Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1919-05-17
TELLS Of
"YWORK IN EUROPE
Reasons for the UnfavorabIe
Criticism Are Explained.
DIFFICULT TO GET GOOD MEN
Complaints Of Prices Charged in Can
teens Generally Not justified
Immense Extent Of the Oroani-
j. zation's Numerous Activities
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 q thor
ough investigation of the work done
by the Y. M. G. A. His report was
made public today, and In large part
Is an answer to the unfavorable criti-
clsms 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 300
persons who were sent abroad, Mr..
Perkins says:
Much has been said about the in
efhciency of some Of these workers,
and. without doubt. number of them
were inefficient. In 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 1920
people operating tn France for the
Y. NJ. G. A. were inefficient 1t would
mean that there were 1,122 men and
women who were more or less of
failure. l do not believe that any
thing like this number of people were
unsuccessful; but if under the close
scrutiny which the soldiers give these
welfare workers even 5 per cent Of
them were failures, 1t would have put
large amount of criticism in circula-
ton. and the work of the 95 per cent
who were successful would be forgot
ten In the publicity given to the 8
per cent who were unsuccessful.
"That the workers as whole were
brave and unselfish is shown by the
fact that IA Y. M. G. A. secretaries
were killed and 126 others were
wounded"
Why canteen Prices Varied.
The report relates the troubles and
expenses met by the Y. M. Q. A. after
It undertook the management of the
army canteens at the request OF Gen.
eral Pershing and the confused condi-'
tons that made it 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. If the Y. NJ. G. A.
had given away .canteen supplies In
France on the scale of its sales, 1t
would have spent in this activity alone
at least as much money us its entire
expenditures in Fraice for all its ac-g
tiyities. The constant policy of the
Y. NJ. C. A. was to sell lcanteen sup
plies at as nearly cost as possible, and
TO bend every effort. when fighting was
In progress. to furnish the men at the
front with supplies free Of charge
wiereit was at all possible to get the
goods to them. ~
"Some have criticized the Y. M. G.
A. for not giving away more articles,
such as cigarettes, chocolate. etc. It's
policy has been notst give away gen.
orally, but only in special and needy
cases. From June. 1918, to April, 1919,
the Y. NJ. c. A. handled in France
alone upward of 2.O00,OOOOOO pack.
ages of cigarettes, 80 ,OO0.OOO bars of
chocolate. $4,000, 600; cans of smoking
tobacco. 5O.O0OOOO Scieprs, 60,Oo0,0OO
cans of jam, 29,OOO,O00 spackages of
chewing gum. and 100000 packages
Of candy. These are only. few of the
items handled, but the size of tEISe
figures should convince anyone that it
would be financially impossible for the
Y. NJ. C. A. to give its. supplies away
generally. Furthermore, the drmy
does not favorSany such policy. II
thinks that it is far better for the men
TO spend their money on such, articles
as these than to spend it. in~.other
ways. For the most part the.men. hold'
the same view"
Its Varied Activities. - 4
In considerable, detail Mr.. Perkins
relates the varied and extraordinarily
extensive activities of the Y. NJ. c. A.
abroad. including tie 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:
1.-THE Y. M. G. A. undoubtedly made
mistakes, but what 1t tried to do was
to respond to every call that the army
made on 1t. 1t never hesitated 20
tackle any Job 1t was asked to under
take; 1t did not sidestep any task 1t
was asked to perform. 1t took the po-
"a tn RI do oil