Cross in Argentine and asks for the support of the educational authorities and of all leaders in the Republic. "

With the permission of the National Council, the Argentine Red Cross hopes to carry out a big recruiting campaign in the primary schools. The monthly or annual subscriptions by members are voluntary. The children take part every Sunday in gymnastic classes and physical exercises in the open air. The Red Cross has also established a school for gymnastic instructors. Whilst receiving Whilst receiving this physical instruction, the children learn at the same time the principles underlying the Red Cross, and develop a spirit of comradeship and mutual aid. Hundreds of members join in a savings scheme, encouraged thereto by prizes offered by the Red Cross.

AN OPEN-AIR SCHOOL

During the past holidays an open air school for delicate children was opened in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. The classes held there have been most successful, the Argentine Red Cross thus contributing to the formation of strong and healthy young people.

The Argentine children were among the first to contribute by their offerings to the establishment of kitchens for feeding the famine victims in Russia.

In the campaign against disease and in the

domain of popular health instruction the Argentine Red Cross has been very active. It has distributed thousands of posters and leaflets with instructions how to prevent influenza, venereal diseases and smallpox. It has arranged several series of lectures. Some of these lectures have aroused so much interest that the General Council has been obliged to reprint them in large quantities and to distribute them throughout the Republic.

A training school for nurses has been established in the capital under the auspices of the General Council. Many of the nurses trained there lend their services to the municipal hospitals.

In addition, the Red Cross has established a model motor ambulance service.

Another problem which has received great attention is that of the installation of First Aid Stations. Several provincial committees and sub-committees possess dispensaries and some are planning to build nursing schools. The committee of Santos Lugares has undertaken the responsibility of completing the work of the public health services with the financial support of the authorities.

Disaster relief has always been a tradition in Argentine. In 1919 and 1921 extensive floods. devastated the provinces of Buenos Aires and Santiago del Estero. The first organization to hasten to the scene was the Red Cross.

The most recent important relief work accom

plished by the Argentine Red Cross was that for Russian relief. The Argentine nation could not remain unmoved in face of the immense tragedy, and its Red Cross immediately set about collaborating with its sister societies in helping the Russian people who were suffering from the most terrible of all scourges. In the provinces of Buenos Aires, between Rios and the La Pampa territory, committees were formed to collect funds. In many places the country people, wishing to alleviate the sufferings of the famine victims, contributed small

quantities of wheat, rye and maize. This grain was concentrated within the city and sold advantageously, thanks to the disinterestedness of certain companies. The Red Cross succeeded in this way in collecting about 50,000 pesos in a short time. In addition to this, the Council contributed a sum of 20,000 pesos.

The Red Cross also undertook to remit to individuals small quantities of money, food and clothing. Through the intermediary of the League of Red Cross Societies and other organizations, the Argentine Red Cross sent funds to Russia valued at 18,870 Swiss francs and $ 1,342. In the last six months of 1922 it sent 2,864 bales of clothing.

The help of the Red Cross was asked in the establishment of a National Russian Relief Committee, and Señor Pedro P. Lalanne, Secretary General of the Red Cross, became Secretary General of this committee.

That the Argentine Red Cross has been able to accomplish so much is due largely to the internal organization of its secretariat and to the activity and enthusiasm of its manager, Señor Carlos R. Tronesso. Its administrative expenses are extremely low. The publication of the Revista,

instead of being an

expense to the Society, is in reality a source of revenue thanks to advertisements.

The two most important problems which at present face the Argentine Red Cross and on which its future largely depends, are the next next recruiting

campaign for members

upon a popular basis and the building of its new headquarters.

The lack of a headquarters building has been a serious obstacle to the development of the new programme. Dr. Sylla Monsegur took the initiative and presented a draft resolution to the Supreme Council in which it was proposed to build on a piece of land ceded by the municipal authorities. This advance plan, drawn up by Dr. Monsegur, constitutes an interesting document, as it contains details of the functions which the Red Cross headquarters is destined to fulfil.

The building will be in three separate blocks, this form having been chosen so that it can be enlarged in future, as the Red Cross is daily increasing its activities and the number of its members.

The principal building, on the centre of the plot, will have three storeys. The ground floor is destined exclusively for the public health services,

first aid, consulting clinics, surgeries, dispensaries, laboratories, dressing rooms, sterilizers and dependencies.

