Evening star., 1920-01-10
MR.. GLASS SEEKS
S150,Q)D,0DO FOR
EUROPEAN Relief
Says U. S. Assistance in Aus
tria, Poland and Armenia
Is imperative.

Authority to advance sl5O.0OO 900
for food relief in Austria, Poland and
Armenia was asked of Congress today
hy Secretary Glass
Mr. Glass said this amount would
relieve the situation until next fall.
Assistance by the Cuited States lis
iinperatively required" h said. to al
leNiate "A desperate situation affect
ing millions of people
Under the plan proposed by the
Secretary the loans would be made
out of the $1,000. 0oO. 900 wheat guar
anty fund and would be used in estah-
hshing credits in this country not
only for Austria. Poland and Armenia.
odt Ior other suffering countries.
Needs of Countries
Poland needs s5o.ooo.o0O worth of
! gram, Austria S70,000.O00 OF food
sjufs. Armenia 81, 900 0Oe of flour.
ana other parts of Europe, outside
f,.rrIanE' r.Feh ~. may may require s25,ooo,ooo
: ter to the ways and means COM
mittee- An exact estimate of the
European needs is Impossible" he
declared, adding later it might be
necessary to ask Congress TO grant
Sl"yJ0.0o0 additional.
The food situation in Austria has
been given serious consideration by
the supreme council at Paris. and
suggestions that the United States
,aid in relief work there have been
made. Baron Eichoff. head of the
Austrian peace delegation. appealed
in statement published in this
country today for aid for his people.
" no he SAID. were threatened with
anarchy and death by starvation
during the winter.
Treasury IitalIy Interested
Congress a year ago appropriated
sl"9.00u.o00 for food relief in Europe
and this was distributed through an
international commission headed By
Herbert Hoover.
Ass stant Secretary Davis present
ing Mr. Glass letter. told the commit
tee that the Treasury was vitally in
terested, because if those countries
are not fed disastrous results are
feared which would seriously affect
the financial stability of the world"
The British. he said. are willing 10
do all they can. adding that they viii
like iy transport the food. ard also
supply some clothing. The burden.
hc|-.e:-. he said. would re placed on
I the United States because the Ameri-
can fooGstuTs Were the only surplus
supply By the government grain
corporation handling the supplies. Mr.
, Davis said. the movement would be
such as mot 10 disturb our own prices
: of food.
Some form of securities would be
obtained from the foreign countries
before any credits We're established
Mr. Davis told the committee. add
ing that he did not want to '.ruiSlead
the committee iato thinking the loans
are attractive as Investments.
Dependent for Food.
Austria. Mr.. Davis sa d. has been fed
for some time by loan of $4,000
900 made by England. France and
, Italy. together with donations OF food
"a 81 Of th.-,- -
. To secure the s4S.00c.000 loan and
the S30.oeo.peo proposed to be Ob-
tanned by the United States. Nj.
] Davis said that the Interested couu-
tries were discussing plans FOR Aus
tria 10 give 'aS security quite Il lot
, of her public assets. including her
national forests. tobacco monopoly
and waterpower sites.
3 1t also has been proposed that the
countries take charge of Austrias
customs duties. but we oppose this as
unaGvisahle.' Mr.. Davis added.
Secretary Glass. in his letter. gave
the committee 4 summary of official
3dvices regarding the food situation
in Europe. He said that 100000 tons
OF grain would be the minimum re-
! quirement TO feed Poland until the
( next harvest. about October J. Partial
failure of the wheat crop and lack
of fuel for threshing. he said. caused
. this shortage.
Poland is at present living under
a hand to-mouth regime. which can
/ be remedied only by steady flow of
! imports from the only available sur
plus stocks of food. namely. those IN
| the United States, said the Secre-
/, tary.
/ The potato crop. which is the staple
I food OF the poorer classes, has been
! DESTROYED by frostS to the extent or
4 80 per cent in many distrc cts. as Il rs
impossible properly TO care for po-
! tatoes in transit, due 10 delays IN
! transportation.
Needs OF Poiaud.
POLAND has been unable" continued
/ the Secretary's letter, Ito procure
! clothing since the beginning of the
! war and the result is that during
! the past five years practically all
clothing has been worn out ana mas
/ not yet been replaced. The food sit
uation in Poland is so serious that
! the European children'S relief fund
/ has felt obliged to loan Poland small
| quantities of -four from the stocks
! intended for child feeding.
The assistance to the children OF
| Poland rendered through this fund.
which feeds 100000 children daily,
is claimed by its administrators there
| to have been a powerful means OF
averting revolutions up to the time.
and the failure of the Polish govern
ment properly to ration its adult
population has already caused demon
! ST "a tions by the reds in Warsaw.
In Austria. Mr.. Glass said. the acute
misery and suffering are probably
greater than in Poland adding that
the situation in Vienna has become
exceedingly grave, due TO the snort,
ace of coal and food" He explained
that only two-tenths of the present
Austrian state is self-supporting IN
food production.
Cannot Withstand strain.
There is every indication" wrote
the Secretary that unless some re-
dad INN 1pGi ia tell
lation cannot Withstand the strain of
conditions that are already we'll
nigh intelerable. Coal and food ra-
tions for domestic consumption have
been reduced below safety minimum,
and it is only a question of days be
fore existing stocks will be exhausted.
when even the present reduced ra-
tions will become impossible unless
new supplies are obtained.
Famine riots have broken out in
some Austrian towns during the past
months and although the population
of Vienna has shown admirable pa
thence this city and large parts of
Austria are faced with the danger of
a complete breakdown, which, accord
ing to the chancellor, DIR. Renner,
must unavoidably occur by the end
of January unless outside assistance
is obtained.
What the effect of a general social
breakdown in Austria would be. of
course. can only be conjectured. That
it would be confined to Austria, how
ever seems highly improbable, and il
it spread to Germany, Poland and
possibly all Europe, the result would
L l,a., tciv