The sun., 1918-12-15
HIBBARD ANSWERS
CRITICS OF Y. M. G. A.
Explains Charges of Profiteer-
ing Made by Returned
Soldiers.
ADMITS SOME MISTAKES
Says Gift Tobacco Was Sold
Through Quartermaster
Mixing His Supplies,

Along with praise of the Y. NJ. c. A.
and its work overseas under the red
triangle a good deal OF criticism has
reached this country. 1t has come in
soldiers letters, although not so fire.
quently of late MS It did last winter and
spring, and falls from the lips of this
and that young army man as he gets
back to New York or sits with the
home folks reeling off his treasure OF
stories and gossip from the war zone.
Most of the knocking of the Y"
comes down to these accusations
That it was proflteering, charging too
much for tobacco, chocolate and other
dispensations of the canteen; that
come OF its men must be grafters. for
their prices for tobacco in villages only
p couple Of miles apart were not uni
form; that tobacco sent from the
United States for free distribution
found its way to the Y. NJ. c. A. can
teens and was sold there; that the Y.
M. G. A. ought TO give its stuff away
free, like some other organizations;
that 1t mingled religion too generously
with other parts OF its programme:
that among its workers were "a lot of
draft dodgers or dead ones" and that
their salaries were excessive.
Hibbnrd's Answer.
30 much talk Of this sort has been
heard that a Sun reporter went yes
terday TO Y. NJ. c. A. headquarters in
BAT Madison avenue to see what per-
sons there thought about it. He found
c. V. Hibbard, who is associate gen.
eral secretary Of the War Work Coun-
oil and is in charge of overseas work
with the American Expeditionary
Forces
Mr.. Hubbard recently returned from
two months observation in France. He
had heard there all the kicks hereto
tore listed, and without disparaging the
motives of any soldier critics or the
work Of any other orgNization, he was
emily too glad to set forth what he said
were the exact facts. This Is what
4r. Hibbard said:
when Gen. Pershing ordered us
hh year TO take over the army can
teen work 1t was practically impos-
eible for our soldiers to buy American
tobacco in France. We Immediately
started tobacco ara chocolate on the
steamship kansan, which was lost
sur only cargo sunk in the whole war,
4 believe.
Meanwhile, our soldiers were crazy
Or American tobacco. On account Of
the delay our secretaries bought what
they could in France and elsewhere,
regardless Of the price and paying the
high duty. Our secretaries were IN
experienced. Undoubtedly some OF
them paid too much and some made
mistakes in fixing the selling price TO
the soldiers. In some cats soldiers
were overcharged: there is no doubt
OF that. Undoubtedly some canteens
last year made a profit, as they should
not have done. as our policy from the
frst has been to sell at actual cost.
But on the whole there was no
profit In one village a canteen made
money, In another it lost. We tried to
set on every article a price equal to
its cost in France or America-wher-
ever It was bought-plus the ocean
freight-then very high-railway
areight and insurance. That was our
understanding with Gen. Pershi2g.
Prices Reduced steadily.
"Since 1917 our prices have been
reduced steadily. This is due to the
extension of our operations: to an
arrangement for shipping materials
from America and having them made
up in France, as for instance sugar.
which French factories combine with
chocolate; to the Governments plac-
ing at our disposal shipping facilities