Part 4

In connection with the relief operations an interesting experiment in colonization was undertaken under the leadership of Prof. Joseph Bailie, of the University of Nanking. After many difficulties Prof. Bailie, with the co-operation of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, at that time Provisional President of China, secured a tract of waste land at the foot of Purple Mountain, near Nanking, moved some of his more trustworthy men on to it and began its cultivation. Huts were first built. A school was started for the children, so that they would be cared for while the men and women were at work. The land was gradually broken up, drainage ditches were dug, and potatoes and strawberries, wheat and other cereals were planted. A large number of fruit trees were set out. Some of these were Chinese, but many were obtained from Japan and other countries. The land is now being used as an experiment farm and as a testing school for the men. The soil is of a poor quality, and is in many ways unsatisfactory; but Prof. Bailie is persevering in the faith that he will succeed, not only in doing a piece of work which will be deeply interesting to the officials and gentry near the city of Nanking, but will prove of value to the larger enterprise which he still expects to see carried through.

Mr. Jameson, the American Red Cross conservancy engineer, after traversing the famine districts, says of the prevention of the recurrent floods which have caused many famines, including this one of 1911-12:

“There are no engineering difficulties in the way of controlling the rivers, lowering the flood level and reclaiming the waste land in North Kiangsu and North Anhwei; it is purely a question of money and time. Under the present conditions at least three crops out of five are lost over an area of some 30,000 square miles. The soil of this area is exceedingly rich, the climate such that two crops a year should be possible when the conservancy and reclamation work had been completed. Not only will heavy crops be possible over this whole section year by year, but some millions of acres (English), which now are absolutely worthless, will be available for cultivation. All of this makes the expenditure of the necessary money justifiable from a commercial standpoint.”

It is hoped that the Republic of China will accept the plan prepared by Mr. Jameson as a basis for a system of river conservancy which will put an end to the greater part of the flood devastation which has cursed this land for many centuries. Chinese records show that since the year 494 A. D. sixty-seven famines have occurred in this region. All but two of these famines were caused by floods.

The Central China Famine Relief Committee held its last meeting and closed its work on January 21, 1913. At that time an unexpended balance of approximately $75,000 (gold) remained in the treasury, but the committee disposed of the greater part of it by a series of resolutions, which were in effect as follows:

The sum of $11,250 was placed in the hands of a special committee for the purpose of carrying on “a campaign covering three years or more, to draw attention of officials and people to the seriousness of famines which are occurring with such frequency in different parts of China; to educate public opinion upon the subject of famine prevention and to show how the condition of the people in the famine area can be permanently improved.” The treasurer of this educational fund is the treasurer of the National Committee of the Young Men’s Christian Association of China.

The sum of $2,500 was set aside to assist in the care of “famine children” in the orphanages of the Catholic missions in the famine areas.

The sum of $5,500 was appropriated to be applied to the carrying out of a plan already begun for colonizing destitute Chinese upon unoccupied lands under instruction and supervision.

The sum of $22,500 was set aside to be used in the repair of dykes in the neighborhood of Wuhu on condition that the Chinese of Anhwei Province raise the sum of $45,000 to be applied to the same work.

The sum of $7,500 was voted to be used in the education of Chinese young men in forestry, with special reference to conservation against drought and flood. The purpose is to select a few especially promising Chinese students from the institutions of higher education in China and send them to the American School of Forestry at Manila, P. I., or possibly in some instances to the United States. These young men, after receiving their education, will be expected to return to their native country and enter actively into efforts toward that reforestation which is regarded as essential to any great reduction in the number and severity of floods and droughts.

After making the allotments above mentioned there remained a balance in the committee’s hands of about $22,500, which was transferred to a permanent committee of trustees, consisting of the following: The General Consular Officer of the United States at Shanghai, the Commissioner of Customs, the Manager of the International Banking Corporation, the Honorable Wu Ting Fang, Ch’on Jen Fu, Esq., and the Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. This committee will hold the balance of the relief funds for use in future relief work which may be necessary in China as the result of famines.

[A part of this article was published in a recent issue of the Survey.]

