The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-07
RAILROAD Y. M. (. A.
soU91URN RAILWAY TO CO-oPEn-
 ATE WITH AsSOOkATION.
PressAsAt Binasy sDsaking for All ths Railsoads, Pays High Tributs
 to Work of Assocta-

WaaainRton, March s.--Impressed by the benents derived by its employees from the work of the Railroad Young Mons Christian Association. the man. agement of the Southern Railway Con- pany proposes to continue the policy whtoh 1t has pursued in the past Of eo-operating with the branches of this Association along its lines.
 Speaking in particular for the conn pany which he represents and in gen. enal for the railways of the entire country, President W. W. Finley, Of the South ern Railway, declared today in an interview with a representative of the Associated Press. that the work done by the Railroad Y: M. c. A. Is juat as important an economic prop = lem in railway management as that of the maintenance of the roadbed, the provision of trackage. terminal faciii- ties and equipment.
 We have aided in the gradual de- velopment of the Young Mems Chris tan Association work, with special ref erence to the needs of particular local ftfes," said MT. Finley. "As time goes on. we hope to aid in the expansion Of the work on our lines. and I am sure that speak for practically all or the railway managers of the country wnep I say that we heartily welcome tne Young Mems Christian Association in the railway neld and wish 1t Godspeed in its good work"
 President Finley himself has watch- ed the growth and work which has been done by the Railroad Y. M. c. A. along his line and along other lines, and has come to realize the importance of this work. in improving the per- sonnel of the employees of the com pany. He said that he has found that
 
 over time at the Y. M. c. A. return to their work in good physical condi- tion and with a clear head, and that both the men and company by which they are employed are benefited there- by. He expressed the belief that no other work done by the Association ex- ceeds in importance that done in the railway field.
 "A railway is a business institution" continued President Finley. "which can achieve the highest measure of success only when every official and employe is giving to 1t the best service of which he Is capable and when all are co-op- erating intelligently and Loyalty for the best general results. The Young Mems Christian Association Is an important factor in raising the standard of efh- ciency, and in bringing about that re- alization of identity of interests wnich Is necessary for loyal cooperation.
 Speaking of the growth of the As- sociation work on railroad liness fTes- dent Finley said:
 'The Association Is now carrying on its work on railways comprising over 80 per cent of the total mileage in the United States Canada and Mexico. with a membership at the end of 1908. or S6,000 railway employees, divided among PAP Associations owning 174 buildings. valued at $3.56s,200.
 'The attitude of the railway compa- nies and their officials toward these or- ganizations and their work Is shown by the fact that the companies and in- dividual officers and stockholders have in many cases contributed toward the expense of erecting buildings, while the companies regularly contribute 50 per cent of the current expenses.
 That the contributions are regard ed as money we'll spent was 'strikingly illustrated In the past year. Nineteen hundred and eight was year of di- minishing railway gross earnings, and in some cases of vanishing net income 1t was a year of drastic economies. in which railway managers. having saved every dollar possible, looked about for opp portunities to save pennies.
 "Yet. in all this reduction, in which appropriations for many urgently needed betterments were scaled down or postponed, and in which. in many cases, dividends were reduced or dis continued. not a single railway cut off it's appropriation for it's proportion of the current expenses of the Railroad Young Mems Christian Association"
 The continuation of these appropri- ations during this period of depres- sion." said Mir. Finley in conclusion, was a distinct concession to the work of the Association in recognition of it's economic value. That its employees shall properly care for themselves out of working hours is fundamentally as important to a railway company as that its locomotives shall be put in order at the end of a run. The contri- buttons of the companies to the Rail- road Y. M. c. A. are made because 1t has demonstrated Its usefulness as an agency for aiding men to care for themselves and increase their effi-