The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-09-16
Work Being Done By The
Red Cross Home Service

The War Council OF the American
Red Cross has planned 10 issue Il
series of reports to the American
people concerning the use OF the irSt
Red Cross War Fund OF 500, 600
900 and the plans so far perfected
for future work
The first section of these reports
covers the work of the Red Cross III
caring for the families at nome OF
Americas men in militant se,V!"e.
The report ON this subject is as fol
lows:
More than 100000 families OF
American men in service have been
relieved of money troubles, legal diff
ficulties, family worries Or OF de
pressing loneliness by the Home Ser
vice of the Red Gross. This branch
of Red Cross activity has 5000
men and women serving on its 10000
Home Service committees. II has
reached into remote communities
where there had never been organic
ed social effort before. t has cs-
tlblished the closest cooperation IN
the larger centers of populauol with
the organized agencies of public vel
fare. 1t is spreading doctrine Of
intelligent substantial neighboriinesS
on behalf of the fighters families and
backing it with an expenditure OF
over 100000 month.
These expenditures have been
made out of the money raised in the
communities themselves and reserved
from the amount contributed to the
national Red Cross war fund. The
direction of each town and country's
Home Service work is left to local
committees. National Headquarters
is seeking only to guide and aid in
organizing the neighborliness of each
town for its own men in khaki.
More than 100000 people have
been helped by these local commit
tees since the war began. Money
has been, certainly, the least valu-
able contribution of Home Service to
the welfare of communities since
men began to go into training camps.
but it amounted to 100000 for
the first six months of the present
year and will probably exceed $4,-
100000 for the second half of the
year. By January l, 1919, Red
Cross will have spent in Home Ser
vice work a total of 100000 and
will then be carrying burden, prob
ably, of nearly s1,00O,000 a month.
More important than money are
the other kinds of help that are be-
ing freely given. Problems in soldi-
ers' and sailors families have arisen
from sickness, worry, backward or
unruly children, perplexities in
household management. business and
legal tangles, mental depression and
sometimes mere longing for the man
gone away. These things keep soldi-
ers' families from happiness some
times when there is no actual press
ing need for funds and Home Service
committees, by enlisting the aid of
physicians, lawyers, business men,
successful housekeepers and teach
ers, have successfully aided thou
sands of families to overcome such
troubles.
Difficulties arise out of the failure
of some dependents to receive their
allowances or allotments under the
War Risk Insurance law. At least
$4,000 inquiries concerning such
payments were received by the Red
Cross through Home Service commit
tees during the month of July and
more than a third of those were ia
ken clear through to headquarters
by the information service in the eff
fort to get matters Strengthened out.
Men in camps in this country or on
the firing line in Europe are in touch
practically all the time with Red
Cross field workers who can, in re
Spouse to an appeal, get word to the
Home Service committee in the fight
er's home town The Importance of
this in keeping up the morale of men
abroad has been spoken of again and
again by officers in France. a wor-
ried soldier is not a good soldier and