WAR'S AFTERMATH

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 7, 4 October 1920, Page 6

WAR'S AFTERMATH

STARVING CHILDREN OF EUROPE A WORLD-WIDE APPEAL Following; the lead.of aomo of the other cities of the Dominion, Wellington has decided to organise in the cause of the starving children of Europe. Tho movement, which is international,' originated in England, and has the backing of the Imperial Government. Tho initial step so far as, organised effort in Wellington is concerned, was taken last Friday, ■when (v number of business men met fn a committee room of the Town Hall, and decided to launch an appeal on. behnl? of the famine and discase-stricken children of Central Europo. ill - . C. M. Luke, who. was voted to the chiii. - , referred to the worthy nature of tho object, ..remarking that the distress among the children of the poorer classes of Europe should have a ready claim on tho sympatliies of the New Zealand public. • ' , \ Mr. J. Howell, in outlining the movement. said that the appeal, which, had been endorsed by the King, was supported by the British Government to the extont of a £ for J3 subsidy on.oil moneys contributed. The money's raised were be.injr used for ithe purpose of alleviating distress, which was the aftermath of tho war. in Austria and Serbia mostly; and in l'oland also, he understood. So far as Germany was concerned, the' work was, he believed, being handled almost entirely by America. -The "Save the Children" Appeal, therefore, did not 'includ" Germany. The need for assistance in Austria was so appalling that the claims of that country were being given the most Urgent consideration. The appeal had been responded to very generously in Otago and Southland, in which districts a combined total of X 20,000 was in sight, v Auckland and Christchurch were also active in the same connection. Wellington, the capital city, was tho last to move. The funds were i being administered by the British Military Mission, but the work was carried out by voluntary. helpers, gome of whom were Austrianit. The jjifts of .food were only given on a medical certificate, and there tvere thousands of bona-fido cases. Austria and her neighbouring States had been so terribly ravaged by the war, and the shortage of food was 60 acute, that for the sake of humanity it was necessary to salvage .at least the children, on whom the future bf Europo depended. World's'"Most Awful Spectacle," Tha Hon. Dr. Collins commended . the movement as one absolutely worthy of publi'; support. Speaking as chairman of'the Red Cross Society, he was sure thai that body would cordially support the appeal. Tho distress was on such an immense scale, however, that the duty of providing funds should bo tindertaken by' the public as a whole. Tho executive of the Bed Cross Society had forwarded a contribution •of ,£6OOO. . Side by side with the-'work of feeding the chi)dren the humanitarian forces at work were faced with the task of carrying out a sanitation campaign throughout Central Europe in order to fight the ravages of pestilential disease. • • The chairman quoted the statement of General Smuts ■ to the effect that the starving children of' Europe presented "the most awful spectacle" in the history of tho human race; which called for tho institution of rescue work on a scale such as the world lad hitherto never seen.. '■ .: Mr, T. Young bespoke the hearty coopeiation. of tho Wellington branch' of the Red Cross Society, which body was willing to assist by. placing its organisation at the disposal of the fund. . Tho president (Mr. C. S. Falconer) promised tho active support of the Wellington Y.M.C.A. A Committee Set Up.Mr. H. S. Hart, in stressing the necessity for mapping out a comprehensive cairpaign siiirt he was convinced that the reason'why Wellington had not—outside of some of the churches—moved earlier in the matter was that the general facta of the appeal had- not yet heen' placed before the, public. 'In the light of Wellington's generosity in the past the present situation could not be ascribed to apathy or callousness. ' Ho moved that those' present resolve themselves into a committee, with power to add to their number, with 'the object of deciding 'on a definite jine, of action.

In seconding-the motion, Mr. A. Leigh Hunt-, stated that, tho school children, should bo brought prominently into the movement, and the 'sympathies of the tochers should, also be enlisted. The motion was carried, tho meeting werit on to discuss details in connection, with tho projected campaign. On the motion of Mr. Ilott, it was decided to circularise various representative bodies in the Wellington district, asking tliem to send representatives to ft larger meeting to bo held in furtherance of tlr- movement, over which the Mayor will be asked to preside. The arrangements in connection with this meeting wo«e loft in tho hands of the following sub-committee:—Dr. Collins, Messrs. T. Young, A. L. Hunt, J. Howell, C. S. Falconer, C. M. Luke, with Mr. J. L. Hay as secretary, and Mr. E. P. Hay as convener.

The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) will recoivi a deputation from the committee on Monday.