Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-05
REQUESTS AID IN
WELFARE WORK
Y. M. C. A. TRIES TO BENEFIT
AoUEDUcT EMPLOYEES
ASKS PUBLIC TO GIVE READING
MATTER AND GAMES
Phonouraph and StereoptIcon Ap--
paratus Wanted to Entertain
Men in Lonely Camps
Far from City

The Los Angeles Young Mems Chris
tian association asks the cooperation
/ of the public in the work Which 1t Is
undertaking for municipal employees in
! connection with the Owens river aque-
duct. The board of directors of the
city association has organized a de-
| partment to be known as the aque-
duct department and has employed as
/ secretary an expert worker among the
industrial class j. E. Berry. Secre-
tary Berry, together with the commit
tee requests reading matter, phono-
graphs, stereopticon machines and
slides and various games to be left at
the Y. NJ. c. A.
The committee from the directors
which make formal request for as
sistance from others, has already made
liberal appropriation from the asso-
| citation fund and now asks for further
assistance. The committee is composed
of the following men, who are giving
of their time and thought in behalf OF
the employees on the aqueduct: d. X
Edwards, chairman; J. E. Carr, e. +.
Clark, A. P. Fleming and Oscar, B.
Smith. President Arthur Let's took a
keen interest before his recent de-
parture for Europe in the furtherance
of this new enterprise of the assocla-
ton.
To Benefit Many Men
There are some $500 men, English
speaking, employed in more than fifty
camps. They work eight hours day,
leaving sixteen hours for recreation
and sleep. The association realizes,
therefore, the excellent opportunity TO
utilize profitably this spare time, and
where there are no wholesome avenues
of recreation in construction camps
they are undertaking to provide potn
recreative and profitable employment
of time. The opportunity before the
association is indicated in remark
made by D. X. Edwards after he had
visited the Owens River valley to the
effect that a newspaper was torn into
various parts so that several men could
read it at the same time, so eager
were they to have something to read.
The camps are often pitched in a
barren desert, with no sign of lie eX-
cept that gathering around the tenn
porarily constructed camp. The temp
tation to gaming and other vicious
pastimes is sufficiently obvious to war
rant substitute employment of time
that will be valuable.
Wants stereoptIcon Machine
Mr.. Berry has made two trips. cover
ing over 400 miles, following ms ar
rival in Los Angeles, May 20. He mas
visited Lne CdIIlD ulNlSiOlio a.
Ellis lake, Antelope and Saugus' Al
present he will make the Jawbone d1-
vision his headquarters with Cinco as
the central station. He expects to
visit a different camp every night and
will need several monographs and
records. He is exceedingly anxious to
give stereopticon lectures and needs a
stereopticon machine, together with
slides.
This work is similar to that conducted
bv the United States. government on
the Panama canal, which was instl-
tuted on the recommendation of Sec
retary Taft and was cordially men
tioned in President Roosevelt's mes
sage to congress.
The work receives the commentator
of the construction engineers and calls
for support in equipment from the Los
Angeles public so that the secretary S
efforts may be facilitated.