Evening star., 1940-01-19
Children Par|ey
Hears Attack
On Alcohol
Education Statistics
In Conference Report
Questioned by Bates

OOlllcIcIlCC OIl All4lOICl1 Ill OClllOCe
racy that "the use of alcohol affects
the whole structure Of family and
community life," DR.. Richard A..
=. Bolt, director of the Cleveland
Child Health Association, today was
commissioned by Secretary of Labor
Perkins to prepare a recommended
ton condemning the use of alcohol.
The designation came after DR..
Bolt had deplored the lack of such
recommendation during discussion
Of the conference report by gen.
eral session in the departmental
auditorium.
"There Is an increasing use OF
alcohol by women, men and even
children" DR.. Bolt said, adding, Il
believe this conference should go on
record condemning the spreading
use of alcohol"
Meanwhile, the conference moved
toward adopting a lengthy report
containing numerous other recon-
mendations aimed at improving the
lot of Americas youth.
Wants Statistics Checked.
As phases of this report were dis
cusaed, Sanford Bates. executive
director of the Boys Club of Amer
lea, warned the conference to check
on some of the statistics in the re-
port before it.
Mr. Bates questioned statement
= that, of the $4,000, 900 adults in the
United States, about 36,000,0 900 did
not finish elementary school. He
said he had learned recently that
more Americans graduate from high
school and attend college than in
any other country in the world. To
spread such figures as contained in
the report, Mr.. Bates said, would
give the other world powers a chance
to say democracy was a failure.
Secretary Perkins, presiding,
agreed with Mr.. Bates that positive
findings in the report. rather than
negative ones, should be empha-
sized. Never before, she said, have
the American people been in the
position of defending themselves as
a Nation.
I'VE have always taken it for
granted" she said, that we were
the best. And now, If after an ex-
animation, we find some failures in
our system, we can afford to criti-
cize, knowing that our accomplish
ments more than balance things"
Earlier. DR.. Philip Klein. research
director for the Report Committee,
explained the conference would be-
gin today at page l Of 50-page
report full of recommendations and
proceed through the document in as
orderly fashion as discussion would
,. permit.
This followed II different group
meetings yesterday afternoon scat
tered widely over the city, where
discussion groups went deeply into
the numerous and widely varied
proposals presented.
Roosevelt Speaks Tonight.
High light of the three-day con-
ference comes tonight when Presi-
dent Roosevelt speaks to a general
session at the East Room of the
White House. This will be preceded
by reception at the White House
for delegates by Mrs Roosevelt.
The program in the East Room
prior to the Presidents address will
include an address by Mrs. H. w.
Ahart, president of the American
Farm Bureau Federation, on "The
Significance of the Conference to
Parents" Homer Folks, chairman
Of the Report Committee, will ex-
p plain the conference report and
program of action.
The conference will conclude to-
morrow morning at business ses-
sion at Departmental Auditorium,
where Mrs. Roosevelt will speak on
'The Responsibility of the Individ-
ual and the Community" Others
to speak include Mrs. Sadie Orr
Dunbar, chairman of the conference
committee on the follow-up pro-
gram; Frank Bane, executive direc-
tor of the council on State govern
ments, and Miss Katharine F. Len
root, chief of the Children's Bureau,
Department of Labor
Speak for Private Organizations.
More emphasis on the part played
by private organizations in the
leisure time of children was asked
to be included in the general con-
ference report, by two former
Washingtonians. James E. West,
chief scout executive of Boy Scouts
Of America, and Mr.. Bates agreed
at a conference group meeting yes
terday that public agancies should
be given credit for their part in
this program, but that the confer
ence report should not slight such
private organizations as their two
the Y. M. c. A., Y. w. c. A., Girl
Scouts of America, represented by
, Mrs. Paul Rittenhouse, national
director; settlement houses and
others. Miss Helen Hall, director
OF Henry Street Settlement, New
York, and Miss Helen Harris, ad-
ministrator for the National Youth
Administration in New York City,
took the position that private
agencies offered opportunity" to
- the public to do social service, and
need not be emphasized in the con-
ference report.
Need for providing recreation
facilities for underprivileged and
minority groups was stressed at the
meeting presided over by DR.. Grace
l.. Coyle of Western Reserve Uni
versity, chairman of the group.
Dental Program Suggested.
A white House breakfast" for
every underprivileged school child
was proposed to another group yes
terday by Harriet Silverman, the
Peoples National Health Commit
tee, New York, to prevent dental
decay. This followed a suggestion
earlier in the day by Frau Betsy
Kjelsberg Of Norway about the
"Oslo breakfast" for school children
of Norway.
HRte~ EA3kl. AkL@kk -