Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-03-14
TONS OF CLOTHES
TO Be COLLECTED
FOR BELGIAN POOR
A Seven-Day Nation
Wide Campaign in
the United States
Carried on by the Red
Cross, Beginning
March rs.

Beginning March IS and ending March
25 a seven-day Nationwide campaign
will be carried on by the Red Cross ana
the Commission for Relief in Belgium 10
obtain a minimum quantity OF 500 tons
of clothes for the destitute people Of Bel
GUM and the occupied portions of North
ern France.
The request comes from Herbert Hoover,
chairman of the Commission for relief in
Belgium.
II. F. Dawson, chairman Of the Red
Cross war council has granted the use OF
the National Red Cross organization for
collecting the needed clothing.
The donations will be shipped at once to
the Atlantic Seaboard and sent over seas
for distribution.
Mr.. Hoover's letter to Mr.. Dawson out
lining the Belgian situation and asking
for Red Cross assistance follows:
February IS.
"My dear Mr.. DAWSON
The practical entire exhaustion Of
clothes. clothing, shoes and leather N
occupied Belgium and Northern France
and the shortage of these necessities in
the worlds markets are making 1t in
creasingly difficult for the commission
for Relief in Belgium to keep clothed ami
shod the unfortunate people OF these oc-
cuped territories.
In addition to new material we need
gifts of used and surplus clothing and
shoes, blankets, flannel cloth. etc. in
large quantities from the people of the
United States.
AS the Commission has allowed most
of its local committees scattered over the
United States to disband because of the
hnancial arrangement male last June with
on 1sl,l% 49,
Red Cross with its existing elaborate
system of local orga mutations would he
in excellent situation to conduct this
clothing campaign for us.
"WiN you lend the machinery of this
organization to collect for the Commits
sion from the people of the country the
articles needed by it in it's Relief work.
Where our own loI3l committees are still
intact we should prefer TO give them the
choice of carrying on the campaign in
their own localities or working in CO.
opera ton with the Red Cross or of turn
ing 1t over entirely to the Red Cross
from your repeated cordial offers OF
cooperation of the American Red Cross
in any OF the charitable work of our com
mission | have no doubt Of the answer
YOU VIII make to our present request.
Faithfully yours.
Herbert c. Hoover"
Mr.. Davlson's letter Of reply to Mr..
Hoover. dated March ith at American
Red Cross national headquarters. Wash
ington. follows:
My dear Mr.. Hoover:
N response to your request on behalf
or the Commission of Relief in Belgium,
the Red Cross will be glad to undertake
the collection of used and surplus cloth
ing and other articles for use of the
commission in its relief work in occupied
territories in France and Belgium.
we have set aside the week of
Mafch lS to March % for a special cam
palsn for this purpose. We feel certain
that the people of the United States will
respond generously and that we will be-
abie TO collect for the Commission such
quantities of clothing and other articles
as It REQUIRES to satisfactorily carry on
its work Of relief ~
we VIII send out your appeal to all
our chapters through our divisional or
ganization. Where your local committees
sun exist we trust that this work ma
ne done by such committees in co-opera-
tion with our local chapters in order that
the chapters may feel that they too have
part In the great work
Cordially yours
H. J. Dawson, Chairman
lied Cross War Council.