The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-03-05


'4is for work among th,AFrcnt.l PEG
pie, now that hostii,ies have ceased.
the French themselves naturally pre-.
fer as far as possible to provide for
their own. 1t has accordingly, been de-.
termined that the guiding principle of
Red Cross policy in France henceforth
shall be to have punc1ilious regard to
its every responsibility, but 10 direct
its efforts primarily to assisting
French relief societies. The liberated
and devastated regions Of France have
been divided by the government into
small districts, each officially assigned
10 a designated French relief organi
ZaliOn
''rhe American Red Cross work III
France was Initiated by a commission
OF eighleelrmen who landed on French
shores June %S, 1917. Since them
some 5000 persons have been upon the
rolls IN France, Of whom 1000 we're
actively engaged when the armistlce
was signed. An Indication Of the pres.
ent scale ofsthe work will be obtained
from the fact that the services Of 6,0GO
PERSONS are s,ilirequired.
''Onr American Expedltionary Force
having largely evacuated England, the
activities Of the Red Cross Commits
sion there are naturally upon a dirnIn-
FISHING scale period: ~-ACfve' operations
are still In progress M Archangel and
Siberia. .,lg ,4S r.. &.
"rhe work In Italy has been almost
entirely on behalf OF the civilian pop.
ulation of that country. In the critical
hours Of ltaly's strugglethe American
people. through their Red Cross, sent
. practical message Of sympathy and
relief, FOR which the government and
people Of Italy have never ceased TO
express their gratitude.
Supplies and Personnel to Near East.
THE occasion for such corcentra-
ton of effort in Italy, England, Bel
GUM and even in France having natur-
ally and normally diminishedyit has
been possible to divert supplies and
personnel in large measure to the aid
of those people in the Near East. who
have hitherto been Inaccessible to out
side assistance, but whose sufferings
have been upon AN appalling scale.
The needs of these peoples are so vast
that government alone can meet them,
but the American Red Cross is making
an effort to relieve Immediately the
more acute Distress ''' ~ <
AN extensive group Of American,
workers has been dispatched to carry
vitality needed supplies, and to work
this winter in the various Balkan coun-
tries. In order to coordinate their &C.
tivttes, Balkan commission has been
established, with headquarters at
Rome, Italy, from which point alone
all the Balkan centers can be reached
promptly.
"A commission has just reached Po-
land with doctors and nurses, medical
supplies. and food for sick children
and ilvalids. An American Red Cross
Commission. has also been appointed
to aid in relieving the suffering Of Rus
sian prisoners still confined in German
prison camps.
IAN important commission is still
WI mig III I dJXSIIuC. rluc
war special cooperation has been
given to the Armenian and Syrian Re-.
lief Commission, which was the only
agency able to carry relief in the in
terror Of Turkish coSIinlons
Red Cross Will Continue.
"Red Cross effort is thus far flung.
It will continue to be 50. But the
movement represented by this work
has likewise assumed IN intimate place
in the daily life Of our people at home.
The army of workers which has been
recruited and trained during the war
must not be demobilized. All our ex.
perience In the war shows clearly that
there is an unlimited field for service
of the kind which can be performed
with peculiar effectiveness BY the Red
Cross. What Its future tasks may be
it Is yet impossible to forecast. Wei
know that so long as there Is an Amer
lean army in the field the Red Cross
will have a special function to perform.
|. Nothing could be Of greater impor.
lance to the American Red Cross than