Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-05-14
PERKINS TELLS OF
"YWORK IN EUROPE.
Reasons for the Unfavorab!s
Criticism Are Explained.
DIFFICULT TO GET GOOD MEN
Complaints Of Prices Charged in Can
teens Generally Not Justified
Immense Extent Of the organi-
zation's Numerous Activities
Abroad During War.

Abroad During War.
New York, May 7.-George w. Per-.
kins of New York, chairman of the
finance committee of the war work
council of the Y. NJ c. A., has Just
returned from Europe, where he spent,
over four months In making a thor.
ough investigation of the work done
oy the \. NJ. c. A.. His report was
made public today, and in large part
IS an answer TO the unfavorable criti.l
cisms of the organization so often
heard of late.
First explaining the difficulty OF Sc.
curing efficient workers and the care
exercised in the selection of the IL, 229;
persons who We're sent abroad MFR.
Perkins says:
Much has been said about the in
efficiency Of some % these workers,
and, without doubt, a number of them
were inefficient. IL any form of or
ganization in civilian life, whether 1t
be public schools, chain stores or cor
porations, If 80 per cent of those
originally employed make good, the
result Is regarded as highly satisfac-
tory. If 10 per cent of the IL ,229
people operating in France for the
Y. NJ. c. A. were inefficient 1t would
mean that there were LIP men and
women who were more or less of n
failure. | do not believe that any
thing like this number Of people were
unsuccessful; but IL under the close
scrutiny which the soldiers give these
welfare workers even 8 per cent of
| them were failures, IL would have put
a large amount of criticism in clrcula-
tion, and the work of the 90 per cent
who were successful would be forgot
ten in the publicity given to the 5
| per cent who were unsuccessful.
THAT the workers as a whole were
brave and unselfsh is shown by the
| fact that II Y. NJ. c. A. secretaries
were killed and 1876 others were
wounded"
Why canteen Prices Varied.
The report relates the troubles and
expenses met by the Y. NJ. 9. A. after
II undertook the management of the
army canteens at the request of Cen
| eral Pershlng and the confused condl-
tons that made 1t impossible to arrive
at an average cost price of the goods
sold to the soldiers. 1t continues:
"The Y. NJ. c. A. never solicited
money for the purpose of giving away
its canteen supplies. II the Y. NJ. 9. A.
| had given away canteen supplies In
| France on the scale of its sales, IL
would have spent In this activity alone
at least as much money as its entire
| expenditures In France for all its ac-
tvities. The constant policy Of the
Y. NJ. c. A. was to sell canteen sup
| plies at as nearly cost as possible, and
to bend every effort, when fighting was
I'm progress to furnish the men at the
front with supplies free OF charge
where It was Mt all possible to get the
goods to them.
Some have criticized the Y. M. @.
A. for not giving away more articles.
such as cigarettes, chocolate, etc. It's
| policy has been not to give away gen
orally, but only in special and needy
cases. From June, 1918, to April, 1919.
| the Y. NJ. @. A. handled In France
alone upward of 2,000000000 pack
ages of cigarettes, 32,O00,000 bars of
chocolate, 1S,OO0,000 cans of smoking
tobacco, 50,OO0.000 cigars, 60000,000
cans OF jam, 29,OO0000 packages Of
chewing gum, and 100000 packages
of candy. These are only few of the
items handled, but the size of thtse
figures should convince anyone that 1t
would be financially impossible for the
Y. M. G. A. to give It's supplies away
generally. Furthermore, the army
does not favor any such policy. 1t
thinks that II is far better for the men
TO spend their money on such articles
as these than to spend 1t in other
ways. For the most part the men hold
the same view"
Its Varied Activities.
In considerable detail Mr.. Perkins
relates the varied and extraordinarily
extensive activities of the Y. NJ. c. A!
abroad including the manufacture Of
much of its supplies, the establishment
Of many hundreds Of huts, with ath-
letics, moving pictures, and various
other forms of entertainment; the
management of sightseeing tours for
soldiers on leave; the immense work
of the educational and religious de-
partments and the distribution of read
ing matter. In conclusion Mr.. Perkins
says:
'The Y. NJ G. A. undoubtedly made
mistakes. but what II tried to do was
to respond to every call that the army
made on It. II never hesltated to
tackle any Job it was asked to under
take; It did not sidestep any task 1t