The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-11-20
FALSE REPORTS
OF HIGH PAY IN
RED CROSS HIT
Rumors Of Exorbitant Sal
aries and Mismanagement
Are Spiked.
tContributed)

(Contributed)
Recently there has been in circula-
ton another crop of false statements
about the Red Cross, and 1t is only
fair TO those who circulate them to
presume that they have been mtsin-
formed and to supply information
from an accurate source.
The rumors are of two sorts: First,
that the Red Cross Is badly managed
and such high salaries are paid that
only about forty per cent of the money
received by the Red Cross is actually
used in relief work; secondly, that the
soldiers are made to pay the Red
Cross an exhorbitant price for sweat
ers, socks etc
Where the Money Goes
In regard to the first, it should be
generally known that the entire ex-
pense Of operating the Red Cross or
ganiZation comes from the member
ship fees and that no money given for
relief work is spent for any other pur-
pose. This is true from the national
headquarters down to the smallest
chapter. The membership fee is di-
vided; one-half being retained by the
local chapter and the other half going
to the division headquarters. The
division divides IFS half with the ma
tional headquarters. All expenses for
rent. salaries, printing, postage, etc,
are paid from this general fund
All money received from individuals
as donations goes at once Into the re
lief fund Of the chapter and is used
for no other purpose. The part of the
Red Cross War Fund returned to the
Chapters for local use also goes into
the relief fund and is spent for gauze,
muslin, yarn, etc. Henry P Dawson,
chairman of the Red Cross War Coun-
ell in an address made at Cleveland
on November 10th, stated that the
management Of the Red Cross War
Fund had been SO efficient that for
every dollar given by the people of
the country, the Red Cross had been
able to spend STOP for supplies Only
twenty-one employees of the Red Cross
receive salaries of So 600 of over The
men in the organization like Mr. Davi-
son and Mr.. Gibson who would be ex-
pected to receive large salaries, have
volunteered their services and are
working without compensation.
No Foundation for Rumors
The rumors In regard to the sale of
knitted articles to soldiers by the Red
Cross are absolutely without founda-
ton in fact No article made from
yarn purchased by the Red Cross has
ever been sold and In order to prove
the falsity of the statements that
have been made in this regard, the
officers of the Red Cross have sent
out Investigators to trace these stories
back to their source and they have
always failed to find any person who
claimed that he himself had paid for
a sweater or other article.
In accordance with its policy of
keeping the people of the country
thorous informed on all of its ac-
tivities. tie War Council of the Ameri-
can Red Cross make public a summary
of salaries paid at National Head
quarters as of November 1.
Number of Employees Reduced.
On that date there were 423 paid
employees, reduction Of Sc in the
month Of October. There are now SO
volunteers at National Headquarters
who devote their entire time to Red
Cross work without remuneration.
The salaries paid were classified as
follows.
Under 5000, So; $500 but less than
$1,000. 1872; $1,000 but less than $1,000,
Sc; $1,000 but less than $1,000, 80:
$4,000 but less than $4,000, 10: $500
but less than $4,000, 6: $4,000 but less
than $4,000, IS; over $4,000. 8.
Four months ago, there were 700
paid officers and employees at National
Headquarters. Since that date the
membership of the American Red
Cross has been tripled and the mum
Der of chapters doubled In spite of
this enormous growth the number of
paid employees has been decreased by
277
This reduction is due in part to the
decentralization of administration
which has transferred much routine
work from National Headquarters to
the thirteen divisional offices, whose
pay rolls are not included in the
above statement. and in part to the
readjustments at National Headouar-
tiers.