Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-05-11
PREPAREDNESS
URGENT NEED OF
THE RED CROSS
Sneaker at National Confer
edce on Charities and Cor
rectionS Draws Lessons
From Great War in Europe

Ira,"napolis, May i0.---Problems
"a, rurope faces today in caring for
.sa millions of war sufferers MAKE
,ain the urgent need Of Red Cross
ppronaredness in this country accord
Ernest p. Bicknell, director
General nS of civilian relief Of the Amer
pod Cross. in a speech before the
Na,ional Conference on Charities ana
directions, in session here today
aln The terrible tests of efficiency
a,hich the societies of the Red
cross have been subjected by war con-
ditIons in Europe and in the waste
al utility of uncentralized and I'M
controlled relief agencies as observed
.oro NJ home" he said, lis TO be found
Solemn warning to the American
pod cross of the vital Importance OF
preparedness
Fmphaszing the need Of unified
control such as Is exercised by the
pod Cross agencies in Europe, Mr.
picknell said II was plain that the pa
triotic and eager efforts of thousands
% unrelated relief organizations would
land IN hopeless confusion and self de-
feat
rIndeed." he said, "some hint of
This confusion has been recently Wit
messed in the United States in the
multitude of unrelated and independ-
ont agencies engaged in war relief"
situation In Germany.
Mr. Bicknen called special attention
NJ the conference TO the situation in
Gernonv and Austria, where 1t is inn
nosslble TO import foodstuffs because
Of the blockade. The problem there,
he declared, goes far beyond the re-
ouirement that help be provided for
Tho families Of killed and wounded
soldiers. Germany's foresight, her
thoroughness and her strong and di-
rect control of affairs which we in
the United States are prone TO regard
as outside the realm Of governmental
Interference, were never more striking
" shown than in the manner in when
she has regulated the private affairs
OF nef people uuil hS AiN wal
with great war demanding the
full strength of the nation, the gov
eminent yet found time to give at
tention to the minutiae of the lives or
the people. Whatever the student of
warfare may think of the war policy
of Germany he continued, there can
be nothing but admiration for the
skill and courage with which she has
preserved and protected her people
amid circumstances of almost neon
ceiyable difficulty. 1t is to be expect
ed that the world will receive many
valuable lessons in economics and adj
ministration as a direct result of Ger
many's mastery methods of conserv-
ing her resources turing this war
Mr., Biclnell said, the number of
persons made dependent by direct war
operations had been estimated at
more than / 5000, 900, while the areas
which have been actually fought over
and desolated by the armies contained
population of more than 20,0Oo,0Oo
before the war.
1T is as if one-third of the popu-
lation Of the United States were tram
pied directly under the foot of war,
while one-seventh of all the people
in the country Were thrown upon
charity for support And he add
ed, IF all the inhabitants of the states
Of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and llli-
nois were by some sudden catastrophe
thrown helpless upon the charity of
the world, the resulting problem in
philanthropy would be no greater
than that which this war has created
in Europe 1t is as though the entire
population of the seventeen largest
cities in the United States were sud-
denly plunged into state Of Gepend-
ence upon charity.
Work in Belgium.
The greatest single relief operation
IN the war zone, Mr.. Bicknell said, has
oeen that of the Commission for Re-