Williams news., 1919-03-07

pie, now that hostilitieS have ceased, the French themselves naturally pre- fer as far as possible to provide for their own. It has accordingly been de- tNrmined that the guiding principle Of Red Cross policy in France henceforth shall be to have punctiliOus regard to it's every responsibility, but to 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 to a designated French relief organi- Zation.
 .''The American Red Cross work in France was initiated by a commission of eighteen men who landed on French shores June 13, 1917. Since then some 5000 persons have been upon the rolls in France, of whom 1000 were actively engaged when the armistice was signed. An indication of the pres ent scale of the work will be obtained from the fact that the services of 5000 persons are still required.
 "Our American Expeditionary Force having largely evacuated England, the activities of the Red Cross Commis- sion there are naturally upon a dimin- ishing scale period. Active operations are still in progress in Archangel and Siberia
 "The work in Italy has been almost entirely on behalf of the civilian pop ulation of that country. In the critical hours of Italys struggle the. American people, through their Red Cross, sent a 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 concentra- ton of effort in Italy, England, Bel gium and even in France having natur- ally and normally diminished, 1t 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 vitally needed supplies, and to work this winter in the various Balkan coun- tries. In order to coordinate their ac- tivities, a 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- with nd medical supplies, and food for sick children and invalids. 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.
 "An important commission is still working in Palestine. Through the 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- 1 terior of Turkish dOminiOns.
 Red Cross Will Continue.
 "Red Cross effort is thus far flung. It will continue to be so. But the movement represented by this work has likewise assumed an 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- 1 Derience 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 it's future tasks may be | 1t is yet impossible to forecast. We know that so long as there is an Amer | ican army in the field the Red Cross will have a special function to perform 1 "Nothing could be of greater impOr tance to the American Red Cross thar the plans just set in motion by the five great Red Cross societies of the world to develop a program of extended ac tivities in the interest of humanity The conception involves not alone ef forts to relieve human suffering, bu to prevent it; not alone movemen by the people of an individual nation but an attempt to arouse all people t' a sense of their responsibility for thu welfare of their fellow beings through out the world. It Is a program bOtl ideal and practical. Ideal in that it supreme aim is nothing less than yer
 itable Peace on earth good will t
 men," and practical in that 1t seeks t
 take means and measures which ar
 actually available and make them e1
 fective in meeting without delay tn crisis which is daily recurrent in tn
 lives of all peoples.
 For accomplishing its mission fl
 the years of peace which must Ii
 ahead of us the Red Cross will reQuir
 the ablest possible leadership, an
 must enjoy the continued support, syn pathy, and participation in its wor of the whole American people. It particularly fortunate that such a ma as Dr. Livingston Farrand should hay been selected as the permanent hea , of the organization. The unstinte