Norwich bulletin., 1918-06-05
STORIES OF THE WAR
American Relief in Italy.

Correspondence of The Associated Press):
 Throughout Italy and particularly in Ithis section near the fighting front, the work of American relief ac- complished by American Red Cross workers has served as medium for stirring the spirit of resistance among the people and soldiers. It has con- tributed toward keeping them heart ened for the trials of the war and letting them know that America was united with them in it.
 It is work going on all over Italy, but near the front it deals with actual fighting conditions, in a belt of country lying just beck of the fighting line, with masses of troops billeted in towns. villages and country districts and a vast wave Of refugees, swept south and west from the invaded regions, settling down with all their misery like a swarm of locusts on the local communities
 In such a section the work ie something more than one of relief, for while $200,Oo0 has been distrimuted in this one section yet the main pur- pose has been to stimulate and hearten the spirit of the pea santry,e to arouse their ar6or and support for the men On the fighting line, and to let them know that America and all her re- sources are with them to the end.
 These provinces of Treviso, Venetia and Padua lie just back of the PiaTe
 and mountain fighting fronts. Ire viso province is on the border line, with half it's ccmmunes occupied by the enemy and half by the Italians, and the Piave running between the two severed parts of the province. Every one of the 3S Treviso com munes remaining under Italian con- trol have been visited by the Ameri- can Red Cross workers; the f03 communes of Padua province have been similarly visited; and some ,75
 communes in Venetia province.
 | Stirring scenes have been witnessed ] in these country districts as the
 American workers have carried on ] their work, under the general di-
 rection of Captain Thwaits, in charge I of civilian relief in the war zone
 At Este. for example, public holi-
 day was decreed. the town was plac- arded with posters announcing that the Americans are coming" Schoo children and the mayor gave a din- ner with speeches. The same wave
 of appreciation and enthusiasm has spread everywhere, until the whole
 region rings with what the Ameri- cans are doing.
 The tour lay due north tc i the very margin of the fighting country, and one could see side b5 side the stir of intense military prep.
 aration, the spring awakening of 2 great agricultural region and thu slualid misery of the unfortunatI mass swept out of the invaded regior
 and settled down here. unable to ge l O-, r;r IL Pia4k river with the defenses ol
 the heights of Asole and Montellt region, and ahead WAS the snow GOV cred peaks of Mount Grappa and it
 line of mountain defenses stretchin,
 west to the Brenta river.
 Sentinels were on guard ever. hundred feet along the Brenta cana guarding this precious artery 0 communIca ton. Across the fields ne7 trenches were being dug up. so t!la
 the farm country was gradually tal;jnt
 on the aspect of an armed carnT ItBarbed wire entanglernepts cTiss
 crossed the fields. Some Of the en1 .placements for batteries and machine guns looked very solid and might we1
 serve as a permanent fortisca tioT
 Soldiers marched along the roads i, endless lines, with great Earks 0 horses, mules, ammunition and sup plies and all the village. streets wer thick e with soldiers and the mixtur of ragged and impoverished refugees At all the places visited there was tn . same procedure; the important off l ciaIs and citizens of the town wer ] gathered for a conference on the com
 munity needs-the mayor, assessor head school teacher, and the parisl . priest. They furnished the exac statistics. of families in need, con dueting the party to the chief center !, of distress when this was possible l land then the Red Cross started then l on a plan of relief work with sub stantial contribution according to tn need.
 } Tt is not only the donation tha l counts explained Captain Thwaits, , for that is only token of the solidar