The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-07-26
WIEN 4 MANI MARRIED y,
.Y.M.C.A. TRAIN
SERVICE DEPT.
Serves 749, 581 Members of
A. E. F. in Four Months
Great Difficulty Has Been Expert
enced in Properly Housing Three
Quarters of Million Men.

Boston, July-The train Service
Department of the YM.C.A. in Paris
served 749,581 members of the A.E.F
in the first four months.
On the Train Service Department
| of the Y.MC.A. deVolves the duty OF
not only welcoming all members Of
! the A,E.F. upon their arrival in Paris
! but being sure that they are properly
entrained and comfortably fixed at the
| time of their departure. This Depart
ment is being directed by James G.
| Conner, a newspaper man of Phila-
deIphia. When taken over by him, the
personnel consisted of six Y workers
and a Ford camionette, with a capa-
city of twelve persons. Since that
time, the work has developed so rap
idly that the personnel has been
increased to thirty men, besides Il
Director and an Assistant, and twelve
large army trucks are necessary fer
transportation purposes.
The cares covered by the Train
Service Department, are st. Lazaro,
Montparnasse, Austerlitz, Lyon, Or
say, Nord and Est. These stations
are covered by Y workers from s
o'clock A. NJ until - Midnight and
it is the duty OF these men to heartily
receive members of the A.E.F.. both
casuals and those on leave, direct
them to the Red Cross canteens at the
stations for MEALS, if they so desire,
and place them on the trucks for trans
portation to the various Y.M.C.A. AM
Red Cross hotels located in Paris, 70:
their stay while here. In addition to
this work, the men have been dis
pensing cigarettes, chocolate and
gum which they have carried in large
quantities in musette bags. selling
them to the boys at cost price, and in
some instances distributing them gra-
tuitously, when discretion premits
them to d. so.
These Y welfare workers are also
equipped to answer all sorts of ques
items put to them by tho mombcrs Of
the A.E.F. That an idea ma hc gath
ored of the fund Of Information thai
they must have at hand, few of the
questions asked might be mentioned
here:
Where can I buy Kodak fins"
where is Wanamaker's?"
Where is an American dentist?"
"Where is the ODD Fellows L0dge?"
where are the base hospltals?'
Where is Tlffany's?"
What is the rate of German e%
changer"
Where can l change Swiss mon
cy?"
What hours are the Louvre open"
In the past four months difficult,
has been experienced in properly
housing the three quarters of a million
men. Along these lines. Col. l.. II
McKinlay, Welfare Officer, U. S.
Army, and Mr.. Conner, have workcl
out a plan for the establishing of
Central Regulating Bureau the pur-
pose of which will be to ascertain the
number of beds available at the Y.M.C.
A. and Red Cross Hotels in Paris, and.
phone system between the Directing
Office, Central Regulating Bureau, tn
RIO. Offices at the Cares and tn
Hotels keep a complete record OF
such accommodations which will be
corrected every two hours of the tina
between 6 A M. and Midnight. 1t f.
thought that this regulating system
will do away with troubles hereto
fore faced by the 'Doughboy" wheN
upon arriving in Paris, he finds that
he is unable to obtain sleeping quar-
ters. Booths for the dissemination or
have been established at
five of the seven Cares in Paris. These
booths are adequately equipped with
all sorts of literature bearing on tho
hotels canteens, theatres, places that
the Y operates for the entertainment
of the boys, Religious Services. Sight |
seeing Trips, md all other data that
is of interest to the soldier visiting
Paris.
The Train Service Department has
been congratulated by United States
Army Officials on the work il has car