Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-23

w TASHINGTON, d. c., March 18.-"I
wv will play to you of Vienna as she was.
I cannot play of Vienna as she is to-
day-it would break your heart. can only
play at all because OF the hope which may
come to Austria if you are kind" With
these plaintive words Fritz Kreisler prefaced
his playing of a gay Viennese air at public
mass meeting held here in behalf of Austria.
The meeting was told that the S24, 900
which America let Austria have to save her
from starvation now threatens to force her
into starvation in greater crisis This para
dox is simply explained. We and other ma
tions let Austria have money for grain and
necessities and We accepted as security her
assets, including the state Tobacco monopo-
ly, customs receipts, forests, even her tapes
tries and pictures.
Now, Austria has sunk deeper under her
difficulties. Whereas five Austrian crowns
were once exchanged for an American dol
lar, now 10000 crowns are needed to balance
our dollar. A loaf Of bread costs $500 in
crowns In Vienna. People in Austria see no
advantage in saving any money because the
longer they save it the less it will buy
Starved and in such a financial state a
nation can scarcely survive unless it can Dor
row money to start again on new financial
basis. The barrier which keeps Austria
from borrowing and instituting a currency
reform is the lien that the United States and
other nations hold on her assets Unless we
have no security to offer to the British and
American financiers who are willing to make
her loans This Is the desperate Austrian
situation explained at the meeting by Sena-
Tor mccormick, the former minister Of fl
nance of Austria, and by relief workers.
Now, when other nations are slowly or
rapidly recovering from the war, Austria
has 100000 children dependent on charity.
This army of children a greater number
than the population of Vermont or Arizona
has been kept alive mainly by the Friends
Service committee. Relief organizations are
rot able to care for so many charges indef-
initely, however. The Friends who have
worked in many countries Of Europe, say
that the Austrian children are the most pitt
full Of all. One seasoned relief worker final
ly had to leave Vienna. II could stand see
ing Russia's tragic need" she said, "be-
ing toward betterment. But Austria is slip
ping back, and her plight is TERRIBLE
Austria, the United States is told. is not
asking for charity now. She has reached a.
Hlace where gifts of bread and clothing are
not enough. The country is slipping into
q morass of starvation and poverty, and the
united States IS watched as the nation that
mas power to save Austria from complete
downfall.
United States Holds Key to Situation
The United States Is asked to extend the
time Of payment on the Austrian loan, and
even more urgently she is asked to release
her hold on Austrian assets so that the
country may negotiate further loans.
Miss Helen Todd, representing the Ameri-
can Friends Service committee, the Ameri-
can Relief committee for sufferers in Aus
tria, and the Women's international league,
explains that there is no reason why we
should not do this, and number of reasons
why we should. Whether we agree to ex-
end the time limit on our loan or not, Aus
trla cannot pay as matters stand. And if
Austria cannot pay the $4,000 900 which
she borrowed in foodstuffs from the United
states Grain corporation could lose moth
ing by an extention of the time. With this
help the country may be able to get on its
eet and IN that event it expects to repay
its creditors.
But even if the United States does so, the
country cannot hope to pay unless it can
borrow more money to tide it over the pres
ent hopeless situation
A year ago the allies saw that Austria
was sinking further into difficulties instead
of getting on firm ground. Consequently
at the request Of the supreme council, Eng
land, France, Italy and Japan agreed to re-
lease the Austrian assets, given as securi-
ty on loans, and thus allow Austria to bor-
row AGAIN and try out rehabilitation plans
which had the approval Of expert European
~'~>~:o~e
But it was stipulated by Italy that the
United States and the smaller creditor ma
lions must join in the agreement before Aus
tria could be released from her obligations.
Edward A. Filene, of Boston, says: "Of
these remaining creditor nations, the United
States was the chief creditor and the most
influential 1t was generally understood that
if we acted the other and smaller nations
would also act; but since we failed to take
action, other and minor creditors waited for