South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-07
VIENNA HARDEST
HIT BY FAMINE,
SAYS BR|T|SHER
Director of Relief Sees Peril
to Whole World if Star
walton Continues.

f. associated Press:
LONDON. Jan. s.-Sir William
I Goode. the British director Of relief
declares that Vienna is the worst OF
all the famine-stricken places that
ne visited on a recent tour through
central Europe
; Although more than 100000 tons
OF foodstuhs, at a cost OF nearly
$500. 100000. have been delivered in
European relief since the signing Of
( the armistice, by far the greatest
share OF which. he said. had been
furnished by thu United States under
the direction OF Herbert Hoover.
conditions are still so deplorable as
almost 20 "beGgar description" A
distinguished, British army officer
who had been in Vienna for some
time. implored him before he left the
Austrian capital: For Gods sake go
! home and tell them what il is like"
! Sir William told his experiences 20
| the American Luncheon club here.
II felt upon leaving Vienna" said
he. as if had spent ten days i'm the
cell Of a condemned murderer who
| has given up all hope OF a reprieve.
/ l stayed at the best hotel but saw
no milk and no eggs the whole time
I was there. In the bitter cold hall
Of the hotel. once the gayest rendez-
voUs in Europe. the visitors hUddled
( together in the gloom OF one light
where there used TO De 40 They
were moSe like shadows than rep
resentatives OF the rich. Vienna's
world famous opera house is packed
every afternoon. why? Women and
men go there in order to keep them
| selves warm and because they have
no work 20 do.
Fuel Cost High.
I'm my office 1 made several ex-
periments at working in OVencoat
lAnd with blankets for the staff when
/ the thermometer inside was only one
degree above freezing point, Finally
! determined to get wood enough
to light the one small fire for two
days It cost me 97O crowns, which.
/ TO the Niennese, is equivalent TO
ABOUT 50 to 40 pounds.
DO YOU wonder that the well-to-
I do people in Vienna are burning
their furniture TO light their stoves
4 Can YOU imagine how the poor live
I or try TO live? 1t is not unusual to
see the traffic IN one OF the main
/ streets which leads TO the cemetery
held up by hearses. Nine-tenths
I carry the bodies Of children.
mer archduke, I saw thousands OF
children being fed with American re-
lief food under the control of u
young naval officer, whom I was
proud 10 recognize as one of those
Americans who did excellent work
in the early days Of the commission
for relief in Belgium. Our own
British relief missions both in Aus
tria and in Hungary. and a number
of unofficial British workers are do
ing everything possible TO stem the
tide of distress. In Serbia alone,
Sir William declared, there are $780,
OOO fatherless children, most OF
whom are suffering from hunger and
exposure.
Whole World MenacCd.
TT seems to me that you cannot
trine with starvation and privation
in central Europe such as prevails
today in Vienna without running the
risk Of a carnival OF bolshevism
which would probably not be cOnlin-
ed to this continent. I do not want
10 cry wolf and I am rather inclin-
ed 10 think that bOlsheviSm has been
used too much as "A bOgy. but anyone
with half an eye must realize that If,
as q result of apparently legitimate
grievances, forces of unrest are lOOs-
Cd in the heart Of Europe the whole
world. the United states as well as
ourselves. will be menaced."
Sir William declared that first
and foremost among the causes Of
the present situation in central Eu-
rope is the delay in making peace.
ct scarcely seems to be realized
in the United Kingdom" ne continu-
ed. Isolated from the continent OF
Europe by narrow strip Of water and
still less in the United States isolat-
ed by the Atlantic ocean, that Aus
tria, Bulgaria, and Turkey are still
technically at war with the allies
and. what is more important. al war
with most of their neighbOrs
LAS one approaches the frontiers
one finds every little wayside station
packed with soldiers. bayonets fixed
and railway sidings cOngested with
ammunition wagons War. and all
the wasteful effect OF preparedness
for war upon economics and indus
trial progress, are visualized for