Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-03-18
"CLOTHES-FOR-BELGIUM"
WEEK BEGINS TO-DAY
Red Cross Will Receive Donations at
Purinton Building, 345 Water Street
Hopes Response Will Be Generous
As tho Need Is Most imperative

Augusta's "Clothes-for- Belgium week
starts this morning, with a store in the
Purinton block as 4 receiving station and
with all the machinery and the influence
! OF the Augusta churches and the Augusta
Red Cross behind the movement
| The Commission for the relief of Bel
gium needs clothing-500 tons of it. 1t
can not buy this clothing-the necessary
raw materials do not exist. So it has
called on the people of America to divide
their surplus with the Allied people in
ca ptured territory The Red Cross has
taken over the handling of the task and
work begins this morning.
The Red Cross hopes that everyone who
possibly can will bring or send their con-
tributions to the receiving station in the
Purinton building, No. $40 Water street
(opposte the Maine Central station). To
collect such bundles as can not he sent
to the receiving room, the Red Cross
asks for volunteers who will lend automo-
biles or teams for this work Anyone
who will lend either for this good cause
please call Red Cross Headquarters, No.
saw, or notify H. L. Sherblrne, No
3l-R.
! The Red Cross feels that 1t will he vr-
tually impossible to make a housc-to-
house canvass for clothing and recognizes
the difficulty of collecting bundles and 1t
therefore makes an especial appeal to all
who possibly can to arrange to have the
bundles sent to the Purnton building Rel
gian clothing headquarters. They will
thus do their full share toward one of the
most worthy ri orit
the war began.
Americas allies behind the Ger-,na,,
lines-the rich as we'll as the poor-vith
their native stocks of raw materials long
since exhausted, and no commercial i'm
ports since the first devastation Of their
country, need this relief in their dcstIt,l
ton. The quantity of raw materials
which the Begian relief committee has
been permitted to import for manufac-
lure INTO clothing has never been SUM-
clent Even the well-to-do are short of
necessities; the poor are in dire need
The world Is short of clothing of raw
materials. With all their money, the
American people cannot purchase what IS
needed for Belgium and northern Franco
The necessary cloth does not exist. They
! ~''NA>A''C Put lllciI spare garments
to the service of the world-a measure os
pure economy conservation and patriot
| ism.
one-third Of every shipment will go ~
the people of the north Of France. down
close behind the German lines; two
! thirds will go to Belgium.
F., The Commission for Relief has The
ships-the people of Augusta have snare
clothing. In these vessels CARRYING car
! goes OF grain and other foodstuffs to the
heigians and the French in the territory
occupied by the Germans there is room
! TOT all the clothing America can give
1he Commission for relief nas safe co,-
duct pass for its ships, and the abso,ut.
assurance through its own r.nreson,.
tlves in Brussels that the clothing will he
delivered only to those for whom If is
intended. The Germans have never ~
an. time seized the personal apparel of
individuals.
| Before the exhaustion of native sun
| plies. prospective mothers were given
layettes-little bundles containing all
the warm, clean garments and vari-
Gus supplies So necessary to the babies
with which to clothe and provide for
the new arrivals into the world. These
women have been turned away by the
thousands of late from the empty store
houses 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 the generos-
! ity of the American people alone rests
the responsibility for these young lives
| 1t is useless to send a garment which
| is not made of the strongest and most
durable materials, as the clothes arc
| subjected to the hardest kind of use
But this does not mean that all gar
ments must be in perfect repair. There