The New York herald., 1922-03-31
FRICTIONCUT PLANS
OF CATHOLIC COUNCIL
5000, 900 Operating Costand
High Salaries Caused
DissensiOn.
TO CURTAIL ACTIVITIES
Many National EndeayOrs
to Cease: Locals to Be
strengthened.
MAIN nDTEnT6 DJ,tT T1nn
MAIN OBJECTS REALIZED
Need Of Large Organization at
End, Says Church Leader;
Aims Accomplished.

The National Catholic Welfare
modified and its broad activities cur
tailed. It Is about to cease many OF
It's national endeavors and dissolve it
self from a highly organized national
body into a circle of more or less
loosely connected locals. such locals to
be made stronger or smaller in accord
ance with the demand Of the sector in
which they are located.
This statement was made yesterday
by one OF the most prominent Cath
olic churchmen in this city after he
was asked about a report to the effect
that the council was about to be abol-
ished entirely. The story. considerably
more in texture than a rumor, had it
that the council was to dissolve by
order from Rome; that the councils
large headquarters in Washington
were TO vanish, and that the Pope had
even placed a ban upon the meeting
of the executive and plenary commit
tees OF the council scheduled to take
place in Washington April 20.
According TO the authority from whom.
THE NEW YoRK HERALD received the
modified Interpretation OF the story. the
partial dissolution of the National Cath
olic Welfare Council will be the execu-
ton OF the will OF number of the
American archbishops and bishops COM
posing the executive and plenary COM
nnittees. For several months a modif-
cation OF the national body has been
agitated.
Burden on the Richer Sees.
In the first place. it was pointed out
the cost OF maintaining the national
body as IL exists approximates 5000, 900.
Numerous churchmen have let 1t be
known that they think this excessive in
asmuch as almost all of the larger edu-
cational and social projects for the es-
tablishment and furtherance OF which
the council was organized have become
realities and are firmly rooted. There
fore, they ask, why continue a huge
organization that has accomplished its
aims? The locals, for which these prof.
ects were born, can see TO their main
tenance.
Again, the brunt OF the financing OF
the national headquarters was laid upon
the larger and richer sees. These sees
received what they considered an in
verse ratio OF benefits. While this state
OF affairs was not directly contributing
to the coming abridgment OF the powers
of the national body it served to make
stronger and more unified the movement
that brought about the conditions now
about to be realized.
At the residence OF Archbishop HAYES
il was said that there was nobody there
who would discuss the report. How
ever, the churchman referred TO above
was candid in his declaration that the
council is about to shrink in national
headquarters stature. He said that he
had been informed on Tuesday that the
changes will be agreed upon and prom
ulgated at the meeting of the hierarchy
I'm Washington April 20. A mere skele-
ton OF the present headquarters will
survive.
Diplomacy Averted Break.
Still another authority declared that
only the greatest diplomacy and nice
balancing has averted the rising OF more
than tincture OF Ill feeling between
certain lay authorities inside the council
and some OF the members OF the execu-
tive and plenary committees While
such friction did not manifest itself
openly II created a considerable sentiment
in favor OF abolishing many OF the more
lucrative salarled positions. Others OF
the clergy on the committees let II be
known that they had seen profitless and
inefficient duplication of effort.
The National Catholic Welfare Coun-
| ell Is the peace time follow up or the
National Catholic War Council It's en-
deavors have been along social and edu-
cational lines and included in its func-
tions are the preservation OF the intra-
! church morale and liaison.
/ on the executive committee ere all the
1 n.aIk.{ahr,.e IL .i,n I~pftnd ertota~