s69 monthly, with an addi- tionaI sum of 12 marks for every child
 "By employing 5000 knitters and l sewers and giving many positions through various agencies we have brought the number of unemployed down so it is much smaller than 1T. the winter of 1913-I4. l Money for Christmas Gifts At Christmas time we collected I 82,O00 marks partly by donations and partly from tn ecity, by means of which 45 1000 women were able to send Christmas packages to hus- bands and sons in the field.
 stOlr main office and R3 relief divi- sions cover the 400 city districts. Each division has it's information bureau and offices for the distribution of fooa tickets and clothing, the work being carried on by 1,400 volunteer helpers A complete record is kept of each case with which we deal, and an in- l yestigating committee reports in de- tail on the exact condition of the ap- p1icant. All persons requiring help may receive aid only from the divi- sion that oversees his district In this way no person ever receives help from more than one source.
 Socialfsts' Groceries Help
 ITO the main office is sent weekly