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last October in the Province of Podolia, which numbers about 4 'Л million inhabitants, 60,000 people were attacked byexanthematic fever and 80,000 by “typhus recurrens.” These statistics speak for themselves. But the number of victims instead of decreasing, on the contrary becomes larger every day. Besides the above-named diseases there have been also many cases of enteric fever and cholera with a very high percentage of deaths (56 per cent), and even a few cases of Asiatic plague have been recorded lately. It is needless to point out how quickly epidemics of this kind spread over a vast area, and how dangerous the neglect of sanitary conditions in Ukraine may be to the whole of Europe. In Galicia, too, the epidemics are spreading very rapidly. According to official communications 22,583 cases of exanthe- matic fever have been recorded between 1st Nov. and 6th Dec., 1919. It is no wonder, then, that under such circumstances one often comes across houses and even whole villages which are entirely void and whose inhabitants are all dead. Those who are still alive have no forces left to struggle against this scourge. Besides, the struggle becomes impossible owing to the lack of medical staff, among whom 20 per cent have fallen victims of those terrible diseases, and the situation becomes even more desperate by the scarcity of sanitary materials, hospitals, estab lishments for disinfection, clothes, bandages, and drugs. This deplorable situation has resulted from many causes. 1. Ukraine, and especially its western part, has been for the last six years a huge battlefield. 2. In many provinces whole villages are ruined and burned, so that the population is obliged to live in huts or in trenches. 3. During last year all prisoners returning home either from east to west or vice versa, from west to east, passed through Galicia, and contributed to a great extent to the spreading of epidemics. 4. In Galicia the many kinds of prisoners of war are also a very favourable ground for the development of such diseases, these camps are from every standpoint very poorly organized, and, owing to the lack of clothing, to dirt, to the absence of disinfec tants, they tend to increase epidemics among inhabitants. 5. The continual requisitions of food by the enemy troops, the impossibility of tilling the soil on account of the military opera tions, the unsuccessful harvest of last summer, all these have brought to the population extreme misery and famine, and made it more difficult in this way for the weak and insufficiently nour ished constitutions to resist epidemics. The ridiculously small number of hospitals cannot possibly take in all patients, and besides, even those who have been lucky enough to be accepted by hospitals (if one can call it luck) receive no medical assistance. Very often, owing to the lack of sanitary appliances, one finds in hospitals patients lying on the floor frequently without cover, without clothing, and sometimes with out bandages. But even these most unsatisfactory hospitals are reserved for soldiers, prisoners of war, and politically interned people. The civilian population cannot boast of so much. The civilians have no hospitals, no doctors (there is one doctor to every 20,000 or 30,000 inhabitants) no medicaments, no clothes, no shoes, no soap, not even the necessities of life. The whole country is a vast fighting area where one meets with hundreds of invalids and children without home or any means of existence whatsoever. The institutions for children which exist at present are all full and cannot either feed or clothe their own inmates. It is no wonder that under such conditions infantile mortality reaches, in some regions of Ukraine, up to 80-90 per cent. In Ukraine, which was rather a prolific country in peace time, one can walk now for miles and miles without meeting a child. The Health Section of our Council has been trying to improve conditions, but what can we do when we have no products? For instance, in the orphanage of Chevchenko at Vinnitza, which we have taken under our protection, we found that before our arrival there the children had for a whole week only dry bread and water, which certainly is not the recommended food at that age. I could quote you hundreds and hundreds of examples like this, but lack of time prevents me from doing so; therefore, I shall be at the disposal of anyone who wishes to have more details tomorrow at the Storting. I will only add this: I presented this report to the International League of the Red Cross Societies in Geneva, but the only answer I could obtain from them was that they were unable to send any help to Ukraine at present; firstly, they could not send any medic aments, for they could not deal officially with our Red Cross. It seems that according to their rules they cannot deal with any Red Cross which they have not recognized officially, and they cannot recognize the Ukrainian Red Cross before the Ukraine has received official political recognition. I will not comment on this, for a question of red tape seems to me out of place when thou sands of people are dying. My second proposition, that if they cannot deal with our Red Cross they should send over to Ukraine their own medical contingent, was met with the reply that Ukraine was at present in too chaotic and too dangerous a state to think even of doing so. But, from my own observations and information, I do not think this objection valid. It is certainly possible to send over a medical contingent to Ukraine. I confess it is difficult and perhaps even dangerous, but it is not impracticable. The terrible sanitary and economic conditions in eastern Galicia and in Ukraine call for the help of the whole civilized world, because the inhabitants of the country, being ruined and weakened, cannot fight alone all these calamities. We appeal to you, sisters, from all parts of the world, and we trust that our appeal will not be made in vain, for as our dear President, Lady Aberdeen, has pointed out, women’s sympathy has always been associated with every just cause. Apart from the danger which I have already pointed out of these diseases spreading to western Europe (for epidemics know no political frontiers), it is unfair and impossible for the rest of humanity to remain indifferent to the dying of hundreds of thou sands of their brethren. The XX Convention of the UNWLA will take place on May 25, 26 and 27-th, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. During the Convention, a panel/work shop will be held entitled "The Future of the Ukrainian Community”. This three hour workshop is scheduled for Sunday, May 27th. The goal of the workshop is to discuss the problems that face our community’s future, and to consider possible solutions. Most importantly, the goal is to consider ways in which we can attract younger, well-qualified people to an active participation in community life. We are asking all members of the UNWLA to circul ate and advertise the article “Future of the Ukrainian Community”, and the questionnaire, which are printed in this issue, and to get both members and non-mem bers of the UNWLA to attend the Convention and the panel.
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