Evening star., 1924-01-02
ORGIES |NbERL|N
CHECK j. S. CHARITY
New Year Display of Money
Produces Painful impress
sion in America.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Accounts of New Year eve orgies in
Berlin create painful impression
among American authorities cog
infant of the gravity of Germany's
food problem. News dispatches re-
ceived in the United States told of
Berlin's 100000 eating and drinking
carnival on Monday night; of hotels
and restaurants jammed with care
free Nmerrymakers who fought to pay
$40 in gold for dinner places: of shop
windows crammed with meats and
fruits, and of streets and buildings
ablaze with Bengal lights and fire.
works, amid which the Berliners well
coined 1924 in revelry reminiscent of
the palmiest imperial days.
The stories from Berlin reach
America at an unfortunate moment.
nation wide effort is in progress to
raise 100000 600 or s12,000,000 for the
undernourished 100000 or 5000
900 children of the German urban
districts. notably the Ruhr. The
American Friends service committee
and Maj Gen. Henry 7. Aliens ma
tional committee, it is feared, may
now find difficulty in convincing gem
erous-hearted Americans that Ger
many is entitled to outside help.
Fight in Congress Seen.
If there is any attempt in Congress
to vote United States Treasury funds
for starvation relief in Germany, GER
tain revelations are sure to be made.
They relate not only to moral factors
like the callousness indicated by Ber-
Inns New Year eve festivities, but to
known economic and financial .ondi-
tions. These are of a character that
make the German relief problem en-
tirely different from any that existed
during the twenty-three foreign re-
lief operations directed by Herbert
Hoover on behalf of American charity
since 1914.
On every one of these occasions,
save in the cases of Belgium during
in 1922, the Hoover relief system
received substantial assistance from
the country in question. When the
European Children's Relief was made
available for German and Austrian
youngsters IN 1920 Germany was CALL
ed upon to put up a certain amount
OF gold to help in the financing of
food purchases, and did so. Even
Impoverished Bulgaria was required
to fulfill similar conditions Self
reasonable capacity was made a con-
dition precedent to American aid.
Hoover laid down the principle that
Uncle Sam wouldn't aid anybody that
didn't seem interested in aiding him.
self.
ChiIdren in Sad Plight.
An executive official who has been
at Hoovers elbow in every one of his
big relief operations abroad de-
scribes the German situation to the
writer in these terms:
"The plight of Germany's urban
children is undoubtedly desperate.
The need of supplementary food for
them, chiefly milk and fats, cannot
be overestimated. A calamity is i'm
minent If the need is not effectively
met Yet certain facts ought to be
made clear. First and foremost is
the apparent indifference of the Ger
mans themselves, like the Berliners,
to the fate of their own neediest
people. Then there is the circum-
stance that the German Reichsbank
has gold reserve of $125,00 900
which there seems to be no intention
of tapping for national food necessi-
ties. Finally. there is the notorious
fact that colossal amounts of Ger
man capital are secreted abroad, in
order to remain beyond the reach of
Germany's former enemies for rep
arations.
"There is the addition fact that
Germany's credit would enable for
eign borrowings If France would al
low it Thus there is a combination
of greed, nonchalance and politics In
the German situation that makes 1t
altogether different from the other
emergencies American charity has re-
lieved during the past nine years.
Hard Shedding for Fund.
"Only something like s1,00o,00o
thus far has been raised here for the
German children. Probably $1,000
900 a month for the next six months
is a moderate estimate of the actual
requirements, based on conditions
faced and met by the Hoover organi-
zation for European Children's Re-
lief in 1920. The American people
hardly can be blamed If they turn a
skeptical ear to appeals on Germany's s
behalf in view of all the facts. Once
the profiteerfng junkers in the PROV
inces quit boarding their crops for
tha carousers in
the cities comport themselves in a
arouse the philanthropic spirit of
our people. America helps those that
help themselves. When Germany
moves In that direction. succor for
her undernourfshed children Is not
likely to be withheld"
Copyright, 1924.)