Omaha daily bee., 1918-10-12
High Cost of War Charity
Literary Digest,


many cases the relief benefited the agencies at
least 50 per cent of the takngs. The manifest
Injustice of this--injustce to the donor-was
winked at because the solicitors could not be
made to work on any other basis. The number
of organizations has finally been reduced to 10y,
and even this number is unwieldy enough. len
would be ample, thinks Mr.. Arthur H. Fleming,
chief of the state councils section of the Council
of National Defense, though, better still, in his
view, would be the mergence of all in the Red
Cross. A new organization, called the Ma
tional Investigation bureau, is about to appeal
to the individual states for revision OF their
existing plans AS the federal government can
exercise no direct authority over the rellet ct
forts of the nation, the new bureau will in an
advisory capacity try to effect what can only be
done by centralized will. "a great deal of
money given for noble purpose is now being
wasted" says Mr.. Fleming in the New York
Times. How much this amounts to cannot be
said, because there is no way for checking both
contributions and disbursements" He writes:
Some such organization as that now being
formed is required in order to correct the abuses
now committed. There is no practicable way
for the federal government to control the situa-
ton. As the societies which solicit the funds
act under state authority, it has seemed best t.
subject them to state control Under the plans
of the National Investigation bureau, however,
there will be direct connection with the states,
with leading states represented on the board OF
directors and an economical method of nvesti-
cation by which each of the states can profit by
the result Of the investigation of a society op-
Grating in several states, revoking the license
or authority under which it acts in any state if
an examination of its affairs shows that the
general work of war relief could be carried on
better without it than with it.
TN my opinion the great work Of war relief
could be conducted much more effectively if
the number of organizations enlisted in it were
reduced to very few, less than 10, | should say
l believe it would be still better if the whole
thing were turned over to the American Red
Cross In the list Of active war-reef organiza-
tons there are numerous meritorious ones, and
unquestionaby much self-sacrifcing effort is
being made in their behalf but only in the case
OF the Red Cross do the methods in use provide
for complete official auditing of accounts, and
surely everyone who gives dollar for war relief
is entitled to this surety
1T is true that accounts Of subscriptions and
the details of transactions in this country can
be audited, and all of the organizations of stand
ing are careful that this be done But there is
no acceptable method of checking disbursements
and expenditures on the other side except in the
case Of the Red Cross the disbursements and
expenditures of which are audited by the War
department. There is only measure of protec-
ton in the existing order that all supplies for
war relief shipped abroad must go in charge OF
the American Red Cross"
1t was found in the investigation made for
the Council of National Defense that the be-
nevolent energies of the country were being dis
spated by the solicitations of the many societies
formed for this purpose" The effect on the
Hotation of government loans, as we'll as sub
scr1ptlons to other worthy and legitimate pur-
poses was one of danger unless some method
OF regulation and control were adopted Mr..
Fleming continues:
"a copy of the resolutions was sent to each
home OF the State Councils of Defense asking
them to supervise all such appeals for money
1t was understood that this resolution would not
apply to the societies doing work in and about
the camps under the supervision of the commits
sion on training camp activities. But as meth
DDS to be adopted in the various states must
vary, we made no explicit recommendations
lhe tact that the matter has had to be handled
by the states themselves has been a handicap,
and has prevented in large degree, the attain
ment OF the object sought. In order to put a
stop to evils that exist an organization different
from ours is required-one springing from the
states themselves and therefore assuring the
necessary authority to put an end to unneces-
sary or improperly conducted war relief socie-
ties. 1t is for that reason that ! approve of the
National Investigation bureau and believe it is
conceived in such way as to provide the re-
CURED machinery"
Mr.. Fleming points out three main abuses
uncovered by the investigation:
Zone is the payment of commissions for the
solicitation Of funds. These in some instances
ran very high, as great as so per cent A
woman connected with one of the organizations
when T referred to this, said that she thought ii
was all right, because that was the only way
they, could raise the money. When asked her
to place herself in the position of the donor and
asked her how she would feel if she found out
that $50 out of $500 she gave for war relief went
to the solicitor, she had to admit that from that
viewpoint she would not think it all right.
Another abuse is excessive expenses. Large
salapes are often paid to managers and Others
connected with relief organizations. With such
personal interest at stake such managers are
anxious to perpetuate their particular organiza
| ton, whether it is filling a useful place or not
| They are prejudiced and cannot look fairly al
the question whether their organization is du
| plicating the work of another
"A further abuse, related to the one Just men
toned, is inefficient management. Those at The
| head of some of these societies found have
had no business experience, so that the money
is wasted because of bad administration.
There is much duplication of effort. II
some cases, though not very many, socetie.
| have got together of their own accord The,
have recognized that every dollar given for Thu
great cause should be expended so as to brins
the largest return and have decided to cooper
ate in their special field Two Belgian oreani
cations did this recently on this basis; that on,
should have sole charge of the solicitation o
funds in this country and the other sole charg
OF the disbursement in Belgium OF the funds s.
| collected
Il know that among the societies now activ
there are good many which do not use solici
| tors on commission, and that some are maxim,
efforts to prevent duplicating the work of othe
organizations. But even granting this, an,
commencing such efforts, think the only wa
to attain real efficiency in the handling of wa
relief money is to do away with all but yer,
lew of the war relief organizations; or, bette
still, as | said, to place the whole work in tn
hands of the American Red Cross.