The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-15
NEA Service Writer

WashingtOn-The directing heads of the American Red Cross may
 win new glory for the organization
 in meeting the drought relief emer- gency or they may come out of the
 experience with diminished prestige.
 The latter possibility is feared by
 some of the best friends of the Red Cross who believe that it did not an- l ticipate and meet the gradually de-
 veloping emergency with the effi-
 ciency and effectiveness with which
 it has combatted such disasters as
 hurricanes and floods.
 | Since the desperate plight of
 farmers and their families in
 drought stricken states has been
 forcibly demonstrated to the coun- try by the near-riot at England,
 Ark, and threats of similar dis turbances elsewhere, the great re- | lief agency has loosened its purse strings and intensified its efforts. Where starvation Is threatened it | intends to make large grants than those which gave destitute persons | only about dollar a month for ex- istence. There is considerable ques- tion, however, whether the remain
 ing $4,00O,OOO of the Red Cross dis l dSler IunQ IS anywhere HedT dEc4uolc
 for the big job.
 Pledged Reserve Fund The emergency crept up on the country after assurance had been given that adequate preparations were benig made. The Red Cross, however, showed considerable re- luctance to formulate any large pro- gram through the last part of 1880. In August, President Hoover sum- moned Chairman John Barton Payne of the Red Cross. Hoover is presi- took orders. He agreed that the or
 ganization would stand by" and
 make its $5,000,0O0 disaster reserve
 available for drought relief. That
 was radical departure because the
 fund had previously been carefully
 held for quick emergency use. The proceeds from big drive for funds take long time to come in, where
 as cash on hand was immediately available
 Nearly 20 millions were collected in the Mississippi flood drive. but 1t was quite awhile before the first five millions came in; the need for prompt relief had been desparate. Furnished Seed
 After the country had been reas- sured with the promise of $5,00O,- 900, the Red Cross in the fall fur | nished seed in drought communities
 where fall crops had been lost and where quick fall crop was pos-
 sible. Even small fall gardens helped | because they furnished food. But
 prices were very low and this re- | lief applied to a very limited section :, in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
 Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Payne told the senate appropria- tions committee that $329,000 was spent for the seed program in 238 counties-of about a thousand SUD- posed to be affected by drought items in 338 counties in IF states up to Dec. 31. Most of the food I came from local chapters rather than the national organization. Sentiment among Red Cross heads | was divided as to the advisability of large program. Some held that the emergency was an economic situa- ton and not really in the disaster class. As national organization, 1t was felt that it couldn't cOncen- trate on drought without recognizing the need of unemployment relief. Many Appeals for Aid The administration hadn't admit ted a real unemployment problem and MT. Hoover was the Red Cross president. On the other hand. there were those who looked forward to real disaster from the drought and felt that 1t should have been an-
 ticipated and prepared for as early
 as September
 Appeals for aid piled up with in-
 creasing rapidity through the fall. Tenant farmers who had obtained
 credit lost crops and credit along with them. Banks failed. Schools closed in some counties because taxes couldn't be raised to operate them. Pellagra increased. Chronic indigestion found themselves in des-
 perate straits as private charity be- acme impossible.
 National headquarters granted some money for food, but one ap- peal after another was answered with the advice to Organize your local resources in many instances were exhausted.
 Hoover Favored Drive After the election President Hoov-
 CT is said to have favored a na-
 tional Red Cross drive for funds and there was considerable senti-
 ment for one. But leaders of the community chest movement, with their own campaigns on, objected and there wasn't any. The Red Cross, however, considers its chief
 responsibility to lie in rural areas and small towns which usually have no community chests or local well fare organizations.
 By the first of this year pressure on the Red Cross here had become very heavy. Local chapters which were expected to handle their sit- nations went broke in December and hundreds are now in that position. If 1t Is true that the $4,000,O00 of disaster reserve is nowhere near sufficient to handle the situation, the