The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1918-03-20
Red Cross Belgian Relief
An appeal to the People of Ashdown
and Vicinity:

and vicinity:
Please bring your contributions to
the Red Cross rooms any afternoon
between and O'Clock except on Sat
urday. Shipments to be sent March
%.
The following localities will make
separate shipments:
Foreman, Arden, Wilton, Winthrop,
Ogden, Allene, Richmond.
Your spare clothing for the suffer-
ing people of Belgium and Northern
France under the occupation of the
enemy.
These Allies of our behind the Ger
man lines-the rich as well as the
,poor-with their native stocks Of raw
materials long since exhausted, and
no commercial imports since tie firsg
devastation of their country need
and need promptly-this relief in their
distitution. The quantity of raw ma
terials which we have been permitted
to import for manufacture into cloth
ing in these parts of Belgium and
France has never been sufficient.
Even the well-to-do are short of
necessities; the poor are in dire need.
AS the world is short of SO many
things it is short of clothing, raw
materials. We cannot purchase
what is needed; we must put our
! spare garments to the service o. the
world,-a measure of pure economies,
conservation and patriotism.
! One-third of every shipment will go
| to the people of the north of France
down close behind the German lines;
| two-thirds will go to Belgium.
The Commission for Relief has the
ships-you have the clothing. In
these vessels carrying cargoas OF
grain and other foodstuffs to the Bel
gians and the French in the territory
! occupied by the Germans, there is
room for all the clothing you o1n
give. The Commission for Relief has
safe conduct passes for its ships, and
own representatives in Brussels, that
the clothing will be delivered only to
those for whom it is intended. The
Germans have never at any time seiz-
ed the personal apparel Of individuals.
Be ore the exhaustion of native sup
plies prospective mothers were given
layettes- BUNDLES containing all
the warm clean garments and various
supplies so necessary to the babies
with which to clothe and provide for
the new arrivals into the world. Or
late, these women have been turned
away by thousands from the empty
storehouses of the committees. and
their newborn babies are swaddled
in rags. Light warm canton flannel
and other kinds of cloth are needed.
from which to make these things. On
your generosity alone rests the re-
sponsibility for these young lives.
La-t year in Belgium one paid $500
20 rave a pair of shoes res oiled. Tie
COlHIIlSSlOu lOi Ieiiel was SoiiiS lucL
with sections of discarded material
stamped out to fit the various sizca
tens of thousands of pairs of these
cut-soles were thus produced. We
must have shoes, and we must have
scrap leather with which to repair
those you give, and the other shoes
now being worn over there.
1t is useless to send a garment
which is not made of the strongest
and most durable materials, as thu
clothes are subjected to the hardest
kind OF use. But this does not mean
that all garments must be in perfect
repair. There a erupwards of hun
dred thousand women in Belgium and
Northern France who will do anything
for q little work, and who were mob |
iliZed and trained into a maTvelOusly |
efficient organize ton for the making
of new clothing. While there We're
still raw materi3ls-or the repairing
ripping up and remaking of old cloth
ing.
These Won 1 are happiest when at
work, having less time to dwell upon
their misery and they look forward
with dread to The day, when, their ma
terial exhausted and the garments
finished, they must lay down their
work and await their turn to receive
the next cll miles
As to be ding: In the north OF
France sac stuffed with dry hay
serves as mattresses; everywhere the
need Of blaakets is tremendous; hos
pitfalls and cher institutions suffer for