Evening star., 1939-04-25
Red Cross Lead
In Public Health
Program Urged
Dr.. Purrun Paints
Picture of Distress
At Convention

disease and malnutrition in a land
Of plenty, Surg. Gen. Thomas Par
ran of the United States Public
Health Service today asked the
American Red Cross to lead the
Nation in vast public health pro-
gram.
DR.. Parran, in shifting the atten-
ton OF the national convention dele
gates from the war-clouded interna-
tional picture described by speakers
at opening sessions yesterday, as
serted:
Il need not belabor the point that
human needs of our people should
take precedence over some of the de.
flciencies in our physical and ad-
ministrative setup."
This country's lack of fitness, he
said, arises from our failure to
check preventable disease when we
know how to do it and our failure
to feed children abundantly and cor.
rectly when we have the food to
do it."
Red Cross Lead Expected.
States looks to the Red Cross to take
the lead in any humanitarian prof.
ects and that he hoped the organiza.
ton would aid the Government in
improving the Nations health.
The Surgeon Generals remarks
were answered to a large extent in
an address by Miss Mary Beard, di-
rector of the Red Cross Nursing
Service. She declared that the Red
Cross naturally wishes to respond
ITO DR.. Parrans request and ="
is prepared to do so effectively"
Miss Beard commented that, al
though the health program of tho
American Red Cross is secondary,
1T is nevertheless a major response.
bility under the charter"
DIR. Boudreau Speaks.
The general assembly. in session
today at Memorial Continental Hall,
also heard an address by DR.. Frank
q. Boudreau, executive director Of
the Milbank Hospital Fund in New
York City, who said that freedom
and private initiative are absolute
necessities in the expansion of any
public health program.
Earlier an 11-foot model of the
Lincoln Memorial in Hodgenville,
KY, made by members of the Junior
Red Cross chapter in Louisville, KY,
was presented to the museum in Red
Cross national headquarters here
EDWIN q. Barrett, Jr., in making the
presentation, stated that the model
was constructed by 40 boys in
Louisville junior high school.
The four-day convention con-
tinued this afternoon with round-
table discussions of various Red
Cross problems.
President Roosevelt is scheduled
to deliver a personal message to the
delegates this afternoon. The greet.
ing is to be delivered at pm. from
the south portico of the White House
to the delegates massed on the lawn.
Tickets for the annual banquet at
the Mayflower Hotel tonight, fea-
turing an address by Secretary Of
State Hull, were completely taken
long before the opening days
sessions closed yesterday afternoon.
Arrangements have been made to
permit other delegates to stand at
the rear of the ballroom to hear the
address.
Mr.. Hulls speech will be heard in
Europe and South America through
the facilities of short-wave radio
and will be broadcast over Nation
wide networks in this country.
Cites Collaboration With Army.
The Red Cross, working side by
side with the United States Army,
was pictured for the delegates yes
terday by Brig. Gen. George P.
Tyner, assistant chief of staff.
A graphic description of the wide
spread destruction caused during
modern warfare was presented to
the delegates by James K. McClin-
took. vice chairman in charge of
finance, in an address on the finan.
cial obligations of Red Cross work.
ers.
Mr.. McClintock asserted that an
organization with the responsibility
placed upon it by Congress to act in
emergency situations would be un-
worthy of its trust if it did not make
the best possible preparation for
prompt action"
Cooperation of the various ma
tional Red Cross Societies was de-
scribed yesterday in an address by
DR.. Georges Patry of the Interna-
tional Red Cross Committee in Ge-
neva, Switzerland. He also outlined
the responsibilities of the societies
under the international treaties,
while obligations of groups under
their local charters were discussed
by Eliot Wadsworth, member of the
Central Committee.
The annual dinner of the Execu-
tive and Home Service Secretaries
was held last night at Normandy
Farms, with Mrs. Marion Crawford
Adams, executive secretary of the
Norfolk (Va) Chapter, presiding.
Junior Red Cross Holds Dinner.
The Junior Red Cross, meeting
concurrently with the parent organi-
zation, held its annual dinner and
dance last night at the Mayfower
following its opening business ses-
sion at the auditorium of the new
Interior Department Building.
More than 800 junior delegates
were welcomed by William S. Gard,
national director Of the group, who
later introduced George Fishbaugh
Of Omaha, Nebr., presiding chairman
of the Junior convention.
Appearing on the program tonight
with Secretary Hull will be Miss
Mabel T. Boardman, secretary Of
the American Red Cross, who will
discuss "The American Red Cross
Past, Present and Future" The
toastmaster will be Chairman Nor
man H. Davis and the invocation
will be pronounced by the Rev. Ed
mund A. Walsh, S. j.. regent of the
Georgetown University Foreign
Service School.