The Evening Star SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1920.

Evening Star, Issue 17365, 29 May 1920, Page 6

The Evening Star SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1920.

The terrible plight of the war-battered nations of Europe has at Starving / last been realised by the Children, representatives of ah the people in the United Kingdom. It has been a distressingly slow, journey from the inevitable darkness of hatred to the light of the nation’s duty in the face of an international tragedy, but the end at least is to be British thoroughness. The administration of the Imperial war famine fund is to be fortified by the inclusion in tho committee of the Prime Minister, tho Lord Chancellor, and the leaders of all political parties, the Churches, and the British Red Cross: and His Majesty the King has consented to become patron of the fund. A London cable message yesterday announced that it is intended to coordinate and centralise the British • effort for the relief of one of tho most terrible tragedies in history. A fund is to be launched forthwith in every district of London, and will be extended rapidly through the provinces and tho Dominions, so that it may become an impressive Imperial movement by British peoples as a whole. The new and wider view of an awful spectacle that for almost a year lias been distressingly plain to less exalted people than the members of the Imperial War i amine Fund Committee will win practical support in New Zealand. Indeed, charity was quick to spring in the Dominion, but was, for some official reason still unexplained, ns quickly discouraged by a curt official announcement that “it is not advisable to remit further funds at present.” Wo need not arenso exas- I peration by discussing administrative technicalities, ■which seem to bo inevitable in such movements. Let us rather hope that the authorities will co-operate with the generous and very fortunate people of Now Zealand in contributing readily and substantially to the “impressive Imperial movement.” Nor is it necessary to recapitulate in detail tho extent and nature of Europe’s tragic plight. As we said on a previous occasion, the facts are so terrible as to seem fantastic. Enough to say that in some districts there is not a child alive under the age of seven years; that over five million children are continuously menaced by a cruel form of death; and that thousands of bereaved mothers, many of whom have lost two, three, and even four children, are heroically fighting on herbs and frostbitten potatoes against the gaunt death that daily stalks their surviving offspring. It is true that the tragedy is less grim to-day than it was during Europe’s winter months \ but it is still terrible enough to call for generous aid from all the free nations, who daily spend wealth with criminal prodigality on luxuries and extravagant pleasures not altogether free of abominations. Most of such people made their riches out of the war, but now refuse in arrogant selfishness to accept in the proper spirit the duties of peace. Wiiy should they worry about children gnawing at frosted turnips so long as they ran afford a “ John Bradbury ” for a poche Melba ? The first duty of the triumphant nations in the peace that they have won is to rescue from starvation the millions of children in the countries that were led by their mad leaders to ruin. Those whose' lives are cast in pleasant place* ought to realise their duty, and perform it v.ita goodwill and generosity. It is to be hoped that the New Zealand Government will lift the embargo recently thrust upon the local movements in support of tho fund, and contribute generously on the basis of £ for £ on local donations, that are certain to be forthcoming from every centre and corner of the Dominion, in order to save the starving children of Europe.