Evening star., 1935-04-26
CHEST GOAL IS GAIN |
IN PAYMENT RATIO
91.29 Pct. in Cash on 1894
Pledges Seen Too Low
for 1885 Budget.

The Community Chest OF Washing
ton is using every available resource
to increase the percentage Of collec-
tfons on pledges received during its
campaign for 1888 and hopes to i'm
prove the record of 91.29 per cent
established last year, it was reported
by Herbert L. Willett, jr., director Of
the Chest, at the annual meeting of
the organization yesterday afternoon
at the United States Chamber OF
Commerce.
An essential part of the work of the
pledges. The Washington Chest, he
said. cannot report as high a per-
centage Of collections as is possible in
many cities. This he attributed to the
fact that Washington has a more
transient population and that 1t has
a smaller business community and
therefore a smaller proportion of con-
tributors whose pledges can be de-
Quoted from their pay rolls.
1894 Receipts S1.438,121.
This, he pointed out, throws an es-
pecially heavy burden upon the Com
munity Chest Office which must make
direct collections. For the year 1884
the Chest had pledges totaling ST.
575.286, of which total of ST ,438, ,l2l,
or 91.29 per cent, was collected.
Mr.. Willett pictured the Community
Chest as the focal point for co-ordi-
nation of all welfare interests in
Washington and stressed the necessity
for f1exibility of the programs of Chest
agencies to meet changing conditions
and needs in the city. He declared
that all people who are working in
any sort Of welfare task should op-
crate with view to their relationship
to each other and to the community
rs a whole.
Assistance Acknowledged.
Mr.. Willett paid high tribute to the
service being rendered by public agen-
cies and by the many private or
ganizations, clubs, churches and in
dividuals whose deeply sincere con-
Germ for the well being of Washing
ton and its people is not limited to
their contributions to the Community
Chest, either of money or of yolun-
teer services"
He reported that the Chest and the
ing In closer harmony than ever before
ION the program that is so important
q part of the life of the community"
The past year, he reported. has seen
increasingly effective programs of CO.
or6inated service between the Board
of Public Welfare and the private
relief agencies; between the F. E. R. A.
and the Visiting Nurses; between the
Transient Bureau and the private
agencies dealing with the problems
Of travellers.
Mr.. Willett said that the goal of
$l,670,000 set for the last Chest cam
paign was tens of thousands of dol
lars less than could have been justi-
fed by consideration of the need
to be met, but was more than many
campaign leaders thought could be
raised
Better Effort Sought.
''The shortage of $50 900 from that
goal" he said, "infiicts a penalty
from which people in need might
have been saved had We made 1t just
a little clearer to each of the more
than ISL 900 contributors how greatly
his fullest generosity was needed. We
must do better the next time, perhaps
BY finding still more givers, but GER
tainly by encouraging larger average
gifts. Our campaign must be pre-
pared so as to secure more money by
helping contributors to see the need
in concrete terms and to be willing to
make some sacrifice to meet that
need"
Clarence Phelps Dodge, president
of the Chest, expressed the hope that
the Chest might become the central
clearing house for all welfare work
in the District of Columbia.
Would Embrace Big Work.
'As long as the Community Chest
confines its work and study only to
the 64 agencies belonging to it, Mr..
Phelps said, 1T will lose great oppor-
tunity. Only as the Chest cultivates
a community mindedness-only as it
becomes big enough to interest itself
in all efforts to relieve the needs of
its citizens-Will it function at its
best
William j. Flather, jr., treasurer of
the Chest, in his annual report stated
that it will be necessary for the
Chest this year to borrow only $135, 900
to pay its agencies throughout the
year. 1t was necessary in 1884, he
said, to borrow $l63,OO0 to finish the
year. He submitted a detailed report
covering the financial status of the
Chest.
The Community Chest elected a
total of 256 members of the board of
trustees, two representatives of each
of the 64 Chest agencies and 1913
contributors to the Chest campaign
fund.
Full List Of Trustees.
The full list of trustees is as fol-
lows:
Caesar L. Aiello, Commissioner Allen,
Miss Hettie P. Anderson, Young Wom-
EMS Christian Association; Miss Mary
Anderson. E. Joseph Aronoff, Col. P.
NJ. Ashburn, Columbia Hospital for
Women; Maj. James Asher, the Sal
vation Army; Clarence A. Aspinwall,
Albert w. Atwood, Social Hygiene So
ciety: Col. Henry o. Atwood.
E. Claude Babcock, Disabled Ameri-
can Veterans; Miss Sibyl Baker, DR..
Frank Ballou, Sanford Bates, Council