The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-05-09
PERKINS 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 oruanI-
zation's Numerous Activities
Abroad During War.

New York, May George w. Per
kins of New York, chairman Of thC
finance committee of the war worl
council Of the Y. NJ. c. A., has JUS
returned from Europe, where he spent
over four months in making a thor
Ough investigation of the work done
by the Y. NJ. O. A.. His report was
made public today, and In large part
Is an answer to the unfavorable criti
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. 22s
persons who were sent abroad, Mr.
Perkins says:
Much has been said about the in
efhciency of some Of these workers,
and, without doubt, a number of them
were inefficient. In any form of or.
ganizatiOn In civilian life, whether II
De 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 1929
people operating in 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 q
failure. 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 per cent Of
them were failures, 1t would have put
a 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 a 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. NJ. G. A. after
1t undertook the. management of the
army canteens at the request of Gen.
eral Pershing and the confused condi-
tons that made 1t impossible to arrive
at an average cost price of the goods
sold to the soldiers. 1t continues:
'.The Y. NJ. G. A. never solicited
money for the purpose of giving away
Its canteen supplies. II the Y. NJ. @. 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 as its entire
expenditures in France for all its &C
tivities. The constant policy Of the
Y. NJ. G. A. was to sell canteen 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
where 1t was at all possible to get the
goods to them.
"Some have criticized the Y. M. c.
A. for not giving away more articles,
such as cigarettes, chocolate, etc. Its
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. G. A. handled in France
alone upward Of 2,000,OO0,0O0 pack
ages of cigarettes. 100000 bars Of
100000 cans Of smoking
tobacco, 50,O00.c00 cigars, 60,O00,OO0
cans Of jam, 29,0O0OOO 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 II
would be financially impossible for the
Y. NJ. c. A. to give its supplies away
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.