Protestant churches In the United Slates sent 192.973,657 pounds of food, elution.-', medicin e and other relief supplies abroad through Church World Sen ice in 1956 for f>pe distribution to hungry, home less and destitute persons. Value of the overseas relief, shipments was $31,188,181. This contribution of A m erican people through their churches to those in need abroad much more than doubled the amount of the 1955 shipment. This was announced today by Dr. R. Norris Wilson, executive director, at Church World Service offices in New York City. Highlight of the material relief program during 1956, in addition to the vastly stepped up overall pro gram of U. S. surplus foods. Dr. Wilson said, was the Immediate and extremely effective ministry of the churches in Austria in connection with the tragic Hungarian refugee situation. Helped Hungarians There, because of their overseas stockpiles of food, clothing, and other supplies and the network of voluntary a s s i s t a n c e available through the cooperation of the Euro pean churches. Church World Serv ice relief materials were among those first available to those fleeing from aggression in Hungary. Costs of the destribution of both surplus and other materials. Dr. Wilson declared, were at a record low Foodstuffs from surplus stocks were distributed, he said, at an av erage ratio of 254 pounds per dollar contributed and expended in this program. Other distributions—those of food, clothing, medicines, etc.—were at a ratio of slightly over 100 pounds per dollar. These costs, the Church World Service executive said, were for all expenditures including those of administration, promotion, etc. m addition to actual costs of dis tribution abroad. Surplus commodity shipments in 1956, Dr. Wilson said, totalled 186.834.717 pounds, valued at $27,423,944. Relief materials other than sur plus foods—mainly clothing, shoes, bedding, medical and self-help sup plies totalled 5.238.940 pounds con servatively valued at $3,764,937. rep

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