East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-05-12
BY BURTON K. sTANDIsH.
Written for the TTnifad prasg ,

(Written for the United Press.)
WASHINGTON, May 12.-Mabel 7.
Boardman. jus now active director OF
the Infinitely small work Of the Am
erican Red Cross, is firmly convinced
that persons wishing to aid victims of
the war, combatant or n-combatant,
make mistake when they fail to
make use Of the Red Cross.
"A number of volunteer organiza-
tions have sprung up" she said, and
their purpose is fine. They want to
help and they set about in their
own way to do It, The trouble is that
their work often duplicates our own
and that means just that much waste;
1t means that money is being spent
twice for one end, whereas there are
so many things crying for relief which
we haven't the money to relieve. 1
think this is in large part due to the
failure to understand that the Red
Cross will apply funds to any purpose
for which it is given. If $4,000 is
given for specific piece of relief
work It is used for that and the same
is true If the sum given is IS. How
ever, If we had planned to spend the
same amount OF funds already ia
hand for that work We don't do 1t,
we divert ii to another crying need.
For example, we have transmitted
sS79,2S0 in cash to Europe. OF this
$lS7700 was for purposes designat-
ed by the givers, as against $751;
$50 not designated
''The Red Cross knows the field
better, We believe, than new volunteer
organizations can possibly know it;
we've got our machinery in operation
and are able to make the expense the
very minimum. Volunteer organiza-
tions, from the very nature of things,
incur expenses that are already being
borne by the Red Cross and which
should not be taken twice from the
too eager funds available for relief
work.
Il wish people understood this bet
ter | wish they realized that when
congress created the Red Cross, act
ing under the Treaty of Geneva, in
the creating OF a volunteer aid society,
it intended that the Red Cross should
be the American peoples expression
of sympathy and the American peo-
ple's means of helping the stricken
when ever need arises. Nothing
could be more essentially an institu-
ton of the American people and of
the American government than is the
Red Cross. Probably most people do
not know that our accounts, after be-
ing audited by the war department,
are reported to congres, together with
detailed statement of our work"
There is evidently something il,
what Miss Boardman says. The
Rockefeller Foundation seems to
think SO Such money as it has set
aside for war relief work has been
turned directly over to the Red Cross
to be administered as the Red Cross
sees fit. The Foundation. admittedly
expert in such matters itself, comedies
this field to the Red Cross and to
avoid waste and misuse gives the lat
ter the funds, asking only a receipt
for it and no explanation of how used,
But one appeal for financial help
has been made, that made by Presi-
dent Wilson, as president of the Red
Cross, August 13. The response to
that thus far has been $l,415,0S2.
More is urgently needed
Some Of the uses to which the mon
ey has been put are here Indicated
Cotton, $4,000 pounds; gauze,
$4,000 yards; Crenoline So, 900 yards;
bandages, s24,600 pieces; adhesive
plaster, $4,000 yards: chloroform and
ether 2S,1O0 pounds: medicines, A.
$50 pounds; compressed tablets $780,
600; hypodermic tablets $4,000; dis
infectants, assorted, 26,936 pounds;
bichloride tablets $4,000; tincture of
iodine 7S0 quarts plaster of Paris,
$4,000 pounds; surgical instruments,
1873; operating accessories 299S, hos
pital equipment, so cases; field hos
pital outfits, 42S cases; field medical
outfits, 20; ligatures $4,000; antitox-
in for typhoid 10000 doses; tetanus
antltoxin $4,000; smallpox vaccine
10000 tubes; blankets 10,20S; stretch
ers 924O; coats, SIC; womens and
girls sweater. 1740; for work workers
in Serbia so cases; motor ambulances,
10.
Those are the supplies purchased.
In addition donations aggregate 1868
cases and 2SS7 packages of hospital
garments. Surgeons supplies and
clothing. valued at over 100000,
Such donations have been sent to the
Red Cross warehouse, donated by the
Bush Terminal at Brooklyn and have
been packed and prepared for ship
ping by a force paid for by Cleveland
Dodge.