The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-15
RELIEF DIRECTOR
 SAYS HELP MUST
 COME ID EUROPE
Says It Is Impossible for Them to Help Themselves Without Cooperation
 of America
By Associated Pres,

By Associated Press
 London, December l9.-Sir William Goode, British director of relief. who re-
 gently returned from a tour of the war impoverished countries of Europe, de- ciares that unless the allied and asso- ciated governments provide credits for food and raw materials central Europe fis likely 10 become "a desolate waste of seeding thistles.' England, he declares.
 cannot do anything likely to be effectual unless the United States extends credits
 in proportion to her means The crisis
 in central Europe, Sir William declares, IS of such dimensions and complexity as
 to defy isolated or individual effort Speaking before the American Luncheon club recently. he said: You cannot heal
 the wounds of Europe by driblets of gov- ernment relief or dabs of humanity The
 day for palliatives is past. Emergencies
 such as that in Austria will not wait Tor the emergence of the League of Ma uons Little nations generated by the self-determination incubator of the peace conference are likely to disappear even before they are old enough to SOW their wild oats.
 "A comprehensive and far-reaching financial arrangement must be quickly arrived at by the allied and associated governments unless half of central Flu rope is to be a desoate waste of seeding missiles. The key to the economic arch is organization of credits for food and
 raw materials and the export of nanu- factures on regular and ascending scale from the countries receiving such credit
 With the fpresent value of the pound
 sterling and with the present position of French and Italian exchange, it is evi- dent that any such comprehensive credit
 scheme will be futile unless the United
 States takes generous part Great Britain has already borrowed, in partner ship with France and Italy, $4S, GOO 600
 rom the United States to feed Austria
 dare say we could borrow more and further discount our own exchange but
 that would be only a, palliative which in
 the long run would do neither Austria
 ourselves nor the world any good
 Tt is not case of saying to the United States we will not do anything more if
 you will not
 The fact of the matter is that we >cannot do anything which is in the least likely to be effectual unless the United states IS also prepared to extend her credits in proportion to her means It is no good being 'mealy- about ad- mitting that we, who before the war were ricn. are now poor Personality am in- chned to think that the nations partIci- pating in some such comprehensive scheme of credits will in the long run suf Ter no material disadvantage
 VT one thing l am quite certain and
 that is that if central Europe and the
 new nations are allowed to step in their own Julce the whole world will suffer In any case, whatever remedy may be adont
 ed, 1t will involve on both continents a demand for common sacrifice and fo, common stimulation of production TO
 use MT Hoover's blunt expression "Eu rope must work or starve.'
 tnink l am authorized to say that if me united States can see their way to take part in some such comurehensive provision of credits as have slppested the British government and the British people will be prepared and I think rightly prepared, to strain still further the resources which have been so impov erished by way
 If that opportunity is not taken I am inclined to fear that the great relief work done by MT. Hoover, of which America is justly proud, will go down 10 DOS terty as task only half done. I real ize that there are many difficulties in the way such, for instance as the unison of unofficial American financial effort with operaHons that may be under the control of European governments, but have unwavering faith that these are not insuperable."
 Describing the conditions prevailing in Central Europe as he observed them in his recent journey, Sir William continued Locomotives from one country dared moi budge across the frontier of another. Coal trains with their cargoes are liable to be seized the minute they come with in the grasp of a neoghboring army The only real safeguard for supply train going from one country through another lis the presence of a lone British Tommie who, perched on the caboose and know ing no language but his own, plaeidly escorts the few exchanges of food and raw materials which have so far en- abled several of the countries to keen body and soul together.
 The new allied states exhibit a ner- vous independence in dealing with their former enemies with whom remember they still are technically at war This constitutes one of the principal obstacles to the restoration of the equilibrium of contraf Europe. If you had the whole British cabinet rolled into superman he would be powerless to achieve appre- ciable progress so long as by the delay of peace D state of war prevails in cen- tral Europe"
 After reviewing the enmjties which exist in the Balkans and Turkey, Sir Will liam said that industrial and commercial activity virtually had been paralyzed by political difficulties. by decreased produc- tion. Generalization of railway traffic, shortage of coal, food and finance Czecho-Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and | Austria. he declared. are all confronted with large shortages of food In nearly all central European countries the pro- duction of cereals had been reduced at
 least one-third by lack of cattle fertiiz- CTS and fodder.
 Even if credits were supplied. there would remain vicious ecnomic circle | to be broken. Shortage of coal halted transportation and caused industries to slack up or stop. This prevented. export l of goods and in consequence the coun- ] tries had no exchange with which to pur- l chase in foreign markets the food or raw
 materials on which they rely to main l tain existence. For lack of Polish coal. people die in Vienna. Jugo-Slavia and
 Rumania. which have surplus of food stuffs for export do not want to sell 1t 1 to nearby countries which need it, but prefer to sell it for dollars. sterling or. l francs. so as to establish credits for materials with which to restart their 1 industries.
 1 The greater part of the s5o0. .0O0. coo worth of foodstuffs which had been delivered