of rural districts. The intention is that infirmaries of this sort could be set up near the district doctor's quarters. In connection with this infirmary, the Norwegian Red Cross exhibits which were sent to the international exhibition in Geneva were also shown. The second feature was a Seaman's Benefit, with the object of obtaining funds for a hospital ship, the " Viking", intended for the fishermen of Finnmark.

The success of the Red Cross Week is a proof that the population of Norway appreciates the ideal for which the Norwegian Society is striving as regards the relief of sickness and distress and, above all, the promotion of the spirit of peace.

Government encourages the Red Cross. The Norwegian Government has decided to increase its subsidy to the national Red Cross with a view to developing the training of nurses. This decision is regarded as an act of encouragement and approval of the democratic programme adopted by the Norwegian Society. The fact that conservatives, radicals and socialists voted for the increased subsidy of 40,000 kroner 1, is a most favourable indication of public opinion.

It is the intention of the Norwegian Red Cross, while continuing its hospital and clinical activities, to make a special point of training community or public health nurses. According to the programme established by Dr. Andersen, these nurses will take special courses in hygiene, social legislation, etc., in order to be fully qualified for their task. It is also intended to organise a staff of nurses for rural districts.

Maternity Homes. At the national assembly of the Norwegian Red Cross, held at Bergen in October 1919, the chairman emphasised the necessity of maternity homes in many parts of the country. These institutions, he remarked, need not entail great expense, the main object being to offer a temporary home during the period of confinement to women who are living in narrow circumstances, so as to relieve them from household troubles. This idea has been readily taken up by several districts.

According to the law on childbirth insurance, which came into effect in 1916, women who benefit by this institution receive a pension for six weeks (not less than one kroner a day) and the care of a midwife free of charge. It is, however optional for insured women or wives of insured men to receive free treatment and board in the maternity home instead of the above mentioned sum. During the stay at the maternity home, the childbirth pension ceases, but the health insurance authorities can grant an indemnity to the family of not more than 50 % of the pension to pay for hired labour as a substitute for the absent mother. In this way women are enabled to pay for their stay in a maternity home, and the demand for such establishments is greater than ever before on account of the scarcity of lodgings and the high wages of servants.

At the request of the Department of Social Welfare, Dr. Marie Kjolseth undertook a voyage of inspection through Germany, Denmark and Sweden, in order to study the organisation of maternity homes in those countries.

Christiania has at present two maternity homes Krohgstottens and Voienvoldens. The former is administered by the local hospital, while the latter is an independent establishment of a perfected type, but somewhat too expensive for Red Cross purposes. A model of the small maternity home is the Ostfold institution in Sarpsbog which is an amalgamation of a home for unmarried mothers and the usual maternity establishment. This combination has proved very satisfactory, as institutions for unmarried mothers receive government grants, whereas those for married women are not as yet so privileged.

Before the war the up-keep of this institution cost 15,000 kroner. Unmarried mothers who pay 2 kroner a day, are taught household work and learn to assist in the maternity ward. Thus the home is independent of hired labour and the maternity ward costs very little. Married women pay 7 kroner a day and, as a rule, only remain for two weeks.

POLAND.

Junior Red Cross. In Poland the Junior Red Cross has also been put on an official footing and recognised as a branch of the national Society, having its central committee established at the headquarters of the Polish Red Cross in Warsaw. The organising of junior committees in various sections of the country is one of the duties of the Polish national Society.

The articles of association provide that all schools or groups of children of school age desiring to work for the Red Cross may organise Junior Red Cross units, which

A kroner is worth about 1 fr. 25 cts. (French).

must apply to the central committee in Warsaw for recognition. Membership is open to all under eighteen years of age, subscription being fixed at 20 marks per head. It is provided that young people rendering specially usefull service to the organisation may be exempted from paying subscription. Of the sums subscribed, 30% shall be paid by units to the local Junior Red Cross, which, in turn, will forward half to the central committee in Warsaw. Junior units must be organised only with the consent and approval of school authorities, who are expected to cooperate as administrators.