[Illustration: HOUSEBOAT USED BY MR. C. D. JAMESON, AMERICAN RED CROSS CIVIL ENGINEER, EMPLOYED IN CHINA.]

Nicaraguan Famine Relief

A general failure of crops, followed by the revolutionary outbreak of last summer in Nicaragua caused great distress among the poorer classes in that country. Conditions were sufficiently bad before the military operations took place, but during July, owing to the revolution, they became critical, and many Nicaraguans faced starvation. Early in August, having been apprised of the situation as it then existed, Secretary of State Knox addressed a communication to the American Red Cross, requesting to be informed whether the Red Cross was in a position to furnish food supplies to relieve the needs of the non-combatants. The American Red Cross promptly forwarded $1,000 to the American minister at Panama, with instructions to expend that amount in the purchase of flour, beans, corn, rice and potatoes. Through the courtesy and co-operation of Colonel George W. Goethals, U. S. A., Governor of the Canal Zone, the commissary of the Isthmian Canal Commission furnished these supplies at wholesale rates, and the same were shipped via the United States transport _Justin_, which was carrying a battalion of United States Marines to Nicaragua.

On August 28th, at the request of Hon. George T. Weitzel, American minister to Nicaragua, at Managua, the State Department suggested a further appropriation by the American Red Cross to continue the alleviation of the suffering which would probably continue some time after the revolutionary disturbances. Pursuant to this suggestion, a further appropriation of $1,000 was made by the Central Committee, and the supply of corn and beans purchased therewith was shipped to Managua from Panama on the steamer _San Juan_, on September 7th.

Under date of January 21, 1913, the Secretary of State transmitted to the American Red Cross a report from Mr. Weitzel as to the manner in which the supplies were distributed and the effectiveness of the relief rendered. Following is an extract from that report:

“The first car, consisting of flour, corn, beans, rice and potatoes to the value of one thousand dollars, left the Panama Canal Zone on August 9, 1912, in charge of Major Smedley D. Butler, U. S. M. C., and was received in Managua on the 15th of that month.

“The legation requested a committee of Americans, including Messrs. Otto Schoenrich, A. R. Thompson, C. D. Ham, A. J. Lindberg and J. A. Whitaker, to take charge of the provisions under instructions to relieve all cases of distress, irrespective of affiliation of the applicants; but as they were unable to attend to the matter on account of departure from the city, or other reason, the legation decided to do the work itself. Mr. Walter H. Hooper, an American missionary, and Padre J. A. Lezcano, a well known Nicaraguan priest, kindly offered to assist in investigating needy cases. Signed tickets, good for five rations, were then issued to the applicants who presented them to Mr. William Gower, assistant paymaster of the United States Navy, at the railroad station, where two-fifths of the car load was distributed, beginning with the flour and potatoes, which deteriorate very rapidly in this climate.

“The remaining three-fifths were taken to Leon, where Lieutenant Colonel Charles G. Long, U. S. M. C., distributed them through the Hospital San Vincente and the Sisters of Charity, reserving a portion, however, to feed one hundred and twenty-five prisoners, who had been sadly neglected during the hostilities in that town.

“The second carload donated by the Red Cross consisted of 10,000 pounds of beans and 7,140 pounds of cornmeal, these two staples being the principal articles of food for the poorer classes in Nicaragua. Having been despatched from the Canal Zone on September 7th the consignment reached Managua on the 14th of that month and was started the next morning to Granada under the personal charge of the clerk of the legation, arriving there after being fired on at the Barranca on Sunday, September 22d. The distribution was promptly begun from a central station even before the disarmament had taken place. Great assistance was rendered by Dr. Juan I. Urtecho, an elderly gentleman of wide reputation for impartial charity, who has devoted many years of his professional life as a physician to gratuitous practice among the poor, and who before the arrival of the Americans had fed at his own expense hundreds of famished people. Several of the Granada ladies kindly volunteered their services in placing the tickets with deserving families, and Private Baldwin, U. S. M. C., supplied the holders of the tickets with the number of rations thereon designated, nearly 8,000 in all being thus disposed of. A gratifying feature of the distribution of supplies was the small number of men who appeared in line, and even those few were maimed, sick or blind. The Red Cross and San Juan Hospitals, the French College for Girls and the schools were given the first attention.

