New-York tribune., 1919-02-09


we have afforded facilities for the fell
lows that had to leave high school, col
lsge and night school to pick up their
studies, that they may come home
I more highly efficient and better pre-
pared to cope with their problems in
this time of great competition
Have men complained that we have
Just ordered about $4,000 900 worth
of textbooks and school materials that
are to be given away absolutely free to
the soldiers, and that the American
Library Association has Joined hands
With us and have said it viii give
Sl,000,000 for books Of reference, that
the men could carry on their private
studies or class work?
Have men complained to you about
the plan we are now carrying out of
sending over the leading preachers of
the United States of America? | use
that word advisedly; it 5 wonderful
list.
"Have men complained to you that
we obeyed Pershing when he said. Il
want the Y. Nj. c. A. to take charge Of
the leave resorts? First at Aix-le-
Bain, then seven or eight others, now
the number has passed dozen, and |
heard recently they want us to take
four more. Ii you have heard people
complain, let them come to my office
and see the letters that have been
written by the soldiers to our women.
canteen workers and our men secre-
taries to the effect that they had the
best vacation of their lives there
under inspiring and uplifting assoc-
atlons
Banker for Soldiers
"Have men complaineds to you that
we change their money at more favor
able rates than others do? Has there
been objection that we have sent free
of cost from the boys themselves to
the members of their families over
25O,000 remittances aggregating over
$13,000,000?
Have men complained in your hear
ing that for months, and up to within
week, the only worker on any trans
port was Y. NJ. c. A. worker?
DO men complain that the hundreds
OF American city Young Mems Chris
tian Associations in league with our
work over there in the A. f. F. give
regular membership privileges free for
at least three months to all men in
uniform, and that, in addition to all
this, we have made one of the major
points of our policy the helping of
men in the matter of unemployment?
"Now | come to some things con-
corning which there has been COM
plant. AS | do So ask you, in view
of all that | have just stated in bar~;t
outline. 1t is fair that the attention
of the American people should be
riveted on what am now going to say
which, you will agree with me before
small fraction, to the exclusion of this
great body of unselfish, patriotic SER
vice that makes up the vast, vast ma
jority of the activities and the con-
structive work of the Y. NJ. C. A. over
seas, as we'll as at home?
Has Made Some Mistakes
The Y. NJ. c. A. has its mistakes
and limitations in common with all
human organizations. The criticisms
that have come to us have come chiefly
with reference to the canteen. 1t is
not necessary that remind this par
ticular company that General PERISH
ing was glad to have the Y. NJ. c. A
take charge of the canteen, in order,
as he said, that there might be re-
leased for combat that many more
fighting men. BY having our women
workers and our men above draft age
accomplished He we'll knew, as we
do. what a htankless task it is in a
way, made so especially by an impos-
slble situation, namely, that the gov
ernment in those days did not buy or
ship our supplies,~ although we earnest
ly desired to have them do so. | re-
member | went to our government my
self, and said: We are in an impossi-
BILE position. You still have in the
army quartermaster stores that. as a
rule, can buy goods lower than any
other organization can buy them in
this country, and do not have to pay
tonnage charges or. Insurance charges
as we do. You have these stores in
the army and now you encourage US to
conduct the canteen, or post exchange
and we have to pay higher prices for
the goods; we have to pay shipping
and insurance charges and overhead
that do not go into your quartermas-
ters' charges.
at looks to me- added, as though
we must either hand this back or else
we have got to have matters equalized.
Met With Delay
"The government agreed with me
1t took long time to bring about tbs
desired change, but ! am glad to say
that at last we have the arrangement
by which we now buy our canteen sup
plies from the quartz rmaster, and by
which he fixes the prices. SO we have
the same prices as the quartermastel
stores. Therefore, the criticism tina
we sell at higher prices than the gov
J ernment ought to be counted as
matter of the past.
"Growing out of the complaint thai
the Y. NJ. c. A. had charged higher
, prices in its canteens than had to bt
| paid at the quartermaster stores, fol
reasons which have just been stated
but which apparently were at times
not understood by the men, is the
charge that the association has beer
profiteering. This charge has been in
? vestigated on two occasions by tn,
War Department, and each time it pro
2 nounced the charge to be groundless.
: Were all the expenses charged