The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-04
And Provides Funds Ample
to Meet All War Calls
Promptly
MONTHLY PLEDGES
MADE BY EVERYONE
Calls Growing Out Of War Obviates
Necessity of Drives" Dances, Sup
pers and Other Forms of Solicitation.

In view of the probability that Brat
tleboro people will decide in the near
future to put the support of all war re-
lief work on a monthly pledge system
for the duration Of the war, further
facts about the Syracuse, \. Y, War
| Chest association will doubtless prove
of local interest. This association, with
its 80, 531 enlistments they do not
call them subscriptions-rep
| yearly total of ST. .397, was put into
operation last June. 1t grew out of the
belief that all money to be raised for
purposes arising directly or indirectly
from the war could best be raised by
most fairly distributed by one com
mittee representing the city 5 various
| elements
| The War Chest organization com
prises a finance or money raising com
mittee whose members make up the
! board Of directors, and a disbursing
committee that passes upon all apr lica-
lions for funds and whose decision is
hnal After the fund had been SUD
scrlbcd all other campaigns for raising
money or selling tickets for entertain
ments for PURPOSES growing out of the
war We're prohibited
| In Syracuse the minimum subscrip-
! ton was set at 81 month. PAYABLE
elthe" monthly or weekly, this making
| the subscriber member of the associa-
! ton, Everyone, however, was eucour-
aged TO take out as many memberships
| as his circumstances permitted These
are called enhstmcnts on the assnmp-
! ton that those who do not enlist in
| the armed forceS of the country are in
| duty bound to enlist for the-purpose OF
aiding and comforting soldiers, and
/ sailors and providing money for anv
cause growing out of the war. And
| the analogy, it is said has a tremen-
lQll III eill -. -.sse. ...a.sz So.
by making IT possible for subscribers
! to pay monthly and weekly the officers
! OF the Syracuse association say that
! thousands Of pemle who never could
| have given III a In. MP sum were enabled
! to become contributors, and that il al
! 50 enabled others, by arranging some
| personal sacrifice, to give more than
| they otherwise wotlld have felt posi-
| BILE
The Syracuse enlistment campaign,
| which lasted fur one week only. pro.
| duced fund equivalent to SIS per cap
tia tor every man, woman and child IN
the clty per year, and those who con
Quoted the campo gn are authority for
the assertion that had the preliminary
organization been better the total
would have been at least one-third
greater. If Brattleboro could do as
well as Syracuse did it would have a
fund of $4,000 q. year from which to
meet the many cals that now necessi-
tate frequently recurring drives
dances, raffles, slg 1pers, entertainments
and other forms Of solicitation. -
N speaking of the Syracuse cam
palgn one of those connected with il
says: One of the things that we
found was tlft the small giver had Just
as intelligent an appreciation of his ob-
hgatIon to give as the bigger giver and
that all he needed was a plan whereby
he was able toi give. To have 80 ,00t
persons IN city of this size (150,O00)
associated to give each month to wal
needs gives a cohesion and a spirit
whereby 1t is more sensitive to all wal
programs of the government
The policy of the disbursement com
mItt2e Of the Syracuse association is t.
report frequently TO the public concern.
ing the use which Is being made of the
War Chest money, it being important
that every contributor to the fund
: know what the association is doing
why II is doing il and how it is doing
it.
The collection and safe keeping OF
the fund are in charge OF the treasure
OF the association, and the fnancia
headquarters, where payments are
made, are in a ground floor Office foI
which no rent is paid Collectors ar,
employed only in the case of delinquent
subscriptions, which are very few. most
Of them being sent or brought in regu
larlv each month. A large portion OF
the subscriptions arc collected b. firm;
| III whose employ the subscribers are
| engaged, and this procedure greatly ia
| clhtates the work No officer or di
| rector of the association receives an,
| compensation, and the cost for clerica
help amounts to less than half of one
| per cent of thp amount onllpata1