New-York tribune., 1906-12-31

The Tribune received the following letter
gardng the annual report the Charity Organ-
zation Society, which it did not deem proper to
publish until it had been referred to the officers
CT the society:
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: wish to call to your attention the report
of the Charity Organization Society for the year
ended September 80. 1907 showing the great eX-
Of relief The figures given below are taken from
their report and think. sufficiently impress
Their disbursements for administration only, in
fig fGinding salaries telephone express printing rent,
FURNITURE, ETC. but not cent devoted directly TO
relief, follows:
the school Of philanthropy S'G5 I5Sss Sss 50 %
For the department of Improvement Of social
Making a total of something like sl96.OOo for ad-
her m ,t m for sef during the
deducted de- as charged against administration. 81
66O % and s752 a. the total amount therefore ac-
tually expended for the relief of the poor being
under $4,000. They therefore expended during the
last yea s69 for administration for every 800 ac-
cludes. however, the cost of running the School of
ent of social conditions The value of this work
1 am unable to determine The cost OF these two
amount expended for administration
There is further included in the statement of the
Charlty organization Society a report of Charities
and sh the the Commons in which m the disbursements for
Does it not to you that the Charity organ-
AN OBSERVER.
New York, December 2S, 1907.
AT the Charity Organization Society Robert w.
De Forest, its president yesterday denied these al
legations in letter which he the news
papers which had printed the original charges of
''overorganzation" Mr.. De Forests statement fol
lows:
A letter in your issue of to-day repeats the
thougntless criticism that has been frequently
made on the work OF charity organization societies.,
tor relief" II gives the opportunIty' however, o.:
iepeaung the explanation tnat such criticism is
general and of the New Yor o11et in 0arIicnIar
II Is true that the amount of material relief dis
tributed through the New York society during its
past hsca year about SS2,CD, and it is also
true that the cost of all the different departments
of the society's work was i larger sum 1t as.
% Suitable ana adequate relief for deserving cases.
during the last fiscal year was sS6Oa9 80 The cost
OF administration charged against this material
pbtairo re h seu o,y ashsi parnSular sums
Those who respond to the appeals frequently
made through the newspapers by the society for
special cases as well as all other donors for whom
the society acts as almoner, may understand that,
In the absence of agreement to the contrary.
without the deduction of single cent for admin
istTation: ton, ro,,ot +, n,,. ,.,., 49,.
protest against the idea that our duty toward
to does of money and the like Not aims, but
friend" is the motto of the new charity that sub
be more helpful. A single committee of the New
York society-that organized 70 find employment
for the handicapped that is for those who suffer
some special disability and who by other employ
ment agencies considered unempoyabe- has
found steady work for such unfortunates during
the last few months at an average of two place
ments day, at wages averaging SIS 36 a week
This is far better for them and the community
than giving the same sum in terial relief
Such service So does the work which is
now being given At the woodward of the society to
about one hundred day who otherwise
might DE begging on the streets The expenditures
of the society for the prevention of tuberculosis
tenement school militant
for the suppression of men6CancV and the like
have no relation to material relief. hut of far
more Importance to the community than any mere
distribution of aims
All this has been explained repeatedly and will
presumably have to hn explained over a,,d over
again in the futur" but each explanations will lead
to better KNOWLEDGE