Evening star., 1932-04-17

VI tAAC hobdANS VA ~OAAAhOAo ANaA
anxiety.
The need far transcends that of any
! previous time in the history of the
! District of Columbia. The load of the
( family welfare organizations, instead Of
decreasing In the Spring time as it
usually does, is, instead. increasing with
people whose resources are exhausted
and for whom there is now no longer
4 any source of help except the bounty of
their fellow citizens expressed through
contributions or through tax funds to
| be spent by the Board of Public Wei
| fare If the municipal appropriation
recommended by President Hoover is
made.
The subcommittee stated that the
proposed appropriation was supported
to a large degree by the paid en-
ployes of several of the 65 organiza-
! tions that participate in the funds COL
lected by the Community Chest. AS
a matter Of fact, there never were any
public hearings on this appropriation.
These employees did not ask to appear
on their own behalf but on the other
hand were asked by the representa-
tives of the Board of Commissioners
who appeared in behalf Of the pro-
posed appropriation to come, on two
hours notice, to attend a private hear
ing. There was no opportunity for
other than these paid employees to ap-
pear and no one other than these
employees was invited to appear, al
though scores of their board members,
who are among Washington'S most dis
| tlngulshed citizens, would have well
coined the opportunity to appear and
state their convictions of the need of
which they are acutely aware.
The subcommittee further stated
that a cursory examination of the ex-
penSes of the. Community Chest and
some of the 65 organizations indicates
That considerable portion of the funds
is being expended to pay employees of
the Community Chest and OF the 65
participating organizations. That seems
TO be gratuitous unjustified criticism
by persons who themselves are employees
OF the taxpayers of the Nation, who in
clude in turn members of the Commu-
nifty Chest staff and the stats of the
65 participating organizations.
Low Costs Cited.
I'VE know Of no way in which the
subscriptions and payments Of 125 900
subscribers can be handled. the services
OF 5000 volunteer workers enlisted and
/ directed, the accounts of 65 organiza-
tlonS checked, budgets analyzed and
/ other essential activities carried on ex-
/ cept through the services of paid en-
ployes. The expenses of the Community
Chest have repeatedly been shown to
De extraordinarily low-less than cents
on the dollar, estimated for 1892.
| AS matter of fact the subcommit-
zee mad figures which showed that the
community Chest has cut in one-third
tne cost OF raising money as compared
WIN tne cost OF money raising before
there was a Community Chest
More than that, it is self-eviden+
that the 65 member organizations of
! the Chest can only operate If they do
| nave Skilled salaried employees who can
carry on their services. No American
city has found any method by which the
/ SICK can be nursed effectively in their
| homes except through such trained
nurses as the Visiting Nurse Associa-
ton has. There is no way in which
orphans can be cared for in institu-
tons except through the services of
matrons, nurses, cooks, housekeepers
and similar employees. There is no way
/ In which old folks can be satisfactorily
/ cared for in institutions except through
/ the services Of devoted employees. There
is no way in which character building
and preventive activity such as those
OF social settlements and similar insti-
! tutions, many OF which are almost en-
tlrely self-supporting, can be conducted
except through the services of trained
! and skilled employees, most of whom in
! many cases secure many times the
value of their services in volunteers
There is no effective way sin which
needy families can be cared for in their
own homes, imposterS distinguished
from those who are in real need. dis
elimination made as to the amount of
rent, of food and of clothing which are
necessary and guidance and encourage
ment can be given to those in need, and
! services of volunteers directed, except
| through the services of trained and
! skilled employees. These employees pay
/ for themselves many times over through
unnecessary relief expenditures which
/ they prevent, to say nothing OF the
/ positive value of their services.
! Skilled Employees Praised.
"The salaries of the employees of the
| Community Chest and its member or
! ganizations have been repeatedly dem
| onstrated to be lower than those paid
| in Government services or in COM
| parable professions. Money which is
raised by the Community Chest cannot
| be raised and distributed lntelligently
and economically without the services
| of skilled and paid employees. The
| money spent by the 65 member organi-
! cations could not be spent effectively
! except through these services and for
| these services.
Overhead for supervision OF these
workers engaged in direct service aver
ages less than cents on the dollar and
saves its own cost through more ell
| fective and economical service.
The Community Chest and the mem
ber organizations of the Community
Chest are at all times willing to have
intelligent suggestions by well informed
people, after proper study OF the ways
! in which economies can be made and
improvements worked out. They OBJ
iect vigorously to criticism made with
out full knowledge of the facts, without
consideration of either of the quantity
or quality of the service to be rendered
in a time which represents the greatest
need the city has known.
Criticism directed at these agencies
is criticism of the l,500 Self-sacriticing
people who serve without compensation
as members of the boards of the Com
munity Chest member organizations, OF
the 5000 people who served voluntarily
in the Community Chest campaign, of
the loyal and devoted employees of Com
munity Chest organizations who serve
at low salaries under terrific pressure
and with the utmost devotion and of
the 125.00O contributors who have in
trusted their gifts, often made at great
sacrifice, for expenditure through these
65 agencies of human service. These
agencies are not perfect, being manned
by human beings, but they represent IN
their operations the best judgment, the
most recently available knowledge and
the most devoted service and the most
generous giving of Washingtons cit
liens.
Examination Welcomed.
"The Community Chest would well
come examination of its work and OF
that of its member organizations by the
United States Bureau of Efficiency or
any other similarly qualified agency.