The Junior Red Cross in Poland is already an established fact and is very active throughout the country, cultivating gardens, helping necessitous children, making useful articles in workshops and corresponding with affiliated institutions at home and abroad.

Election of officers. The general Assembly of the Polish Red Cross, which was held on September 15 and 16, elected a new Central Committee consisting of 60 members. This Committee met on Octobre 9, and elected the following officers:

Bangkok Red Cross Conference. Prince Charoon, Siamese Minister in Paris, who recently visited the League's headquarters in Geneva, has expressed great interest in the League's project of convening the Oriental Red Cross Conference in Bangkok and has secured the approval of the Siamese Government and the cooperation of the Siamese Red Cross. The Royal family of Siam have taken a leading part in the building up of the national Red Cross Society and will do everything possible to facilitate the Conference.

The Red Cross is an influential organisation in Siam and has already done valuable work in the field of hygiene. Nearly all the hospital service in Siam is directly controlled by the Red Cross.

SWEDEN.

Activities of the Swedish Red Cross. On October 11, 1921, the Central Committee of the Swedish Red Cross transmitted to the League a report on the activities of its Society during the last months, of which the following is a summary:

Since the autumn of 1920 more than 5000 children from Eastern European countries, have been the guests of Sweden. These children, who, for the most part, had greatly suffered through privation, were sent back to their parents in excellent health. Some of them will remain in Sweden for the winter.

The Red Cross has sent a large consignement of food to Austria, and important sums of money to war prisoners returning from Russia, and to Hungarian refugees. On September 5, the Red Cross sent a Commission to Russia to distribute food and clothing to the Swedish colonies in Petrograd and Moscow. A similar Commission

was sent to the Ukraine. In addition to this, the Swedish Red Cross is now organising, in collaboration with the government, relief work for famine-stricken Russians.

In view of the industrial crisis which is influencing the economic situation in Sweden, the Red Cross has decided to take energetic measures in order to avoid widespread distress. A special commission has been appointed to discuss a plan for providing work and assistance to poor people during the coming winter. The Red Cross also proposes to collaborate with organisations, whether official or private, undertaking food distribution, and, should it be necessary, to organise soup kitchens.

The Central Committee has appropriated a sum of Kr. 100,000, for the construction of a new Red Cross hospital at Stockholm. Measures have also been taken with a view to improving public health service in isolated districts. It has further been decided by the Red Cross to increase its annual contribution to the home for Red Cross nurses.

SWITZERLAND

Film Propaganda. Das Rote Kreuz, the fortnightly organ of the Swiss Red Cross, publishes in its October number an article entitled "The Red Cross Cinema," which demonstrates that the Red Cross, in fighting social scourges, can and must make use of this modern and popular means of appealing to the public, namely the cinema. With this end in view, the Swiss Red Cross has assured itself the collaboration of the "Volkskino" (Popular Cinematograph), an enterprise which also pursues essentially humanitarian objects. At first will be shown films dealing with the fight against tuberculosis and venereal diseases, and later those concerning child welfare. The theoretical part is reduced to a minimum, the lesson to be conveyed being left as much as possible to the pictorial part of the demonstration. The Swiss Red Cross has supplied the lantern slides, while the moving pictures have been placed at its disposal by the League of Red Cross Societies. The text of the lectures can be supplied to doctors and other competent persons, in order to facilitate their organising demonstrations of these slides and films. Private organisations, schools, philanthropic associations, etc., intending to arrange such Red Cross lectures with slides and films, are requested to apply to the Secretariat of the Swiss Red Cross, in Berne. They will be expected to contribute to the funds of the Red Cross at least 50 francs for every demonstration for adults and 15 francs for children's entertainments.

