New Britain herald., 1924-10-02
Y. M. |. A. HAS
 SATISFACTORY YEAR
Reports Great Membership h.
 crease Here and in Canada

New York, Oct. c.-Data avail able on 1898 Young Mems Chris tian Associations in the United States and Canada, reporting for the 1924 Year Book and Official Roster, just issued, show the past association year to take rank with, and in several important directions to exceed, the record year of 1921. George B. Hodge, who has direct ed the collection and classification of association information for many years, states that "the reported vol ume and quality of association work as a whole has been the largest and best in association history, and much larger than was anticipated
 The largest annual increase in membership yet recorded is shown in a gain of 9:5 per cent. The to- tai membership of the reporting associations is 9SS,522, of which 244,529 are boys.
 A gain of 11.6 per cent to 134,977 in the number of men and boys in swimming and life saving classes, and a gain of 10.4 per cent to H. 7S4 in the number of men under leadership instruction in physical educational classes, are the features of an expanding year in the physi- cal work of the associations. They were Q total of 349,307 different men and boys in gymnasium class es, gain of S.1 per cent.
 i Marked increase in the number
 of men and boys affiliated with Y
 M. C. A. Bible classes is reported A total of 2S2,943 for the year is ; 1 gain of 24,000 or 11.5 per cent Aggregate attendance at Bible and religious meetings reached approxi' mately 9,549,000, an increase oi 11.6 per cent.
 Endowment funds increased by S.3 per cent to s17,30S,o00, while the property debt increased by only 6.6 per cent. An increase of net association property to s159,521,- 900, S.1 per cent in the year, in- dicates the volume of property ad- ditions and is believed to mark the end of the deflation period Of 1922-2S.
 In a foreword Dr. John K. Mott general secretary of the lnterna- tional committee, Y. NJ. C. A.. states that at the present time the build ing bureau of the committee is re- aimed on some 75 building projects and points to the multiplication Of branch buildings both in large and middlesized cities and the evolving of building plans and projects for cities or isolated communities of under 15.000 inhabitants. The l financial service bureau of the com- mittee, he says further, reports campaigns for funds for new build ings and for clearing off building indebtedness aggregating over s14,- l 900, ,O0O ''It is striking fact" Dr, Mott adds, that in spite of all Criti- Clsm and other handlcaps, the as sociations today are raising sums which before the war would have seemed absolutely impossible" The latest "impossibility" is SS,o0o,Oo subscribed by St. Louis citizens of all ranks and crecds for a city wide l Y. NJ. C. A. development program.
 Most of the Y. NJ. c. A. work in many of the countries of Europe is an outgrowth of wartime activities In some places the association work las been entirely transferred to na- tional control. American secretaries acting largely in an advisory ca- pacity. In foreign countries out side of Europe and the Near East the 3S4 associations directly relat- ed to the American movement have