Evening star., 1926-04-18
COMMUNITY CHEST
PLAN IS OPPOSED
Committee Recommends
Against Method for City.
Urges Further Study.

Establishment OF community chest
in Washington is not practicable 1T
The present time according TO the
citizens committee appointed by the
commissioners TO study its advlSablnty.
The committees report, made public
last night by Cuno ii. Rudolph, chair
man OF the board of commissioners,
pointed out that the present methodS
Of financing private and social ageIl'
cleS and institutions in the Ostrlct
do not produce satisfactory results,
and recommended that another special
committee be appointed. TO undertake
a more thorough study of the COM
nlunity chest plan.
The report was signed by James A.
Cobb Mrs. John Allan Dougherty'
Charles G. Glover, jr., Mrs. Charles
Goldsmith, John 1hlder, Rudolph Jose,
George II. Myers. DR.. John OGrady,
John Poole, Frank p. Reeside, Mai
Gen. Anton Stephan and c. A. Aspln-
wall, chairman OF the committee. 1t
follows:
Studied Other Cities.
Your special committee, appointed
hy the District Commissioners in ,pur-
suance OF your vote on May l3, l9Zo,
that such a committee be appointed
10 investigate the matter OF q COM
nunity chest and gather information
q determine the practica hillty OF a
community chest IN Washington, sub"
,nits the following report:
I'VE have gathered Information
from cities which have community
chests and from other cities Whlch
are either considering the establish
n1ent OF a chest or have decided
against a chest. We have listened 70
advocates and opponents Of the chest.
We have heard and carefully consl0-
cred the opinions OF local people who
are interested in the natter-some OF
whom are advocates, some opponents
We have sought through personal IN
teryiews and through correspondence
with local organizations to estimate
the interest which local contributors
take in the proposal.
LAS a result of these efforts your
committee believes that a community
chest is not practicable in Washing
ton at the present time. This may
well be due 20 a lack of knowledge
on the part OF the public as to what
4 chest is-how It functions and what
benefits may be expected from 1t. 10
spread this knowledge and so perhaps
secure Il convinced backing Tor
hest, would require here, as 1t has
IN other cities, q careful study toI-
lowed by sustained campaign OF infor-
nation. Consequently when We say
that the establishment OF COM
munity chest is not practicable at the
present time, We do not intimate that
any other time would be more pro-
pitlous If nothing is done TO inform
and arouse public opinion. The pres
ent is probably as good as any future
time II matters are permitted TO drift
as they have in the past.
Peculiarities Described.
During its investigation your com
mittee was frequently informed that,
IN the opinion of the speaker, Wash
ington Is SO different from other cities
that their success with a chest would
be little indication Of its value here.
Your committee believes that the sig
aif1cance OF this statement lies not
in the alleged fact-for that every
city has its special characteristics
which makes its problems a peculiar
0rohlem--but does lie in the attitude
IT mind which the statement indicates.
Until q local study, much more
thorough than your committee had
the means to make, produces evidence,
This attitude on the part Of q consider
able proportion of our people would
be enough IN itself to kin any concrete
proposal.
Your committee. therefore, recon-
mends the appointment of another
special committee authorized to under
take this study and provided with
funds to employ the necessary as
tstants. and meet other necessary ex-
nenses.
In the course Of its investigation
your committee has had brought to
its attention other plans which seem
20 II TO warrant consideration. It,
therefore,, further recommends that If
another special committee is ap-
pointed. this new committee be given
q broader field and be instructed to
study other plans designed to i'm
prove the methods of financing pri-
vate social agencies and institutions
IN the District Of Columbia, and to
~eport with recommendations favor
ing that plan, whether community
chest or other, which seems to 1t
best adapted to local conditions.
Your committee would strongly
emphasize it's conviction that present
methods of financing private social
gencies and Institutions in the Dis
,rict do not produce satisfactory re-
suits, and that ii is incumbent upon
he people Of the District to improve
Il ~ H.