The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-12-09
Association for Improving the Condition sf
the Poor.
qnIRTEENTE ANNUAL MEETIN0-INTyREsTING STA
TIsTICS OF PAUHSRIsM.

the Poor.
1HIkTEENTE ANNUAL EETIN0-INTyREsTNa SrA-
TIsTfCS OF PAUPSRIsM
The Association for Improving the Condition OF the
Poor held their thiree nth annual meeting evenng
10 the Collegiate church. Lafayette place President
CT the association being absent, Mr.. A. r. Whe,more
of the Vice Presidents, ofcialed a. Chairman The
saaence moderately large and very attentive being
eomposed mostly OF gentlemen. The services
merced with prayer By Rev. DR. hutton.
The Cbarman tnen stated that the nua meeting ha
hut thk bas been ourd too late season for It, and they
VIII ferser eDdsasor TO bave it at an earlier date
inc apIu,i report was 'hen presented. u containei
many interesting acts and specifies the causes Whicn
tsyre operated rDiavoraby 10 the condition Of the poor
mode great demands upon the benevolent resources
". n'foriation dnfing the past year.
Fnss Insufficient employ ment and high prices OF
family necttsares; work was scarce, rent upveduced
md the cost of Evg about exorbant during the
previous year OF scsIcity-ood eeirg high New
York hs m any city 10 America or Europe
*oono, Inc ipladclous rehei or me preceding win
Of TIE Assocaton The relief given by The cy govern
ren instead Of stimulating the poor toindusry and sef
reliance lured them 10 depend aims, undermined
'heir fefrefreci ard offered premium 70 ideness and
menecy. Hence, mulsi'udee who before the pre-
vious winter bad fough cbavitable aid did need
H. beng thereby led expect repetition of gratuitous
rehei, neglected to provide for themi elves
Third. The rciiet OF emerants Notwithstanding the
legal provisions sde for them, there been many
urgent cases which demanded help prove very bur-
Fourth The long and terrible winter wss irving to the
poor end greatly increased the usual demands upon the
cas op storms And
classes more than any other winter the experience OF
| the Association.
While the visters relieved for the being doubtful
they detected impoetors, stimulated the indoent
TO effort the despondng 10 bope ant by caveful dis
mutation between real and pretended indigence
enabled greatly ersea the number Of applicants and to
ampcte on she rampant spirit Of panpers some Of tho
been by relief previous winter
For exempie IL found that OF seventies families
that had been led by the experimental relet efforts Of
1 Drev Wi M imp nAd in
The savings bar ks In another section out Of nineteen
families thus assisted eleven had similar deposits and
Of many Other sectnLs or which th only PIES
Nay II ascertaired that OF real estate
and numerous o'hsr persons possessing tne means OF
mfoIable support bad their names the sritab
lat aforesaid, snd very bitter their complaints
Cf the inhumany which cot them of from gratuitous
relief The cords OF this association show that
than seventy ave per cent OF i benencaies Of TO-
reign birth and Roman Catholics and consequently that
pondng ratio OF its labors and outays arc for
their bepefwhile no. one per cent OF Iva pecuniary
mear', which are wholly derived from private
tome from persons Of thai faith. Such expenditure Of
PIoseeent funos and enors tor the exclusive advantage
OF foreigners and Romsnsts, will scarcely find pa ,Ae
ee~hre certainly not cut Of the pale Of the Protestant
cbprcb
The report Of the Secretary Of state shows the
year endipg December 1886. 2oi lei paupers
heysd at TIE public expense by an outlay OF sia7 s54
psupers, and in expense Of s25T oe6 ST. The
,he state from 1881 TO 1851 and the psuper statistics Tor
the tame period, show the following startling results-
Increase OF population for 20 year. .... cl per cent
| Increase Of pauperism nom annual tables du
In ss there was one pauper to every as pc persons % in
ssl there was one 10 every SO persons In 1851 there
one to every "a PERSONS snd this year there
| 10 every II peryons. Let the tane ratio continue
| E.lctn years longer. and there will be pauper
| 10 every fve persons. Beside the 2o4, l6l pau
| peIs before reported by the County Saperirten. a.
et,s. there we're, es shown by the returns
oftbs Commssorers OF Emigration 142 1857 needy per-
sons sreiieved, forwarded and provided with employ
poynsBl" by ,ta deps iment which, adaed to The fore
eeDg swell the sgaieeaie TO 3seols persons who were
grItueu,y renewed in this Stale during tho past year.
Oh The "a I61 state paupers, ooSie aided in this
city ard OF the s2 3h7 cared for by The Commissioner
OF migration, l3otSS here assisted, making the
wi Gle rumber aided this city the past year. by these
public IsiuinDs, .3i ,6t0 Hence appears nat two.
thirds Of tie rsuperisn of tie entire State relieved
IN the city OF New York. and or these ISL 900 persons
! or rtariy 90 per cent. were OF foreign birth. -
The report rpoke very strongly against ndscruninat
priv amsgvnf as tending 10 Increase paupcrsm and
enrcprsge ,nposiDre II sppfars that ont OF los, ,346
| state psppers, IS G63 made by intempeYs
The Associsiion emplt ys ISL vsers The following
table shows wbst has been done by them IN the different