THE SANDBAG LIFT
The flood disaster in Britain and
Western Europe has created a sudden
demand for one commodity that is not
ordinarily associated with emergency
reliefnamely, sandbags. The situa
tion is most acute on the east coast of
England, where nothing but the swift
restoration of sea walls may prevent
inundations from the high tides of the
next few days. On Wednesday the
British Government sent out a hurry
call for ten million empty bags. Within
a few hours eight Western countries,
including France, where jute stocks are
low, had promised nearly six million
bags. The remainder it was thought
would have to come from the United
States. To arrive in time they would
have to go by air. This cannot be
beyond the capacity of a nation to
which organization and improvization
are second nature.
The calamity in Britain and on the
Continent has brought gifts of money,
food and clothing from this country, a
resolution of sympathy from Congress
j and a bill introduced by Representative
Francis E. Walter of Pennsylvania to
let 25,000 Dutch flood victims emigrate
to the United States. It has given us
an opportunity to stand by our friends
under the attacks of wind and wave,
just as we would stand by them if the
assault was delivered by a human
enemy. The next few days may be
critical. There may be additional loss
of property values even though the
evacuation of inhabitants from their
homes will have reduced the danger of
loss of life. This is not a one-day story
which can soon be forgotten. It will
affect our relationships with all coun
tries concerned for some time to come.
The sandbag lift and similar relief ac
tivities will do their part in strengthen
ing the invisible links that run across
the sea between the two continents.
