Mr. Balfour, on behalf of the Council of the League
of Nations, has again asked the member-states to provide £250,000 at once for sanitary measures in Eastern Europe. It is not generally realized, even by Governments, that Europe is faced with a Russian invader far more dangerous than Bolshevism, in the shape of typhus which is now epidemic all over Russia. By throwing industry into chaos and causing famine in the towns, the Bolsheviks have left the miserable population a prey to this dreadful disease, which is accentuated by hunger and want. The people fleeing from the Terror have carried the disease into the neighbouring countries, and the invading Bolshevik armies have also spread the infection. Mr. Balfour pleads for instant action, before the winter sets in, to strengthen the sanitary cordon along the Russian frontier, lest the plague spread through Poland into Central Europe. Poland has done much, notably by disinfecting two million refugees at the frontier, but she needs the help of the Allies. That the plague can be stayed is proved by Dr. Hunter's wonderful achievement in Serbia.
Previous page