These illustrated lectures should prove not only a useful aid to doctors and organisations engaged in combating social evils, but should also enable different societies to treat a variety of subjects and thereby to accomplish a very useful task.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

In order to support the

The work of the American Red Cross, 1920-1921. Fifth Red Cross Roll Call, which takes place November 11 to 25, the American Red Cross has put before the public the outstanding facts of its years' work and has indicated the obligations which it feels called upon to meet in the future.

The fiscal year ending June 30, 1921, was not a year of great growth in membership, but it proved that the National Red Cross Society in the United States had reached what might be called a normal level of membership. This level leaves it still much the largest society in the world, both in actual figures and in proportion to the population of the country. A total adult membership of 6,041,163 was enrolled, and a Junior membership of 5,113.090. The reduction in the Junior Red Cross, which in the previous year numbered 11,000,000, was more apparent than real. A new system of enrolment on a basis of paid subscriptions to the Junior Red Cross News was put into effect in January, 1921, and it necessitated a campaign for school participation which is not yet entirely completed.

This corresponds to about 300,000 French francs at the actual rate of exchange.

The extent to which the Red Cross permeates the whole geographical territory of the country is shown by the fact that there are 3,402 active chapters scattered among 3,058 counties. There are dependent upon these chapters almost 18,000 branches and auxiliaries.

For ex-service men. First among its obligations the American Red Cross considers its duty to the service men now in the Army and Navy or enlisted during the war, who for reasons of physical condition or economic disability need assistance. It has maintained 105 hospital workers in the 54 military and naval hospitals and 175 workers in the military and naval posts. The imposing total of 997,140 individual visits have been paid to patients in the hospitals and monthly entertainments have had an attendance of more than 130,000.

For the ex-service men, still in the hospitals as a result of war injuries, the American Red Cross has had a staff of visitors numbering 448. Other ex-service men have been aided under the general activity of Home Service, the widely spread and highly developed social work for the benefit of men and the families who suffer some disturbance of their condition because of the war. A very great proportion of the chapters took part in this work, 2,397 in all, and it is estimated that more than one million and a half persons were enquired after and helped in some form. This help has been very largely in the way of personal rather than financial assistance, although the expenditures during the year for this purpose have amounted to $8,572,826.

For the most part, the Home Service committees have been able to be of service to men and their families by securing for them the help of physicians or lawyers, by straightening out through giving accurate information their tangled insurance or compensation relations with the government, and by calling attention of men or their families to opportunities which the government provides for them. This is work in which the individual members of the Red Cross chapters participate personally and this personal activity has supplemented the efforts of the governmental agencies to good effect.

One of the provisions of federal law most misunderstood by the public is the Vocational Training act under the provisions of which men who have been injured in service in the Army or Navy are entitled to help in getting an education for future life. Approximately 80,000 men have taken advantage of this law and but two-fifths of this number, or 32,495, have found it necessary to get financial assistance. This assistance the American Red Cross has given in the form of loans. The amount loaned out during the fiscal year was $450,000 and 85 per cent of the loans were repaid during the same period.

Nursing Service. Nursing service is, in the opinion of the national Red Cross Society, its most fundamental and far reaching activity. It has been the great coordinating, registering and distributing agency for a profession which has proved itself absolutely necessary to the general safety. At the request of the government, the Red Cross holds the reserve out of which are recruited the Army and Navy nurses both in time of war and in any sudden emergency. It holds now upon its list 37,000 registered nurses subject to call. During the past two years it has assigned 1,163 nurses to the United States Public Health Service for the care of disabled service men and has supplied 1,335 Public Health nurses to chapters and community organisations throughout the country, training and equipping them for that special work.

One special phase of the Nursing Service of rapidly growing importance is the teaching of popular classes for women and girls in Home Hygiene and the Care of the Sick. Instructors to the number of 1,726 have been sent out to organise and conduct these classes and the attendance upon them reached a total of 258,710. The courses were short and intensive, aiming at increasing the general fund of knowledge concerning the ways of checking disease in the home and in the ways of living that will improve the public health.

Closely related to the enrolment of nurses is the activity of the American Red Cross in the field of popular health education. The Home Hygiene and Care of the