The Washington herald., 1920-02-23
Thousands Buy Food Drafts
To Saue Starring in Europe;
Vienna Sends Many appeals

ranged to purchase food drafts to-
falling 100000. the food to be dis
tributed under instructions from
representatives in Europe. The
joint distributing committee has also
arranged to purchase and distribN
ute in Poland food drafts in the
sum OF $4,000.
Drafts for general relief are be-
ing forwarded to the warehouse rep-.
resentatives. and the food is being
given out in two ways: In Vienna.
for instance. where public soup
kitchens are maintained, the sup
plies called for are mostly being
turned over to these kitchens, and
in Warsaw 1t Is distributed to in
dividuals selected by the warehouse.
officials, in co-operaton with gov
ernment authorities. Wide publicity
has also been given to the ware
house plan in Germany, where, IL
is pointed out. the government has
relaxed every troublesome regula-.
tion concerning food On behalf of
these loving gifts"
hanks Ask for Draft.
Three weeks after the distribu-
tion of the circulars explaining the
food-draf plan to members of he
American Bankers Association, Q, 900
banks had applied for supplies of;
drafts. A very large number had
also given generous advertising,
both in the regulation space used
by the banks and in special dis
plays. Other additional support was
evidenced by such bulletins as tnat
issued by the California Bankers
Association, asking member hanks
to make the plan known to the pec-
pie through the loacl papers and
emphasizing the point that the bank
is assisting in every way without
making n charge for the servise
1t was also suggested that bank
employees be requested to read the
warehouse circulars, so that they
might be fully informed as to de-
tails. The banks were also request
ed to solicit the aid OF local employ
ers of foreign-born labor to stimu-
late the sale of food drafts.
An additional circular. covering
the fourteen points" of the food
draft plan. was prepared by the
American Relief Administration to
help the banks in putting the mat
ter clearly before buyers.
A summary OF the sales for the
first three weeks follows:
Ordinary $40 packages. .. 5.3ll
Ordinary $50 packages. 2.477
Kosher $40 packages. l.325
Kosher 500 packages....... lS3
loldl S.Z9b
These quantities were accounto
for on total of 6.327 drafts. Sales
during this period were increasingly
large. On the last day covered by this
summary February l9) GO9 drafts
were sold for a total of S21,5O4.l5.
OF the 5,31l ordinary SO packages
2,24S were for delivery at Hamburg.
l,7Sl at Vienna. S34 at Burapest,
25S at Warsaw and 100 at Prague
The figures for the $50 packages.
however. were radically different.
or these 1864 were for Vienna. 5s7
for Hamburg, $50 for Budapest. 221
for Warsaw, and 55 for Prague.
The SO Kosher packages were dis
tributed as follows: For Buda-
pest, 429, Warsaw 35S, Vienna 276.
Hamburg 234 and Prague 2S. The
$50 Kosher packages went: To
Budapest 49, to Vienna a.. to Ham
burg 81. Warsaw 81 and Prague 3.
The average value of the draft has
been $3.50.
Cable from Vienna.
A cable from Vienna received at
| Mr.. Hoover's office on February II,
was as follows:
To-day the crown is worth less
than half a cent. There is no coal
and street cars have stopped run
nj IL
hungry and badly clad Vienna pic
ture of desolate almost hopeless
misery. Would never have believed
that there was European capital in
habited by such long suffering pa
triotic people. Last fall 225, 900 was
! a fair estimate of undernburished ed
children in Vienna. Today we be-
lfeve 100000 would be more correct.
We are informed confideutially that
city has only sufficient foodstuff to
starvation rations.
Don't want you to believe we are
sensationalIsts. but if you could see
the endless lines of people. includ-
ing even old women and little chill
dren. trudging into Vienna through
slush and snow. bent down under
huge loads strapped on their backs.
could see pinched. sallow faces in
our kitchens, you would wonder how
human endurance could stand up
under such a strain"
1t is such testimonials this from
the European representatives of the
American Relief Association that en-
phasizes the importance of pushing
to the utmost limit the relief ware
house plan.