“There was urgent need of help, as many poor families had been forced for a long time to subsist on green mangoes, and some deaths had already resulted from starvation, but the timely arrival of supplies quickly relieved the situation. Children who crowded around the camp were fed by the enlisted men out of their own rations, and a carload of corn and flour donated by the American colony in Managua was distributed among the sufferers.

“As soon as order was restored the farmers from the surrounding territory brought their produce to market, and the railroad resumed transportation of supplies which had been accumulating in Corinto, so that conditions at Granada and elsewhere should begin gradually to improve, although it will be some time before the people will cease to feel the depression caused by the failure of crops for two successive years, and by the hardships suffered during the present disturbances.

“The prompt and generous action of the American Red Cross has won expressions of deep appreciation from those who have been helped, and has created the kindliest feeling among all classes of people in Nicaragua.”

Important Conference on Red Cross Christmas Seals

No sooner does one Red Cross Christmas Seal Campaign end than preparations for the next begins. While the public sees and hears of the seal only during the months of November and December, when the seals are on sale, a very large amount of preparatory work is necessary in order that the sale may reach every section of the country and may be carried on with the publicity and system which are necessary to success.

Although the returns from the season of 1912 are not yet all received, the first important step toward the Christmas Seal Campaign of 1913 has already been taken. This was a conference held in the offices of the American Red Cross in Washington on February 28th and attended by many of the principal State and city agents, who have demonstrated their ability in past years and will be leaders in the campaign of this year. It is gratifying to note that with each succeeding year the system and methods of selling Christmas Seals are improving. In the first year or two after the introduction of the Seals as a means of obtaining support for anti-tuberculosis work, the venture was generally regarded as one of those novelties which, after a transient popularity, drop quickly out of use. Agents thought it scarcely worth while to undertake the trouble and expense of systematizing their methods of selling and accounting. Gradually the permanent value of the Seal as a method of interesting a very large number of people in anti-tuberculosis work and in raising large sums of money without unjustly burdening any givers began to be apparent. From that time the methods of distributing, selling and accounting for the Seals have been made the subject of careful study. System and business methods have been gradually introduced, with the result that instead of falling away, the sales of Seals have increased with each year, while economies which have been introduced in administration have increased the percentage of net profit.

In the winter of 1912 the first conference was held of agents for the Seals for the discussion and interchange of experiences and for the purpose of reaching an agreement upon questions of interest to all. That conference was so prolific of good results in the Seal campaign of 1912 that a second similar conference was held on February 28th, as above mentioned.

An idea of the thoroughness with which the agents are considering the business of distributing the Seals may be gained from a mention of a few topics considered at this conference. The first subject of discussion was the design for the Christmas Seal of 1913 and the form which the Seal should take. It was the unanimous opinion of those present that the Seal should contain some pictorial design suitable to the Christmas season, rather than a purely ornamental design of artistic merit, but without any particular human appeal. Without exception the agents reported that the design for 1912, containing a head of Santa Claus, had proved the most popular yet adopted.

Another subject discussed was the character, variety and quantity of advertising matter to be prepared. It was reported that an experiment in selling Seals through penny-in-the-slot machines had proved unsuccessful, and this method of distribution was disapproved. From many agents it was learned that the sale of Seals through a simple mail order system had proved successful and inexpensive. In many busy offices agents for the Seals find it difficult to obtain a hearing by personal calls, when a brief, well-expressed letter will receive a prompt and favorable response. In certain cities fully half the Seals sold in 1912 were disposed of in this manner.

