Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 286, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 November 1919 — Officer Explains Red Cross Sales [ARTICLE]

Officer Explains Red Cross Sales

Only Perishable, Second Hand and Surplus Stock Being Disposed of. WORKING IN 17 COUNTRIES Shipment of Further Relief Material From the United States to Europe Continues in a Large Way— One-Third to France. Paris. —Because many inaccurate reports of large sales of American Red Cross merchandise have appeared in. th&.-.Jast -fovv weeks, _Red headquarters in Paris has issued a statement explaining that the only materials which have been sold are certain perishables, second hand equipment, surplus stocks and articles which can no longer he used for direct relief work, either In France or In Eastern Europe. The total sales of surplus and second hand material by the American Red Cross in Europe will aggregate not more than 30,000.000 francs, says the Red Cross, while the value of* the relief material distributed, in Europe during July and August alone amounted to more than 100,000,000 francs. Work In 17 Countries. The American Red Cross is now conducting operations in seventeen European countries. The relief material distributed in France, mainly in the devastated districts, since the armistice, is valued at more than 125.000,000 francs, while in the same period other European countries have received more thari 20,000,000 francs’ of similar supplies, including not only medical and surgical material, but also clqfhlng. food, barracks, etc. ,'Such sales as have been authorized in France have been conducted through the American Red Cross liquidation board. Hie official statement says regarding tki® material: “Unexpectedly heavy expenses of work in Poland ahd the Balkan states, and the beginnings of new relief ac-

tivities in western and southern Russia made it advisable to turn these stocks, into cash to assist the relief programs; as well as to save certain of the accumulated stocks from total loss. Supplies Still Come. “Of all the relief material In the American Red Cross warehouses on May 1, one-third was set aside for distribution in the devastated districts of France. The distribution of this material is still continuing, and will continue for months to come, while the shipments of relief material to the commissions in eastern Europe are on a constantly increasing scale, continue for many months. “m the meantime the sbjpmepjt of Further relief iiYaterial from the United States continues in a large way, and we have recently received notice from America of the early shipment of supplies valued at 40,000,000 francs.”