Evening star., 1947-01-15
Letters to The Star
MIR. Kaufman Writes in Defense
OF Social Surveys

OF Social Surveys
To the Editor Of The Star:
The writer, member of the Boart
Of the Council Of Social Agencies, ,
member of the Executive Committee O.
the Community Chest and a Ches
trustee, wishes to challenge your edi'
torial questioning use of Chest fund.
for the Citizens Social and Health Sur.
vey project.
Under its bylaws of many years the
Chest looks to the council for socia
welfare planning and appropriates ts
the council for these purposes. A yeal
and half ago a man Of vision, Ernest
S. Griffith, president of the council
proposed the survey as microscopic
stocktaking of a tremendously grown
key Metropolitan Area, in the midst o1
critical evolutionary era. Times ano
conditions had changed: methods ano
instruments must also. An extraordi-
nary appropriation was required.
The purposes Of the survey project
we're debated roundly by the council
board, Chest Executive Committee anG
ultimately the Chest Trustees Board
At all levels it was favorably voted by
an. overwhelming majority that knew
of all the elements of the surveys pro.
posed studies. An appropriation out Of
endowment funds was granted.
We have had the survey. Like Spring
house cleaning" certain of the reports
so far publicized, have made the dust
fly. Now we find premature condemna-
ton and calumny being heaped or
survey, council and Chest by the sons
of the status quo..
Two and half decades ago Wash
ington's welfare pattern: was jungle
its fund raising nightmare. Spear
headed by the late Newbold Noyes, the
Council Of Social Agencies was launched
to bring order out Of chaos in planning
Eighteen years ago the Community
Chest was born to bring unifcation and
economy to fund raising. Both organi.
cations had to battle, then as now, the
mistaken concept that only material aid
Charity counts, the concept that dis
counts the need and financing of
prophylactic and character building
agencies.
Now. with human problems more
complex Individual and communaD due
to the state of the times and a town
grown to a great metropolitan and cos
mopolitan area, a survey to guide the
community's welfare progress for a
decade has been advanced, at cost Of
slightly more than ore-half cent a
year person.
In heavens name, let's "sit steady
and quietly and calmly study this Citi-
zen's Social and Health Survey dts find
ings, conclusions and recommendations
and wait until the Council of Social
Agencies itself studies and reports on a
work performed not by itself but by a
community organization of more than
500 sincere volunteers of courage, con-
science and conviction.
Only upon a restatement, to date, OF
human problems and agencies to cope
with them can we intelligently hope to
create q will and disposition by the
people of this area financially to sup
port adequately the Chest Federation
campaigns OF the future.
JOSEPH D. KAUFMAN.
Daylight Time Saving Opposed
To the Editor OF The Star: i
In editorials on daylight Saving
Time" you state your belief that an
overwhelming majority of the people OF
the District favor D. S. T. But have
talked with number of people and
nearly all are against it.
Some people think they really gain
an hour by D. S. T. Such is far from
the case. What really happens is that
we trade an hour in the morning which
is cool enough for refreshing sleep fol
a hot hour in the afternoon. Every
one knows that that extra hour in the
afternoon, so often cited by proponents
of D. S. T., is much too hot for garden
work or any other outside work, any
way, in the summer. Consequently, un-
der D. S. T., just as under the so-called
WAR Time" people have to reverse
their habitual procedure, which is to
do their gardening after coming home
from the Office, then eat supper, and
finally read the papers, etc. before bed
time.
Many other objections to D. S. T
could be cited, among them the con-
fusion arising at the. time of the
changes, and from passing from D. S. T
to standard time areas, and vice versa
II the District goes on D. S. T, will
Virginia and Maryland do likewise?
Don't you really believe that 1t would
be preferable to remain on standard
time, and then let business Arms,
Government Offices, etc., start work an
hour, or half-hour, earlier If they so
desired?
Congress first passed the standard
time law to secure uniformity. D. s. T.
is step in backward direction; that
is, toward more and more confusion.
Congress should pass law making
standard time on Nationwide basis
compulsory. My belief is that D. S. r.
is illegal, anyway.
At least, let the people Of the District
settle the matter Of D. S. T. and not
leave it to civic organizations.
CHARLES T. ALLEN.
Action Wanted in Glover Park