Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-03-07
ASKS MORE TIME
ON RECREATION FUND

Inc NelsnDOrn0ou committee HAS
been compelled TO ask for additional
time within which 10 collect the quota
assigned TO La Sale county by the
State Council CT Defense in the cam
paign for this county's quota in the
War Camp Community Recreation
Fund. This is due to the fact that
the response from the people has not
been what il should be and what we
/ expected il would be- This fund is
being collected by the Neiehborhood
/ Committee under direction from the
( State Council of Defense. The direc-
tons amount to orders and the fund
has to be raised. Unfortunately there
has been some confusion between this
fund and the "Smileage" campaign.
They are entirely distinct and for
different purposes. The Recreation
fund socalied is q fund being collect
ed by the Foster Committee. appoint
ed by the War and Navy Departments
of the government This fund is for
the purpose OF building place for the
soldiers TO congre cation when out.
side the camps on leave of absence.
They are under government superyi-
sion and OF course free TO the soldiers.
Neither the Y. NJ. {. A. nor the
Knights of Columbus cover this field.
Their work is entirely inside the
camps, while the recreation feature is
entirely outside the camps.
The particular work which the gov
eminent seeks 10 accomplish is to pre-
vent the soldiers from getting into
bad places. 1t has been impressed up
= on this committee that the United
States army is a draft army: that the
l men in il are there as the result OF a
selective draft system and the United
States government for that reason
insists on airording TO the men every
opportunity of avoiding the calamities
that heretofore have invaded soldiers
while in training. II is just as wei
for the people to understand some
thing about these conditions. In the
, regular army 2SS men out OF ever,
1000 have been incapacilated iron
service continuously on account Of
disease Statistics prove this fac'
covering a great number of years. II
the national or draft army, the per
centa2e Of disease at the time thu
hn ntn N Z
:, amounted to 81 ont of every LOCO, OF
. IN average. This condition OF th'
men developed between the time o
- examination and the time o. arriva
at tn cantonments. Due to the effort:
. of The government this percentage la'
: been decreased until 1T this time tn
general average is two per cent, ant
y in one camp of over forty Thousand
o men there Is not single case
l. 1t would seem like very plain fac
d that every citizen in every community
g whether his family is represented a
D. the environments or not, is dlrecti
S interested in this very important WORK
/. Heretofore as many soldiers were dis
!. ahled through disease as through bal
y tie, and returning soldier in som
IS instances came back home as meI
ace to the community, This is no
s. TO be the case with our national arm,
It il the government can possibly pre-
l. vent it.
If The Neighhorhood Committee set
&c forth these facts for the purpose 0
s impressing upon the people the vita
, and practical necessity of the worl
, to be accomplished By this paIticula
fund
Every state in the union with tn
single exception OF Illinois has raise'
its entire quota of funds. Certainl.
;, La Sale county, which has responded
V to every demand made upon il up t
date. will not fail in this rarticula
enterprise which carries the sanctio
of the government.