The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-05-12
Miss Boardman Says Other Organi.
cations are Not in Position to
Relieve War Victims as
Effectively
S379,36O In Cash
SENT TO EUROPE
Work is Systematized and Cost Of
Operation is Reduced to Min
imum How Funds are
Expended
BY BURTON X. sTANDlsH.

tWIltteu LOT tHe united PreSS.)
Washington, May 12.-Mabel T.
Boardman, just now active director OF
the Infinitely small'' work of the
American Red Cross, is firmly con-
vinced that persons wishing to aid
victims of the war, combatant or nom
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; it
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.
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 a specific piece of relief
work it is used for that and the same
is true if the sum given Is s5. How
ever, if we had planned to spend the
same amount OF funds already in hand
for that work we don't do it, we d.
vert it to another crying need.
'sFor example, we have transmitted
$379,3SO in cash to Europe. OF this
S197, 200 was for purposes designated.
"The Red Cross knows the field bet
ter, we believe, than new volunteer or
ganizations 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 twice taken from the
too meager funds available for relief
work.
II wish people understood this bet
ter. l wish they realized that when
congress created the Red Cross, act
ing under the treaty of Geneva in the
creating of volunteer aid society, 1t
intended that the Red Cross should be
the American peoples expression OF
sympathy and the American peoples
means of helping the stricken when
ever need arises. Nothing could be
more essentially an institution OF the
American people and of the Ameri-
can government than is the Red Cross.
I Probably most people do not know
that our accounts, after being audited
by the war department, are reported
to congress, together with detailed
statement of our work."
There is evidently something In
what Miss Boardman says. The Rookie
feller foundation seems to think SO.
Such money as it has set aside for
war relief work has been turned di-
rectlv over to the Red Cross to be adj
ministered 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 latter the
funds. asking only receipt for 1t and
no explanation of how used.
But one appeal for financial he'll
has been made, that made by Presi
| dent Wilson as president of the Ret
| Cross. August 13. The response tt
that thus far has been si,4l5,0S2. More
is urgently needed.
Some of the uses to which tn'
money has been put are here mdl
Gated:
Cotton, $4,000 pounds; gauze. SS2
900 yards; crenoIine, $1,000 yards
. bandages. $4,000 pieces; adhesive
! plaster. s2.5OO yards; chloroform an
ether. 2s.10O pounds; medicines. 4sl
}. pounds; compressed tablets, 6So.eeo
hypoderrnic tables. $4,000; disinfec'
(. ants. assorted. 1886 pounds; bichl'
ride tablets. $4,000; tincture Of iodiu'