On the first floor will be situated the administrative offices: director's office, secretariat, manager's office, treasury, accounting department, conference room, administrative library, and a large lecture hall.

The second floor will be devoted largely to the installation of a big library of medicine and public health, with a capacity of 50,000 volumes, a reading room, archives, a section for general literature, reviews, etc., intended to develop into a veritable bibliographic centre for public health and social medicine. On the same floor there will be rooms for the Supreme Council, the General and the Women's Committee, offices for their respective presidents, for the Junior Red Cross and for the divisions of malaria, child welfare and contagious diseases.

A separate building is destined for the nurses' training school, with amphitheatre, lecture halls, rooms for practical work and for study, museum, archives and service quarters. This part of the building will communicate with the main building by a large terrace, overlooking the big Junior Red Cross recreation ground.

The third block of the building will contain dining halls, dormitories and annexes, holiday quarters for boys and girls and a special section for distinguished guests.

The Junior Red Cross will have a large recreation ground with proper apparatus for athletics, all at the disposal of Junior members who will be taught by competent instructors. On this recreation ground there will be a tennis court, an obstacle course, a circular course, a speed course, an esplanade, rings for boxing, fencing and other physical exercises as well as rowing ponds, a riding school, and a magnificent swimming bath, 30 metres long and 20 metres wide.

The municipal authorities have acceded to the Red Cross Society's request for building ground and at present the Executive Council is studying the scheme, with the certainty of a favourable report. As soon as this Council has approved the concession of ground, the actual building operations will begin.

THE BUENOS AIRES CONFERENCE

By unanimous vote of the Red Cross Societies of America, Buenos Aires has been chosen as the seat of the First Pan-American Red Cross Conference. The Red Cross, with the support of the government, is preparing to give to this event the importance due to it. The activity of the Argentine Red Cross is at present being concentrated on the organization of the conference, which will doubtless open a new era of Red Cross activity in the three Americas.

THE

AMERICAN RED CROSS

The Congress of the United States created the American Red Cross for three purposes: first, to provide volunteer aid to the sick and wounded in war; second, to continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and to apply the same to mitigating the suffering caused by great calamities; and third, to devise and carry on measures to prevent these calamities. For these reasons, except for a limited trained personnel necessary for certain professional services, the American Red Cross consists of volunteers. One of the principal purposes, therefore, of the American Red Cross is to prepare and train volunteers who can render necessary relief whenever called upon in war, disaster, or local emergencies.

In order that a large number of women may be prepared for Red Cross volunteer service, and to provide on the one hand that such training does not require them to neglect other important duties, and on the other does not produce surplus services and supplies, not usable in normal conditions, a short annual period of service is part of the system of organized Volunteer Service. Every Chapter which utilizes this system has a full record of the efficient women of the community trained for the various services to be rendered in emergencies. Reports to National Headquarters of the number and services of volunteers in the Chapters enables it to fix quotas more intelligently for the supplies or services that may be required in case of need.

For enrollment in Volunteer Service a woman must be a member of the American Red Cross and agree to give annually eighteen hours, or if regularly employed during the day, twelve hours, to some one branch of the service. This short period of service does not preclude any member

from rendering as much additional service as she may desire, but it provides for a minimum amount of service for enrollment. A member enrolls in one branch of service only, but is at liberty to give additional service to any other branch. This additional service, however, is not accepted as part of a regular service except under special provision. Women who do not care to enroll, but who desire to give occasional service to chapter work are always cordially welcome to do so, but in case of emergencies requiring the Volunteer Service of women the chapter relies mainly upon its enrolled members.

Most of the Volunteer Service of women in the Red Cross rendered during war or disaster relief may be grouped under eight general heads, with various sub-divisions.

I. Administration.-The administration of Chapters is carried on almost entirely by volunteers, who serve as officers and members of the executive and other committees. In some of the larger Chapters whose work requires a trained person, an Executive Officer is employed.

II. Clerical Corps.-.This Corps provides office aid in stenography, typing, filing, card-cataloguing, simple bookkeeping and record keeping. Part of the duty of the members of this Corps is to familiarize themselves with the origin, purposes and services of the Red Cross. For this reason young women are encouraged to enter this branch of service so that they may be trained to fill intelligently the places of their elders in the Administration Service, as these latter retire. When there is not sufficient Red Cross office work to occupy their time by special provision it may be given to some other duty, such as the transcription of "braille" writing for the blind.