Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-03-21

WASHINGTON, March 81
III 49, 10 YOU of Vienna as she
wa ,odav-it would break your
saert I can only play at all ecaus
20 ~ home which may come to Aus
,r,a n Won are kind" With these
niaintive words Fritz Kreisler pref
aced his playing of a gay
air At = public mass meeting held
hera In behalf OF Austria.
The meeting was told that the
AGA. O0O. goo which America let Aus
tria have to save her from starva-
lion now threatens to force her into
starvation In a greater crisis. inns
paradox In simply explained. we
and other nations let Austria nave
money for grain and necessities ana
we accepted as security her assets
Including the state tobacco monop-
oily. customs receipts. forests, even
her tapestries and pictures.
Now. Austria has sunk deeper
under her difficulties. Where as hve
Austrian crowns were once ex-
changed for an American dollar, now
10000 crowns are needed to balance
our dollar. A loaf OF bread costs
1900 in crowns in Vienna. People IN
Austria see no advantage In saving
any money because the longer they
save IL the less Il will buy.
starved and In such a financial
state. a nation can scarcely survive
unless Il can borrow money TO start
again on a new financial basis. The
barrier which keeps Austria from
borrowing and instituting q currency
reform Is the lien that the united
states and other nations hold on her
assets. Unless we release our hoio on
these assets Austria can have no Sc.
curity to offer to the British ana
American financiers who are wiinns
to make her loans. This Is the aes-
perate situation explained at the
meeting by Senator McCormick' n
former minister OF finance Of AUS
tria, and by relief workers.
Now, when other nations are
slowly or rapidly recovering from
the war, Austria has 4oo.uvo ehii-
Idren dependent on charity. TINS army
of children a greater number tnan the
incubation of Vermont or Arizona
has been kept alive mainly py %
Triends' Service COMMITTEES. Keller
orga nizations are not able TO care
for 40 many charges Indefinitely,
however. The Friends who have
worked in many countries Of Eu-
rome say that the Austrian children
are the most pitiful Of all. One sea-
soned relief worker finally had TO
Leave Vienna. 1T could stand seeing
Russia's tragic need" she said. De
cause It seemed a crisis and we we're
working toward betterment. but
Austria Is slipping back, and her
| ,1ivht iS Terrible"
Austria, the United States Is told
IN not asking for charity now. n
has reached a place where gifts OF
bread and clothing are not enough.
The country Is slipping Into a morass
of starvation and poverty, and the
United States 10 watched as the ma
ton that has power to save Aus
trta from complete downfall.
United States Holds Key TO
Situation
The United States Is asked to ex-
tend the time of payment on the
Austrian loan, and even more urg-
entity she Is asked to release her hold
on Austrian assets, so that the u
try may negotiate further loans.
Miss Helen Todd. representing the
american Friends Service Commit
tee. the American Relief COMMITTEES
for Sufferers in Austria, and the
Women's International League. ex-
plains that there is no reason why
we should not do this. and a num-
Der of reasons why we should
whether we agree to extend the
time limit on our loan or not. Aus
tria cannot pay as matters stand.
And IL Austria cannot pay the $24.-
O0o. 900 which she borrowed In food
stuffs from the United States Grain
Incorporation we could lose nothing ny
IAN extension of the time. With this
help the country may be able to get
on it's feet and in that event II ex-
poets to repay it's creditors.
But even II the United States does
80. the country cannot hope to pay
unless 1t can borrow more money TO
tide It over the present hopeless SIT
uation.
A year ago. the allies saw that
Austria was sinking further into diff
ficulties instead of getting on firm
ground. Consequently at the request
of the Supreme Council. England.
France, Italy and Japan agreed to
release the Austrian assets. given as
security on loans, and thus allow
Austria to borrow again and try out
rehabilitation plans which had the
approval OF expert European inan-
Iciers.
But It was stipulated by Italy that