New Britain herald., 1918-09-03
RED CROSS REPORT.
Will Explain Expenditure Of First
 Big War Fund.

Big War Fund. Washington, D. C., Sept, 3-The following is authorized by the Red
 Cross War Council:
 The War Council of the American Red Cross has planned to issue 8 series of reports to the American people concerning the use of the first Red Cross War Fund of S100,O ,O00, 900 and the plans so far perfected for future work.
 The first section of these reports issued today covers the work Of the Red Cross in caring for the families at home of American men in militant service. The report on this subject is as follows:
 More than 30OO families of Ameri- can men in service have been relieved of money troubles legal difficulties, family worries or of depressing loneli- ness by the Home Service of the Red Cross. This branch of the Red Cross activity has 50,O0O men and women serving on it's 10000 Home Service committees. It has reached into re- mote communities where there had never been organized social effort be- fore. It has established the closest cooperation in the larger centers of population with the organized agencies of public welfare. It is spreading a doctrine of intelligent substantial neigh bOrliness on behalf of the fight CTS families and backing it with an 1 expenditure of over $400,O00 8 month. l These expenditures have been made l out of money raised in the communi- { ties themselves and reserved from the i amount contributed to the national 1 Red Cross war fund. The direction of each town and county's Home Service
 work is left to local committees. Ma 1 tional headquarters is seeking only to I guide and aid in organizing the neigh borliness of each town for it's own | men in khaki.
 More than 100000 people have been helped by these local committees 1 since the war began. Money has been, certainly, the least valuable contribu- ton Of Home Service to the welfare of communities since men began to go into training camps, but it l amounted to S1.50O0OO for the first six months of the present year and will probably exceed $4,000,O00 for the second half Of the year. By Janu- ary 1, 1919, Red Cross will have spent in Home Service work a total of S6,OO0,O0O and will then be carry
 
 100000 a, month.
 More important than money are the other kinds of help that are be- ing freely given. Problems in soldiers and sailors families have arisen from sickness, worry, backward or unruly children, perplexities in household
 mana gem ent business and legal tangles, mental depression and some times mere longing for the man gone away. These things keep soldiers families from happiness sometimes when there is no actual pressing need for funds and Home Service commit tees by enlisting the aid of physi- clans, lawyers, business men, success ful hosekeepers and teachers, have
 successfully aided thousands of fan1i-
 lies to overcome such troubles.
 Difficulties arise out of failure of
 some dependents to receive their al-
 lowance or alIotments under the War
 Risk Insurance law. At least 60,O00 inquiries concerning such payments
 through Home Service committees
 during the month of July and more
 than a. third of those were taken clear
 through to headquarters by the in
 formation service in the effort to get
 ma tiers 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- sponse to an appeal, get word to the Home Service committee in the fight CTS 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. 4 wor- ried soldier is not good soldier, and the Red Cross is saving soldiers from unhappiness by taking care Of their families and then seeing to it that the soldiers are informed that things are right.