New Britain herald., 1926-02-17
PELTON EXPLAINS
 COMMUNITY CHEST
Tells Exchange Club How United
 Charity Drive Functions

Declaring that IL ts thousand times better to prevent than to cure, Ernest w. Pelton, president of the United Community corporation, spoke on "The Community Chest" before the Exchange club at its weekly meeting in the Burritt hotel at 6 o'clock last night.
 He said that the main purpose of tho club is 10 prevent the neces- Isty of charity by the promotion Of organizations that build character land health, He referred 10 organ- i2ations such as tho Boy Scouts and the Young Mems Christian associa- ton. He stated that the Commun- lty corporation has been criticised because it contributes to many or gan2ations which are not of char Iitall" nature.
 "MY answer to that criticism" he icont"ndcd, lis this--is 1t better to cure Of prevent"
 Speaking of the formation Of the i first Community Chest fund, Mir. pclton said: Tn 1915 the Chamber of Commerce committee of charities and philanthropios, decided 10 in- Ncstigate the various charitable or- Igani2ations in New Britain. Several speakers were brought here and it was decided as q result Of these meetings, 10 give the plan of one campaign q year for all charities in the city a trial. We went to eight charitable organizations and got q contidcntial list of the subscribers. w. made the startling discovery at that time that there were only 1000 Contribu ors 10 the eight charity or ganizaions We also found that this number must be divided into [ half for out of these subscribers there were usually two in each
 family, q man and his wife. Further ! investigation showed that only 73 ganizations, while only two sub scribed 10 all eight"
 , Mir. pclton told the club that some worthwhile organizations at this time starved because their board of directors were men who could not get money. On the other hand, he said, unworthy organiza- Itions prospcred because their board
 of directors knew how to get money.
 The first United campaign took place In 19l9. in which $23,0o0 was secured, from l,o00 people, and
 seven organizations benefited. Tn 1925. $6@.252 was collected from 1$lS,Oo0 persons. and 10 charity or gani2ations benefited. This year
 the fund for the Community Chest
 is set at sG6,5SS. The drive takes
 place in March.
 Each organization in the Com munity corporation controls it's own
 destnies," said Mir. P"lton. with the exception that we demand that q good set of books be kept and that
 there be regular auditings of the books.
 "rho control Of the Community corporation is placed in IS trustees who serve two years, ninc men be, ing elected each year. Six mem. hers are el"cte&by the Chamber oi . Commerce. six Who're by the consti-
 tuont members, that is, the partici,
 pating organizations. and six repre-,
 sentativcs are elected by Is Of the
 contributing members"
 The Investigating committee Of
 the Exchange club reported that it has two boys under Consdera, ton. one of whom it will help to.
 ward reaching a useful manhood : One of the lads is sick in a New
 York hospital, and is not expected 10 live. The other boy, a brother
 Of the sick child, needs medical at.
 tcntion also. and it is likely that
 he will be the boy selected.
 William Fay was in charge of the
 meeting Next week the Exchange club will hold a closed meeting, at
 which there will be no speaker ol guests.