Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-01
CONTINUED from Preceding Page.)

and also were requesed to make an in
vestigation of the books, the checks
and the system. In every instance the
barrago ceased.
Tho period of apparent inactivity on
The part OF the Red Cross Disaster Re-
lief Unit is always between tho emery
ency relief and the permanent relief.
! To usc the expression OF big deep sea
shipraisinE contractor who was in
tho Corpus Christi disaster, and
who later became ono OF the staunch-
est supporters OF Red Cross
disaster relief work, during this period
tho Red Cross is working underneath
tho ship and underneath the water,
, down in the mud, laying the founda-
tion for the pontoons which finally
raise the ship to a position where all of
tho critics and near critics can SEQ
what really has been done. A fnan-
cial report in the early days cannot
very well be issued. because the
amount OF expenditures as compared
to tho amount of money in bank seems
apparently small But when tho cases
are finally worked up and the case
plans are definitely laid, then the
requisitions begin to flow and the
turned loose at the ratio of more than
$4,000 n day.
Later on. when audits can ho made
and work checked up. the sworn-to
financial statements mako good pic
lures OF what really has been going on
suance of the statement. Right now wo
have expended nca uuc-half mill
lion dollars in the 60 20 disaster re-
lief work. We are NO. thru. OF this
amount about $3.50 600 has been con-
trihuted by the National Red Cross
and Red Cross chapters. This money
IL Just tho same as outside Investment
coming in to n defunct community. I'm
der tho Red Cross system. not dol
lar OF storm sufferers fund is used for
overhead expenses. All salaries, offices
expenses. telegraph tolls, postage. and
all other administrative operating eI-
penscs are paid for by tho National
Red Cross out of another fund. Be
sides this, when the final accounting
II made. advisory committees have
usually unanimously testified, not only
to proper expenditure of storm SUI
ferers fund and tho non wasta9a OF
money. but have also testified that As
= business proposition the cost OF over
head In comparison to tho amount dis
burscd Is much loss than Is used in
any commercial organization.
Most folks believe that their par
tioular disaster has not received as
much recognition from tho outside
world a. they deS-v~s. This Is Abso-
lutely true. But, nevertheless. cannot
DO prevented. Small loss OF life cuts
down the intake OF contributions. Sob
stun stories bring in the money.
Losses to business do not hit tho senti
mental chord OF mems purse strings
Therefore, when a community suffers
tho tremendous loss that Pueblo has.
its suffering is soon out OF the minds
OF the outside individual. Never in the
history OF any largo disaster has any
disaster fund exceeded more than 10
per cent OF the total amount of loss
In tho community. Tho big explosion
at Halifax has the record of the larg-
est appropriation In comparison to
loss. df life Is not estimAted), There
1900 women and mostly children los.
their lives while hundreds of others
wcrs blinded by the dynamite. This
was during the war and their disaster
fund amounted to I per cent OF prop
erty loss. San Francisco ran LEGS. Cal
weston about per cent. In Corpus
Christi, the last largo disaster and
tho NTH largest in America, the total
amount raised by all sources was
about one million dollars The loss
OF life was heavy and tho property
damage more than thirty million. As
director OF that disaster relief work, |
can cite an instance OF how easy It is
for local committee to make a mis-
take in raising funds for disaster work.