TRAPPED BY WAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 146, 25 August 1941, Page 5

TRAPPED BY WAR

TEN MILLION PEOPLE

WORK OF RED' CROSS

Since the outbrtiak of war more than 10,000,000 people had become prisoners of war or internees, the International Red Cross delegate to Australia (Dr G. Morel) revealed recently.

In the same period 1,300,000 messages to and from prisoners of war and 400,000 parcels had passed through Geneva, headquarters of the International Red Gross, he added.

When the war started, the International Red Gross had been doing ivork left over from the last war-— 1 trying to find missing people ami missing documents.

Most of the money supplied to the international Red Cross was contributed by the Swiss Government, the Geneva Town Council and from Red Cross appeals to the Swiss people, said Dr Morel. .

Since January 1, £80,000 had been given by* the Swiss public. National Red Cross societies in other countries sent voluntary contributions.

Many misconceptions existed about the International "Reel Cross, he said.. The present Geneva committee consisted of 25 members, all Swiss people prominent artistically, intellectually, or professionally. It was an impartial committee, not depending on any Government, and acting as an intermediary between -countries at Avar. The International Red Cross hart been founded in 1863 in Geneva by Henri Dunant, a Swiss banker ar.<J philanthropist, who had visited wounded and prisoners in the war between Italy and Austria in 1859, find was shocked by their conditions* The committee of five! that Tic created went from one country tr> another consulting the heads of Governments, with the result that 16 Governments were represented at thp first conference in Geneva. It was decided to create, on a voluntary basis, a Red Cross Society in every country. "" ;■