Evening journal., 1917-01-30

NEW YORK. Jan. 30 Serbia lies
stricken 10 the earth just as Belgium
is Serbian women and children are
starving. II Is high time that America
great, rich, free, prosperous Amer
ica-should be generous, philan-
thropic America. Up TO now we have
not even scratched the SURFACE of
things. I think the plan you have
outlined a splendid one and see no
reason under heaven why the con-
grcss OF this wealthy country should
not appropriate the sum Of 100000
600 and empower the president to
name a commission to supervise its
expenditure among an the suffering
non-combatants in occupied European
territory
The speaker was tho famous banker
wit and politician. Otto n. Barnard,
head of the New York Trust Com
pany. who made a slashing campaign
for mayor OF New York on the Re
publican ticket in 1903 Barnard is
member OF the Serbian relief commit
tee and treasurer of the Serbian hos
pitais fund He has made several
trips 20 Serbia since the outbreak OF
the war the last one being in Au-
gust. 1916. SO he is as convorsant with
conditions In that country as any
man in America.
"Even hundred million dollars,
Barnard resumed "wil not go very
TAR when distributed among ALL the
non-combatants i'm the occupied terri
tories but a will bc a help; TT WILL
SHOW AMERICA ~ THE NOBLE
GESTURE OF EXTENDING SOME
TPfNG MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN
SYMPATHY.
"rhey appreciate our sympathy,
but thew also need our hclplng hand.
"Take Serbia. for instance. cite
tits little country because its condi
ton Is not as well known as that oi
Bcleum and because I know some
thing about the matter from personal
Observation
'The northern part OF Serbia, occu-
pied by Austria. is now cut on from
outside aid. The American Red Cross
was the only relief unit operating
there The allies having refused 70
permit shipments of American ioou
for the populaiion. the Red Cross, as
sisted by the Rockefeller foundation,
had been buying wheat and corn IN
Rumania. bringing it up the Danube IN
bags TO Belgrade Thirty-seyen thou
sand FIVE hundred people-mostly
women and children-wero being ted
IN Belgrade. and il was estimated that
100000 were in the interior cities. Or.
Ryan Of the Red Cross. was conduct
ing sealed cars of flour and meal TO
Interior points and personally deliv-
ering this food to local relief COM
mittees. On August 81, last. Rumania
declared war and IL became impos-
slole make any more purchases.
ABOUT December L. 1916. when the
hed cross food supply on hand was
exhausted the Austrian authorities or
dereo the hed Gross agents 10 leave
the country and they went to Rernc
Switzerland. to await orders.
Bulgaria, which occupies Nish and
Serbian territory south and west of
II refused 10 permit Red Cross v,orl,
from the beginning.
"lhere was no employment in
Belgrade last August and the line
of applicants for food relief began
forming al three and four O'Clock
in the morning every day. II was
a pitifuI sight 10 see the mothers,
with sick babies in their arms.
waiting for their portion Of Hour,
'.When / was there the new harves
was being gathered with the aid o
25.O00 Russian prisoners held by the
Ausfrians. The grain was beinl
piled up to the ceilings in the maya
zines at Belgrade. How much of thii
will be given to the Serbs by the Aus
trians remains TO be seen. IL VII
nrobablv be a winter of intense sui
fering although the grain harvest u
serbia was good. Little Of this grain
was nlanted on the Serbian farms OF
harvested by Serbs for the reason
1hat few able bodied Serbs are left in
the country. They are either dead OF
prisoners. OF in the reconstructed
army at Monastir Farming was
fargely done by Russian prisoners.
1Husr Austrian direction.