It was found to be the consensus of opinion among agents that the offering of prizes for the sale of Seals, especially individual prizes to school children, is inadvisable. A few agents reported the successful use of prizes for schools, but not to individual pupils, without apparent disadvantages. All agreed that great care must be exercised in offering prizes in order to avoid stimulating children to improper methods. Several agents reported that citizens of their communities had complained of annoyance because of the numerous calls at their doors by children desirous of selling Seals. One agent described a method of avoiding this nuisance which has proved completely successful in his community. This method is for a citizen who has purchased Christmas Seals to paste one of the seals on his door knob or front door. Any child approaching a door and seeing a seal thus posted, understands that he is not to disturb that household, as its supply of Seals is already purchased. By announcing this system of protection through the press and in the schools it is said to have fully accomplished its purpose.

Tn Ohio the State agent for the Seals adopted a method of awarding prizes which is reported to have been extremely successful, not only as a stimulus to the selling of Seals, but as an educational factor. The agent offered to supply a visiting nurse for one month to each of the twelve cities in the State of Ohio which sold the largest percentage of Seals in proportion to its population. A trained visiting nurse was employed by the State agent for one year and was sent in turn from city to city among the prize winners, serving one month in each locality. Not only did this prove an extremely popular arrangement, but in six of the cities benefited by the plan in 1912, the public became so impressed by the value of the visiting nurse that they arranged to employ nurses permanently upon the withdrawal of the prize nurse.

It has been found by experience that the distribution and sale of Seals can best be carried on through the appointment of State agents, who in turn appoint, and are responsible for, the local agents. The State agents return to the American Red Cross 10 per cent of the gross proceeds of sales in their respective States. This 10 per cent is to cover the expense to the Red Cross, which manufactures and distributes the Seals and the large quantity and variety of advertising matter used by the agents. The conference discussed at length the question of the percentage which the local agents should pay to the State agents. This discussion resulted in the conclusion that it is impracticable to fix upon a percentage applicable to all States alike. Local conditions vary so widely in different States that a percentage which would be fair in one State might be unsatisfactory in another. The reports indicated that the percentages charged by State agents to their local agencies vary from 2½ to 20 per cent on gross sales, although in one or two instances the percentage required to be returned to the State agents has exceeded 20 per cent.

Many other subjects of material interest were discussed, and no doubt exists that the conference will prove to have been of material value to all who participated in it. The agents who were present were the following:

Dr. William Charles White, of Pittsburgh. Mr. Frank H. Mann, of New York City. Mr. William J. Deeney, of Philadelphia. Mr. Karl de Schweinits, of Philadelphia. Dr. Hoyt E. Dearholt, of Milwaukee. Dr. R. H. Bishop, of Cleveland, O. Mr. D. Van Blarcom, of New York City. Mr. Ernest D. Easton, of Newark. Mr. Severance Burrage, of Indianapolis. Mr. H. Wirt Steele, of Baltimore. Mr. L. B. Meyers, of Charlotte, N. C. Mr. James Jenkins, Jr., of Brooklyn. Mr. William C. Smallwood, of Newark. Mr. Roy L. French, of Baltimore. Mr. Kendall Weisiger, of Atlanta.

Besides the agents above mentioned, there were also present Dr. Livingston Farrand and Mr. Philip P. Jacobs, of the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, and Miss Mabel T. Boardman, Mr. Ernest P. Bicknell and Mr. Charles L. Magee, of the American Red Cross.

The National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, as in 1911 and 1912, has been appointed by the Red Cross as national sales agent for the Christmas Seals. The appointment of State agents, as in the past, will be in the hands of the national sales agent.

While it is not possible at this time to publish a complete statement of returns from the Christmas Seal campaign of 1912, the following figures will show the results reached by some of the leading agents:

PARTIAL STATEMENT OF THE RESULTS OF CHRISTMAS SEAL SALES FOR 1912 COMPILED FROM THE REPORTS OF AGENTS.

