Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-08
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practic,hia european War RsNef-It is i'm.
his report co,n ueNote space TO this subject in
Our raI;s s.oIh'heE sufste with lis mport anee
III IeLei Tor civilian noncoAhatants a.
has inSai,.n ma required constant attention and
. s problems. The work of the Rcd Co..
cond,s warning countries must at ali times he
dinloraeia IN the closest of relations to the
and with minute regard for the wishes rag,,.
,n' ohs. ana restrictions of the civil and Mil;
relief Wn1I In the countries in which our
stanatS Compelled to modify our mans IN on.
zoraamce with changing conditions in the war
The h aha with changing policies on the part of
,ne peiilrerent governments. Fields of relief
mn are open today may be closed TO Ms To-
n;.". ana areas into which we are NOT per-
us Al aoo shaef at ore time may be opened to
mas at times been subject to disappointine de-,
as ana some of our most hopeful and pro.
sni,a projects have had to be abandoned In
60 VI uhese flihculties, our work has gone
ao.Msrd: Although we have been unable to
nevor,haS as much as we had hoped, we have.
a neve atin record of work in which we
"iV aoie 70 ma some satisfaction.
oSt. Serbta-At the date of the An
huai Meeting of the Red Cross in 1915 we
n ns...; group Of twelve men. sanitarians and
PHYSICIANS, under the Charmanship of Mr..
Inward stuart carrying on sanitary work in
,l.any dlnerent communities in Serbia This
. rroup nad remained after the completion of the
inalh TASK OF clearing Serbia of typhus had
oeen completed. In December, 1915, the
. .rInies OF the Teutonc Allies swept southwark
,nr S serbia defeating the Serbian armies
aln drlVing the remainder of those armies
t" ' ne WIN many thousand civilian refugees
~. NV oi Serbia, some to the westward through
ne ne ainanian mountains toward the Adriatic
'oaT' ana some to the southwark into Greece
ne work OF our Commission was stopped by
ms 9nis INVASION, Some of the members of the
D nio,, ieft Scribe by way Of the Alba
man mountains and thence to Greece while
others remained in Serbia. where they Joined
the Stafs Of hospitals, which were filed with
Wounded soldiers following the heavy fighting
rf pf fhA
eventually all those members of the American
commission who had remained in Serbia left
.hat country. and several of them returned to
me nlted States. Those who travelled through
hIoahia and INTO Greece were immediately au-
,horized by US TO form themselves into a Ser
hlah Relief Commission and to devote them
selves to the care of the Serbian refugees who
were suffering the greatest of hardshps in Al
bania and Greece. These sufferings were es-
endeavored to work their way across the Al
hanlan mountains in mid winter in an attempt
TO reach the Adriatic coast, where they hoped
to be rescued and taken to places of safety
The members of the American Commission
gave great and tireless service to these refugees
along the Albanian Coast. in the island of
were eventually taken and also on the main
land of Greece. Our representatives helped in
transferring these refugees by ships from AL
banian ports to Corfu. TO italy to Corsica, and
MarSeilles. 1t a period of great stress, of
bonndless suffering. and the members of the
Commission were widely scattered, each work
cordIng to his own judgment. The American
Ambassador al Rome, Mr. Thomas Nelson
Page eventually assumed certain direction
rendering the Red Cross most valuable ser
vice; pr. Edward Ryan. who had been at the
head of the American Red Cross Hospital in
his work in that institution in the spring of
1916. apd he, too, went south and joined
forces with our Commission caring for Serbian
refugees.
After these refugees had been carried to
places Of security and had been comfortably
established. Mr. Stuart, with some members of
fered the services of the Red Cross in the care
of destitute Serbans in that section of Serbia
which had been occupied by the Bulgarian
forces. For military reasons, the Bulgarian
Government declined to permit agents of the
Red Cross to enter southern Serbia. Mr.. Stu
art, with his men. thereupon proceeded to
associates for service in behalf of the destitute
population of northern Serbia. occupied by
Austro- hungarian troops This offer vas
ernment, and arrangements were made
as rapidly possible for the purchase
Of food supplies h.In in thn D,n their
River to Belgrade. and their. distribution in
that city: This work went. forward without
interruption,, with steadily increasing magni,
tude until the declaration of war by Rouma-
MIA whereupon all purchases of food supplies
in Roumania ceased, and 1t was no longer
possible to transport snppes ar from
" Of such supplies had been accumulated in
Belgrade prior to Roumanias entrance into
the war.
Three hundred tons of extremely valuable
Hrelief supplies including both food and cloth
ing. which had been shipped by the Red Cross
!" not Sen fo sedea ha
shipped back to Marseilles, in France. and put
in storage. In the spring of 1915 these sup
eminent. were. transported, in charge of DR..
Ryan. from Marseilles across France, across
Switzerland aud Austri la to Belgrade, and made
available for distribution among the people of
northern Serbia, Other valuable relief sup.
plies contributed by Swiss-Serbian relief
Committee were also shipped from Switzerland
over to our Red Cross Commission for dis
tribution Including supplies from Roumania,
Marseilles and Switzerland, total OF 31S
carloads of such supplies reached Belgrade
during the summer and autumn for distribu-
ton by our Commission
The Austrian Government; which had at
first limited the work of our Commission to the
city Of Belgrade finding that work carried
out in a satisfactory and impartial manner,
gradually extended the scope Of the oGmmi IS
the country well as the city. Dr: Ryan was
placed in charge of the distribution in the
interior while Mr.. Stuart continued IN charge
The Austrian Government has now request
cd the withdrawal of our Commission when
it has completed the distribution OF supplies
on hand. and it is expected that the Commits
sion will close its operations and withdraw
from Serbia about January l. 1917
With a view to meeting such needs on the
part of the civilian population of Serbia as
may appear behind the lines of the Allied
armies, which have begun an invasion of Ser
bia from the south, the Red Cross has sent a
small Commission TO Saloniki, with emergency
relief funds. for the double purpose OF ac-
ouninting us with the character and magnitude
Of the need which is found in Serbia behind
the Allied lines. and to establish preliminary
measures of relief If the circumstances war
rant an extension of this work. the CommS-
sion will be enlarged, and 1t IS hoped tha1
sufficient funds may be contributed IN the
United States to enable us to adequately meet
whatever demands may arise. tonslderation
is being given to the possibility OF establishing
n hospital in southern Serbia, INTENDED espe
cially for the treatment of illness among the
civilians. and possibly to give medical and
surgical service as well to wounded soldiers
of the Serbian army small hrst snlpmen1
of supplies is en.route to Salonfkl LOT dlstripu'
ton bv our Commission, of which MI A;
Buck is Chairman, and other shipments VIII De
made as the needs develop. :. ...
has been made to obtain the consent OF ne
Allied governments and the governments OF ,he
Central Powers for the establishment OF a com,
prehensive relief organization In foiaho anu
The shipment of suitable reef supplies from
the United States. These attempts 70 oa te
have not been successful IL IS possible W
send money to local Polish reIef comhittees,
and large sums in the aggregate have been thus
Sent 10 Poland by different American organiza'
lions Jewish committees in the United states
have been the largest contributors OF THESE
funds The American Red Cross mas aiso
sent funds chiefly to the General fonsh nei -
Committee in Switzerland, which has the IA
,.or NJ the German Government and is per
rr;t,sd TO send money to its subcommittee IN
paIand and also to ship limited quantities OF