Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-10

Washington. Sept. 9.-More than
two-thirds of the 100000 asked of
the American nation for the stricken
Japanese people has been raised.
John Barton Payne, national chair
man of the Rcd Cross. and Secretary
of Commerce Hoover, who has devoted
the major portion of his time to the
earthquake relief fund activities since
the first news of the calamity reached
America. issued a joint statement to-
day surveying the situation to date and
appealing urgently for increased effort
on the part of all local Red Cross
chapters.
The statement makes a strong dis
| tinction between the economic loss,
which Secretary Hoover has said he be-
| lieves was exaggerated in first reports,
| and the appalling human suffering that
| each new report enhances.
1t follows:
ut is now possible, from the re-
ports of the different government de-
partments and the Red Cross, to form
japanese disaster The area affected
supports a population of approximate
! ly 100000 persons. Between two or
three hundred thousand are estimated
| to have been killed from three to five
hundred thousand injured. In the Yo-
| kohama and Toxic district alone a mil
| lion and a half have been rendered
homeless ard. in addition. it is esti-
| mated that one million more are home
| less in the outside districts.
Many MILLIONS more have been cut
! or from their occupations.
The supplies of food. clothing. med
! icines, hospital service and material
| for construction of shelter have been
| destroyed in the larger ccnters. Sup
plies of milk for children ere no long
er available. Great masses of chill
| dren have been orphaned, hundreds of
! thousand CT bread winners have been
. lost.
| The problem, therefore. of American
! charity is to provide with the utmost
| expedition supplies of food. medicines
! and clothing. and to ship material for
I temporary shelter to provide solution
for the restitution which follows such
, a great disaster and diSlocation.
! 1The human problem is widely differ
| ent from the great economic problem of
property losses and arrangement of
! business.
I'm order to expedite recovery from
this disaster it is, therefore. necessary
| on one side to recognize the economic
| strength of Japan, the soldity of her
! credit, for American merchants and
; business men to extend to Japan the
| usual and normal facilities of trade;
! on the other hand il is imper3 tive for
i American charity to respond with that
generosity which is befitting to our
| people in their fortunate situation to
great friendly nation that has met
| so appalling a human problem in the
! less of life and suffering and destitu-
| ton.
The need before US is an emergency
need. For our aid to be of the most
! effective characted. we must have
| American resourcts placed at our dis
I poSal during the current week. We
| sincerely hope the campaign will &c
| ahead with the utmost vigo-"
The total contributions received by
noon today We're reported as follows:
| Washington division ........s2.oS2. 900
| New England division. ...... ci2,10o
| Southern division .......... $1,000
| Central division ............ 6l2,0ou
! Southwestern division 100000
/ Pacific division ............ 20O.30U
i InsuIar and foreign .... 10000
| Total Observation-Disclosures 900
| Need of relief funds for immediate
use in Japan was emphasized by Sam
/ uel Gompers. president of the Aneri-
| can Federation of Labor, in an appeal
for quick contributions to the Red