Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-21
DR. MOTT DEFENDS
 Y. M. c. A. WORKERS
There May Have Been Isolated Cases oi Mismanagcmpnt; Many Been Needed Out as L'lI}H.

NeeNfu Vut dS l. iltf7'
 New York, Dec. l9.-Dr John Ti. Mott; chairman of the war work council of the Y. M. C. A discus seG
 in detail here tonight adverse critt- cisms directed against the oreanza-
 ton by soldiers here and in France
 He vigorously defended the work of
 the organization as a whole. but G;d
 not deny that in isolated cases th"r5 was just grounds for complaint Dr oMtt said that 200 men a9I
 women workers had been reca1jcf
 from Trace because of unfitnees
 and announced that there would be
 a general frightening up" to correct
 conditions which have resulted in cr.-
 ticisms. He stated that George ".
 Perks, Mortimer H. Schiff and F. <.
 Blockman have gone abroad for the
 express purpose of 2liminatingf s@
 far as possible any further cause for
 complaint
 Dr. Mott then took up in question
 and answer form the criticisms mos
 Frequently heard. He explained that
 the Y M. c. A. had not concerned itself specifically With the wound
 ed, because it had been agreed this work would be done by the Red Cross.
 l. He denied the complaint that the Association had been profiting ny the operation of it's canteen5 over
 seas.
 Canteens have been condutced. Dr. Mott said, on a cost basis. but in
 fixing prices it has been necessary to reckon on such overhead charges a. transportation and marine insurance with the result that prices were much higher than in this country Not only has the organization made no profit, he declared but it has Yosr thousands of dollars, Arrangement, ! now have. been made, however which | will enable it to obtain supplies from sources that will reduce overhead
 charges and keep prices down. Or, Mott also asserted that it was not true that the Y. M. c. A. fur niShes free to the men overseas noth- ing but writing paper, although he
 said it was the policy of the organi- Zalion to give free service and not primarily free supplies. He added,
 however. that $75,O00 worth of SUD- plies were distributed gratis in Sea- tember of this year in addition to | $15G, 900 "eXcess of cots over se}ling
 price on supplies sold.' Besides sjv-
 ing away vast quantities of supplies
 in front line' works, he added, the Y
 M. c. A. supplied the army overseas
 between July, and November with $29, 9,00G worth of athletic supplies and pot to ,meftin hundreds of thousands pf dollars worth s7efS aaasazina anG ed9lcationaf supplies.'
 ! Dr. Mott admitted that in cases E of gift tobacco was.-sold at Y. M C. I A. :canteeils, but said it was due to F. ths fact that shipments were not 1 popelly naked and were sold to the r Y.: M.i c. A. by the quartermaste-. I In every case where this tohacco was retu1ned the Y M. c. A. gave the purchased US equivalent trGm ltS own supplies.
 Denial was made by Dr. Mott that "Holier-than-thou attitude was typi- | cal of Y. M. C., A.. work He said
 also that if soveseas secretaies were brusque in their dealings with soldi- 1 CTS it undotbtedly was due to the
 fact that many of them were on duty flor IS hours at a stretch, some times without meals.
 I :Dr. Mottd did not deny the charge that Y. M c. A. has taken scores of men from gainful occupations and after promising them overseas servce turning. them back without Occupa- l tion. He said, however, that the i government of the United States ana
 other civilian organs had done the | same thing.