Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-02
GOVERNMENT SUPERVISION
 OF DRIVES FOR FUNDS
Is Suggestion Made By Connecticut State Council of Defense.

Strong recommendations that all solicitati tion of funds for organizations engaged in auxiliary war work to be put under careful government super vision. and that as many of the drives and campaigns as possible be merged, have been made to the federal gov ernment by the Connecticut State Council Of Defense. Letters contain ing the state councils suggestions were mailed some days ago, and since then announcement has been made public in Washington that the sev- eral organizations under the Fosdick Commission are considering the pos | sibility of a merger for the purpose 1 Of solicitation of funds.
 1 The letter of the state council of l defense points out the existence of i approximately 100 organiza tions en- gagged in auxiliary war work, all de- manding financial contributions, and says that the situation calls for off, cial backing. With this statement is l the recommendation that a supervis- l ing commission be named. The coun- cil points out it's belief that the only l body whose authority and influence are sufficient to carry out Ire sugges- 1 ton planned is the council of national | defense; of which the secretary of war l is chairman. Copies of the counxiFs s 1 letter and suggestions were sent to members of the cabinet, to the direc- tor of the council of national defense and to the state councils of defense of all other states in the country. Councils Statement.
 The councils statement is publish ed in full herewith:
 A survey of the existing situation as regards the requests being made upon
 the people of this country for fnan- cial contributions to organizations which are engaged in auxiliary wal work discloses the fact that at the present time contributions are asked
 or are to be asked for
 i l. The Red Cross.
 ?. Six organizations under the Eos. dick Commission, namely: Young 1 Mems Christian Association, Youn&
 Women's Christian Association Knights of Columbus. Jewish Welfar' League, The War Camp Communit!
 Service, The American Library Asso
 ciation.
 3. The Salvation Army
 4. Approximately ninety other or
 ganizations. These organizations hay,
 not been officially approved by tn
 Council of National Defense but nev
 ertheless are listed as having been ex
 amined and approved as to their ob jects and management by the Charit, organization of New York, to whicl
 body state councils of defense mak ing inquiries are referred by tn Council of National Defense.
 , 1 It further appears
 (a) That the organizations liste
 under items 1. ? and immedfatel . preceding are accustomed to secur
 their funds by nation wide drives 0
 campaigns carried on during given SC Iected periods and for amounts prac
 tically determined upon by their ow
 staffs without audit or scrutiny 0 : the part of the council Of national de
 fense or, any other authoritative bod
 except that in the case of the organi l zations grouped under No a forme 5 but ineffective supervision Of budget : is exercised by the Fosdick Commis 3 sion The other organizations group ed under No. I endeavor to rais = funds by means of more or less con l stant appeals to individuals, by fai1 7 and entertainments with paid admis t sion, and by various other methods. | Public Not Instructed.
 (b) That there has heen thus fa f no authoritative or intelligent attamI
 to advise or instruct the public as [
 the relative importance Of these var
 ouS agencies or as to the proper (
 suitable percentages of the total cor
 tributions of states or communitie
 l which should go to each though it | obvious that the several organization , vary greatly in value and the import
 anee as auxiliary war agencies, an
 it is practically certain from the poiI e of view of intelligent giving that som y if not many of the hundred or mol n agencies should be discontinued { t. merged with those doing similar wor 5 Each cause makes it's own appeal an h under the existing unregulated pra( g tice rivalries, jealousies and arbltral = claims for preference and for excll e sive use of most favorable periods
 time for conducting drives are certai
 to ensue, if indeed they are not a
 ready in existence.
 a Quotas Not Scientifically Determine 0 (c) That no reasonable. uniforr = or scientific method of determinir o the quotas which different commun e ties should furnish to the varioi = causes has been established Nume S ous instances could be quoted to den e onstrate the inequalities and inconsi a tencies which have characterized tn
 feature of present methods for co