Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-10-05
MOUNTAIN HOME IDAHO, OCTOBER s, 1918.
RED CROSS USES
MONEY FOR MERCY
Vast Sums Raised Will
Ease Hardships of Men
on Fighting Front.


The War Council of the American
Red Cross has planned to issue TO
the American people a series of re-
ports concerning the use of the first
Red Cross War Fund Of 100000, 900
and the plans SO far perfected for
| future work. The first section OF
these reports issued today covers the
work Of caring for the families at
home of Americas men in the mill
tary service. Report on this subject
follows
More than three hundred thou
sand families of American men in
/ the service have been relieved OF
money troubles, legal difficulties,
household worries and depressing
loneliness by Home Service. This
branch of Red Cross activities has
now fifty thousand men and women
serving on its ten thousand local
committees and is spreading the
doctrine of intelligent substantial
neighborliness on behalf of lighters
families and backing it with an ex-
penditure OF 100000 per month
made out of money raised by the COM
munities themselves and reserved
from the amount contributed by the
National Red Cross War Fund. This
distribution has been directed by the
local committees themselves and more
than one million people have been
helped
Money, the least valuable con-
tribution Of the American Red Cross
Home Service to community welfare
amounted TO $1,500,000 during the
first six months Of 1918 and will
exceed $4,o00,0OO for the second
half Of the year. BY January first
1919 the American Red Cross will
have spent In this work total of
about $6,000,00O. and will probably
be- arriving the burden of one mill
lion per month.
More important than money are
the other kinds of help given.
Problems in soldiers and sailors
families arises from sickness, worry,
backward unruly children, perplexi-
ties in the household, management
Of business, legal tangles, mental de-
preston, and sometimes the mere
longing for the man gone away,
Home Service has been successfully
helping to meet them. All difficult
ties arising out of the misunderstand-
ing Of the War Risk Insurance law,
there being each week about CO. 900
inquiries as to why soldiers de-
pendants are not receiving their
money from the War Risk Bureau,
are brought to the attention OF
Home Service workers who. undertake
to get the information needed and in
many cases have had allotments or
allowances pushed through,
Wherever men are under military
orders they are in touch practically
all of the time with Home Service
representatives If worried about
families at home, Home Service mes
sages are sent to straighten matters
out. Twenty or more inquiries after
the welfare OF soldiers families are
cabled from France to near or re-
mote American communities every
day and at least one hundred more
come in each days mail TO National
Headquarters. An executive staff OF
ESQ is supervising the work of the
ten thousand committees in addition
two thousand men and women, many
of them volunteers, are acting as full
time secretaries. Seven thousand
people have attended special train
ing lecture courses to fit themselves
to help in this work and one thous-
and have been given certificates after
a longer period Of study indicating
that they are prepared for positions
as secretaries.
There Is no possible contribution
to the welfare of fighters families
that Home Service workers are not
undertaking to make. The work has
enlisted the help Of all creeds and
races and Is extending aid to every
person who will accept It regardless
Of rank, religion or color II is not
charity but only that neighborliness
which is due every fighter from the
people Of the whole United States"
The fall term of the district court
will eOnvaua hpro fha 01ud ~ thfe