Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-05-23

food and medicine as we'll as mil
lions of dollars in cash grants for
food purchase. The recipients SO
far include Hungary, Austria,
Greece, Italy, Poland, Yugoslavia,
Romania, France, Finland and Ger
many. Donors are the people of
Norway. Denmark and Sweden,
through their local Red Cross and
government agencies.
Norway Still Rationed
Probably the most striking contri-
button has been that of the Nor
wegians-not because of its size
since Norway is the poorest of the
three and her share of the aid
has actually been smaller than that
of either of the two other nations.
But Norway's efforts are particu
larly impressive because she took
the worst war beating of the three,
suffered most from German in
vaders and was left In the worst
economic straits.
Norway's people still must put up
with one of Europe's most restricted
rationing systems-many families
see no meat at all for weeks at a
time and such luxuries as fruit,
candy or new clothing are almost
entirely unobtainable.
Yet in a special drive last fall
to raise money for food shipments
to Central Europe-including Ger
many-Norwegians contributed H.
100000 crowns That is about 4
crowns, or 80 cents, for every man,
woman and child in Norway. In
nation where average wages are
from one-fourth to one-third as
large as those in America, this is
an impressive total.
This, said Jens C. Meinich, as
sistant general director of the Nor
wegian Red Cross, was only the
most recent phase of the aid pro-
gram. Beginning in the early spring
of 1916 and up to the beginning of
the Embarrassing campaign last
fall, Norwegians had sent more
than 5000 tons of food and medi-
cine, as well as smaller shipments
of scarce clothing.
To Send Health Teams
"In this we co-operated with the
Danes, who sent at least three times
as much as we did, and the Swedes,
who must have contributed at
least twice as much as we," Mr..
Meinich added.
The latest phase OF the campaign
involves a drive to combat the
spread Of tuberculosis in Central
Europe. Special teams Of Scan
dinavian doctors, nurses and health
workers have been organized and
are about to leave for the troubled
areas to start work.
Mr.. Meinich explained that most
shipments from Norway have been
fish and fish liver oil-the latter
worth its weight in gold to the I'M
dernourished children Of Germany
and the Balkans" He said Nor
way cannot send much of anything
else, since she has little else to feed
her own people.
When asked how the Norwegian
government, desperately short of
foreign exchange, regarded these
gift shipments of valuable export
products, Mr.. Meinich laughed.
ooh. the government always
grumbles and tells us we are cost
ing them money every day." he
answered, "but We always get our
licenses on schedule"
To Take Enemy Children
A nearly incredible feature of the
campaign, in the light of World War
I experience, is the plan to bring
children of Central European ma
tons to spend summers with Nor
wegian families. After 1918, thou
sands of Norwegian families thus
adopted" German children for one,
two or more years-only to find
those same youngsters, grown into.
sturdy, brown-shirted Nazis, flood
ing back with the invading armies
of 1910 as interpreters, judges and
espionage agents.
Eyes, Mr.. Meinich smiled, "but
we are going to try 1t again. After
all, we cannot blame anything on
children, can we?"
French children have spent care
free Norwegian summers every year
since the liberation, and this year
plans are being laid for youngsters
of other nationalities to come.
Norway has invited children of
Poland, Hungary, Austria and Yugo-
slavia. Only Yugoslavia has so far
vetoed the idea.
Hunger Taught Lesson
The Red Gross official said that
nearly every Norwegian family has
adopted" Central European child
in a different sense under a sup
Elementary campaign. Each FAM
lily thus enrolled must send its
adopted" child a minimum of one
six-pound food package every month
for at least six months. But actu-
ally no one ever stops at the end of
six months" he added.
ut isn't that We are particularly
noble, to share the little that We
have with Others" Mr.. Meinich told
me. TT is just that after five years
of occupation we know what 1t is
to be everlastingly hungry, and we
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