The Topeka state journal., 1922-01-17
MERCY CARGO
TO BE SHIPPED
FROM Topeka
City at Last To Take Her Part
in Near East Relief.
Chairman Allen and Director
Biby Announce Plans.
ALL MONEY TO Be SPENT HERE
Contributions viii Be Used in
Buying Topeka FOOdstuffs.
Other Parts of Kansas Ahead
of Capital City in Relief.
Ill MONEY TO BE SPENT HERE
Contributions viii Be Used in
Buying Topeka FOOdstuffs.

Topeka will gather mercy cargo of
foodstuffs for starving in the Near
East and southern Russia.
Governor Henry J. Allen, chairman,
and VIM. A. Biby, director, and others
of their associates on the state COM
mittee of Near East Relief. announced
today that the campaign for the col
lection of a number of cars of food
stuff for the relief of the starving IN
the Near East and southern Russia
would be undertaken in Topeka and
Shawnee county the weeks of January
%, 20 and February s.
Kansans generally will be pleased
to know that in a semi-annual report
just issued by the New York head
quarters of Near East Relief that for
the first five months of their fiscal
year for the period ending December
Is last, Kansas has contributed d
higher value of foodstuffs for the re-
def of these starving people than has
any other state west of the Mississippi
river, only seven states in the entire
nation having extended greater sup
port, which was to be expected since
these other states of the East have
single cities in their states with q
greater population than has all of
Kansas. This wonderful showing on
the part of Kansas is the more to be
appreciated when it is remembered
that Kansas, largely agricultural and
almost dependent upon that industry.
has been hard hit as a result of the
depressed condition of prices of farm
products the past six months.
Held Off From Topeka.
VIM. A. Biby. state director, an
nounces that this showing on the part
of the state has been made possible
thru the liberality of Kansas citizens
outside of Shawnee county. due to the
fact that Near East Relief has not
conducted a campaign in Topeka and
Shawnee county for more than year,
the state committee deeming it desir-
able bn account of the unusually large
number of calls which have been
made on the public purse in Topeka
in the last months to make their So
lic:tation for support out in the state,
saving the time for the Topeka cam
paign until there were less calls from
other sources. But, that the condi-
ton has now become such in Armenia
and other parts of the Near East, ac-
count of a sudden influx of Russian
refugees, which has added greatly to
the calls upon Near East organization,
that the committee can no longer
postpone its call upon the charitably
inclined of this community. This and
the further reason that the arrange
ment which Near East Relief has with
the seventy railroads of the country,
IuOSe Oh hdHSdS, expires the
latter part of February and the COM
mittee desires to avail themselves of
the magnificent cooperation which
the railroads are extending by trans
porting the foodstuffs which they col
lect free of charge to the seaboard for
shipment overseas.
This arrangement probably for the
first time in the history of charitable
work on a large scale makes it pos
sible for ones gift to be conveyed
and applied directly to the purpose for
which it was given without the de-
duction of a cent from the value of
the original contribution. Topeka
will welcome a campaign of this ma
ture since from an economic stand
point the community will be no poorer
financially as a result of their sup
port of this deserving cause" Biby
said today
Collect and Spend Money Here.
Such a campaign is unique since 1t
is SO unusual and a new experience
to the contributors to such funds.
The state committee announces that
in the Shawnee county campaign to
collect foodstuffs for these starving
people that a special committee will
be designated to handle the funds
contributed by Shawnee county citi-
zens and to later reinvest all of same
without the deduction of single cent
III WIGdL 1lOuI manufactured III LlllS
city. The flour in turn will be hauled
by the railroads to New Orleans with
out cost whatever, for loading upon
the mercy ship which sails from New
Orleans the last week in February.
This committee will be announced
soon.
In a telegram just received from
New York the Kansas state commit
tee is advised that Near East Relief
is now feeding 4,040 Russian children
daily in one of the city gardens "a
Tiflis. The same telegram states that
in addition to the children being fed
5000 adults are also being fed daily
and that in addition to these Russian
refugees. 1000 Russian refugees are
being fed at Karaklis. one of the most
northern points in which Near East
Relief operates in Southern Russia.
and also that general relief is being
done for the Russian refugees who
have been at Constantinople for some
time.
Biby also states that if anyone here
desires to contribute exclusively
among Russians that the same can be
arranged for the state committee and
contributions of this nature will be
used in the relief of the larger num-
Der of Russian refugees now at Con-
stantinople or in the feeding of those
Russian refugees who have come
down out of the Volga and are today
knocking at the doors of the Near
East Relief feeding stations in
Georgia and Armenia.
Support in Kansas.
State Director Biby spent last week
in Pratt and Harvey counties where
unusually liberal support is being ex-
tended to Near East Relief work by
citizens of those counties. In connec-
ton with his work in Newton last
week Biby reports the largest contri-
af,nntin,,nd or, 49,. r..l,.aa !