_Number _Number _Percentage _Agency._ of of of Seals Rec’d._ Seals Sold._ Seals Sold._

Arkansas 140,000 118,819 84.8 California 5,500,000 1,373,520 24.9 Connecticut— Danbury 25,000 15,305 61.2 Hartford 250,000 148,035 59.2 Litchfield 40,000 32,960 82.4 Meriden 100,100 5,554 5.5 Middletown 75,000 34,741 46.3 New Britain 125,000 74,257 59.4 New Haven 600,000 228,220 38.3 New London 50,000 19,893 39.7 Norwich 120,000 82,694 68.9 Stamford 40,000 30,385 75.9 Waterbury 250,000 184,921 73.9 Delaware 75,000 42,746 56.9 District of Columbia 374,500 362,716 96.8 Georgia 1,800,000 770,770 42.8 Hawaii 400,000 179,995 44.9 Illinois 6,000,000 1,821,520 30.3 Iowa 1,500,000 410,440 27.3 Kentucky— Covington 100,000 36,406 36.4 Cynthiana 10,000 1,205 12.0 Henderson 50,000 10,040 20.0 Lexington 140,000 61,505 43.9 Louisville 300,000 180,446 60.1 Owensboro 30,000 8,240 27.4 Paducah 100,000 48,349 48.3 Louisiana 600,000 281,784 46.8 Maine 1,500,000 304,884 20.3 Maryland 1,000,000 512,819 51.2 Massachusetts— Boston 2,500,000 1,353,969 54.1 Holyoke 100,000 52,114 52.1 Pittsfield 100,000 71,345 71.3 Springfield 150,000 89,265 59.5 Michigan 3,000,000 1,078,464 35.9 Mississippi 500,000 153,220 30.6 Montana— Billings 75,100 14,870 19.8 Great Falls 20,000 17,358 86.7 Nebraska 720,000 289,360 40.1 New Hampshire 190,000 100,180 52.7 New York— Brooklyn 2,100,000 1,323,220 63.0 New York City 4,000,000 2,079,324 51.9 North Carolina 801,500 396,053 49.4 Oregon 1,000,000 124,536 12.4 Pennsylvania 2,000,000 1,297,531 64.8 Rhode Island 2,000,000 1,101,700 55.0 South Carolina— Georgetown 10,000 400 4.0 Spartanburg 20,000 8,860 44.3 South Dakota— Aberdeen 25,100 5,510 21.9 Sioux City 40,000 8,929 22.3 Tennessee 1,000,000 118,300 11.8 Utah— Ogden 50,000 8,000 16.0 Salt Lake City 100,000 100,000 100.0 Vermont 125,000 65,786 52.6 Virginia 250,000 151,450 60.5 West Virginia 700,000 457,175 65.3 Wisconsin 3,000,000 2,896,840 96.5 ---------- ---------- ---- Total 45,871,300 20,746,938 45.2

The important position which the Red Cross Christmas Seal now occupies as a means of support for anti-tuberculosis work in the United States is indicated by the fact that the sales of the Seal, since its introduction five years ago, have amounted to a total of more than $1,000,000. Every year the sale has exceeded that of the year preceding. In 1911 the total sale amounted to $339,656.08, and it is believed that the complete reports of the sale in 1912 will show a considerable increase over that amount.

What the Red Cross Seal Has Done for Brooklyn

JAMES JENKINS, JR., _Executive Secretary, Brooklyn Committee on Tuberculosis_.

The money made by the Red Cross Christmas Seal has done a very definite and practical piece of work for Brooklyn, New York. About a year before the seals were issued, there had been formed in Brooklyn a Tuberculosis Committee, that had at that time limited funds but was struggling to carry on various pieces of important and rather expensive work. One of the needs of the community was more adequate hospital facilities and a day camp for tubercular patients. The camp was to be established for mothers and children, and it was hoped at that time that a class might be formed for children, who could go on with their school duties.

As a result of the first year’s sales about $5,000 was made, and through the help of the Erie Railroad an old ferryboat was made into a city day camp and attached to one of the piers of North River, where the air is as fresh as possible, in such a large city. The first day the camp opened there were thirty-five cases on the boat and the number has increased, sometimes slowly but always steadily, until now the capacity of the boat is 100 patients. The first summer a kindergarten teacher was privately employed, who entertained the children, but early in the fall a regular class was established, as an annex to one of the public schools, and it was the only school in Brooklyn for tubercular children. Now the boat has three classes, of nearly thirty children each, besides fifteen adults.