Milford chronicle., 1956-03-30
Branch Area Six
Red Cross Fund
Drive rs Underway
lcontinued from lrat PAGE

AOOHtAuuCu AAOAt IA ~ R15NJ
way than have it done by govern
ment support as in most foreign
countries. The Red Cross, however,
gets no financial support from the
governmental comes entirely from
volunteer donations In other cOun-
tries the armed services or local
government units assume response
bility on a paid basis for home con-
tact work for servicemen and veter-
ans.
Your local Red Cross is assigned
this job on a volunteer basis since
the cost of any other means of get
ting men leaves would be prohibi-
tive. The discussion brought out
the fact that the Red Cross work
ers must follow government policy
with respect to granting OF emer-
gency leaves and that all they can
do is get a doctors report and a
statement of the family. All facts
are forwarded to the branch of the
armed forces to the mans own un-
It, The decision to grant a leave is
made there. The Red Cross is un-
der legal penalty for falsifying lo-
cal home conditions of the service
men seeking leave. 1t was also
pointed out that it is very hard to
get such volunteer workers for
such home contact since there is
no pay and the workers take ten
times as much abuse from families
and servicemen who do not get the
leaves they request. Mrs. George
Baynum, Home Service Chairman,
pointed out that the decision is en-
tirely with the armed services. It
was pointed out also that little is
heard Of the many hundreds OF
thousands of servicemen each year
who get leaves through Red Cross
volunteer workers getting the home
facts but that the relatively few
who the armed forces must turn
down always come back to rest on
the doorstep Of the local volunteer
workers. It was pointed out that
these workers feel the urgent need
OF their work since If they did not
do 1t here in Milford and all over
America that but few servicemen
would be able to get home on emer-
gency leave since there would be
no way for the mans commanding
officer to know whether or not
there was a real need for the SER
viceman at his home.
1t was also brought out in the
discussion that the Red Cross do
mated blood is free to those who
need It but that not every local has
q station to receive or store free
blood. Red Cross never charges for
such blood but local hospitals do
charge the patient using the blood
Tor storage and administration of
the blood This Is out Of the con-
troll of Red Cross. Another interest
inc point brought out was that sal
aries of full time Red Cross work
ers are on the same scale as other
social welfare workers in a par
ticular area. In other words the
same as a state, federal or local
full time social workers. These sal
aries are well below those paid in
private industry or private hospi-
tails. IT is also important to have
persons on call "a hours a day in
many places which is more than
Eh.fI Dft TX Vf-Jltu rftt+U AHOOt Will
teor Red Cross workers are WGmen
with children or family at home de-
pendent upon their presence most
of the day The salary of the top
level Red Cross executives is set
by the National Board of the Red
Cross most of whom are appointed
bv the President of the United
States. This volunteer board sets
all salaries which are also on a
scale with social workers in similar
work and we'll below private in
dustry. Efforts to recruit full time
volunteer executives to undertake
the tremendous RESPONSIBILITIES of
the Red Cross national program
have not brought forth the type
men needed for the job. Where
older retired men have volunteered
their period of services was brief.
1t is now necessary to have career