Evening star., 1927-12-03
COMMUNITY CHEST
FORD. c. |NDORSED
Civic Leaders Approve Plan
for Capital at Social
Agencies Meeting.

endorsement of John .!0v Edison. Ed
win c. Graham. president Of the
Board of Trade; Mai. Gen. Anton
Stephan. president of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association: G.
Melvin Sharpe. vice chairman OF the
charities committee Of the Chamber of
Commerce. and other prominent civic
leaders at a general discussion Of the
subject at meeting in the Chamber
OF Commerce Building last night.
The gathering was held under the
auspices of the cooperative financing
committee of The Washington Council
of Social Agencies. and the discussion
followed addresses by William j Nor
ton. director of the Detroit Commu-
nifty Chest. and Sherman G. Kingsley.
director of the Philadelphia Commu-
nifty Chest. who were in Washington
as members of The committee that met
at the Mayfower yesterday to ar.
range for the national conference of
the American Association Of COmmu-
nifty Chests and Councils TO be held
in the Capital next February.
Mr.. Kingsley. who spoke in place
of G. NJ. Bookman. president of the
American Association of Community
Chests and Councils. who was unable
TO attend. told the gathering that if
social work is to rank along with edu-
cational activities and the admins
tratian of justice II must be conducted
on the basis OF The very best knOwl-
edge available His topic was The
Social Service Advantages of the Com
munity Chest Movement" and he told
Of his experiences rs director of the
work in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Case Cited
In that city. the speaker said. there
are 12S orga anizations affiliated with
the Federation" making it the larg.
est in point of that respect, although
it does not have the largest budget,
in the country, Before the work first
started there, in 1921. he stated. the
agencies. working independently. col
lected S1.750, ,000 This year, under
united action. they raised $3,2S9 900.
One of the gratifying features of
the work. Mr., Kingsley said was that
in uniting to oppose disease, the well
fare workers themselves were over
coming religious prejudices. The Fed
Grafton of Agencies in Philadelphia
have found. he declared, that there
was not only competition but actual
jealonsies between some of the groups
that had been working along similar
lines. These were slowly being over
come, he said, and some agencies had
been frank enough to admit that their
particular endeavor was not nearly so
vital as had been thought. and had
accepted the councils advice and
turned to more profitable fields of
action
Mr.. Norton's topic was, what to
Us Have Been the Financial Advan.
tages of the Community Chest Move.
ment?" He traced briefly the history
of ROn9n7llnifv p1nSfc Aa
examples of the principle. found in
Liverpool in 1775, to the Denver effort
OF 1885 and the Cleveland chest of
1913, generally recognized as the first
such organization along modern lines
Advantages Set Forth.
He claimed there were two main
financial advantages aceruine from
the movement, the first, economy in
social work. and, second. expansion of
EiVing. Under the old competitive
system about 15 per cent of the caritaI
OF a welfare organization was ex-
pended in raising, collecting, investing
and distributing the funds, Mr. Nor.
ton declared. In Detroit, under the
community chest system, this figure
had been reduced to about per cent.
he asserted BY constructing a build.
ing, which houses % agencies. the city
made an actual saving of S22, 900 q
year. the speaker said.
As proof of the increased expansion
of giving after adoption of the COM
munity chest in Detroit, Director Nor
ton said $3,400.000 was raised from
$4,000 subscribers last year, as
against 100000 contributed by some
5000 persons before the city's social
agencies were united.
1925 Report Is Read
Joshua Evans. ir., presided Mt the
meeting and read a report to the Dis.
trict Commissioners. submitted in No
Nenber, 1928, bysa committee OF the
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
ciation, which stated that study of
community chests in other cities
seemed to Justify its trial in Washing
ton, but recommended further study
before reaching a definite decision
Nothing further was done officially,
Mr.. Evans said. but the Washington
Council of Social Agencies was still
interested in the problem and because
Of its interest had invited the speakers
to tell of their experiences
Following the addresses Mr.. Evans
called upon representatives of the sew
eral civic organizations that were
present to give their views on the
subject
Edwin G. Graham, president of the
Board of Trade, gave it as his personal
opinion that the psychological mo-
nlent had come for Washington to
Join the community chest movement
admitting that for some years he had
opposed the idea on the grounds that
for Washington, at least, it was pre-
mature.
Gen. Stephan followed with the
opinion that the moment was ready
Ia mako EITa hi ,,1it
chest idea a reality
Mr.. Sharpe, speaking unofficially
but as representative of the Cham
Der Of Commerce, said he would give
his personal aid 10 the fulfillment of
the project and expressed the opinion
that it seemed to he in line with the
governments activities as reflected in
the unified building plan and in the
Lnif1cation of the street railways.
Edison Supports Plan
Mr.. Edison said he joined whole
heartedly with the others for the
adoption Of the chest idea and hoped
Washington would be even more sue
cessful with the work than other
cities. Mr.. Edison also admitted that
he was slow TO favor the idea. faVoring
tha plan of letting other cities try it
out first, but as about 300 cities now
Ao0 iau experience with The chests
and were enthusiastic about them, he
was convinced that Washington
should fall in line.
Mr.. Evans stated he thought it was
"about time Washington got on the
band wagon"
The speakers then invited the audi
ence TO "bombard them with ques-
1Ions" and several were asked Rev
John OGrady raised Il dissenting
voice, when he challenged the success
OF the chests in several cities in which
he said he was familiar with their
ACTIVITIES and maintained that Wash.