The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-14
obtain situations which they could never expect

obtain situations which they could never expect
to gain BY any other channel.
"Go there in 1875 and you will see Just the sam
faces as you saw there in 1874" said an hdbtue OF
the place to the HERALD representative. "Every
time have come here for place have always
seen the same men and the same women, pretty
nearly. The men are merely loaiers and lOungers,
VINO cont want work, but just come mere to SIT by
the IRE and chat and idle, as 1t costs them
nothing Secondly, 1t Is alleged that the ''tallest"
KIND OF lying Is practlsed by the clerks In their
'charitv."
Oi course 1t is "a pontn with the offcIals to
make out That this bureau Of theirs has given the
greatest possible amount of employment gratis to
the greatest possible number OF men and women,
10 whom THIS employmentis the greatest OF earthly
Doons. consequently 1t Is the interest OF every
attache to swell the number OF situations pro-
cured, and 1t is distinctly and definitely charged
That the clerks have not aud do not hesitate to
grossly magnify the amount OF employment" CO.
taihed through the agency Of this institution.
HOW FIGURES CAN LIE
IL mas been alleged that the so-caled "oflcial
report" OF the "Free Labor Bureau" exaggerated"
by IoIv over and above the actual number In the
year 1870 alone, and by 20S too many Tor the male
said, the "oiicai agures" So" lied by II OF astua,
lons;" IN 1872 the ofhcial ngures lied by nearly
lo,ooo situations, and IN SIX months OF last year
the ngures lied by nearly 4,500 situations. These
Lying figures" II has been officially charged,
were cooked" by clerks in the employ OF the
bureau ana have tended to cast discredit and dis
grace upon the institution.
Bus not only by figures and report have the
it being their point" 10 swell the Number 'o OF
''stuations'' affirmed by them for the "po0r" they
nave, IT Is alleged III ali cases OF trouble between
the employers and their "hep" taken the part OF
the latter, no matter how undeserving they may
have been: Has man or woman been found un-
worthy OF his or ner situation" and been as such
reported" to the Office Of the Bureau, his or her
fault has been overlooked and the man or woman,
despite OF 1t. st been recommended and sent
elsewhere. because such Is the interest indirectly
OF the employees OF the Bureau.
Consequently tne "heip" have been thus in
directly encouraged to be impairment, and they
soon discovered that whether they kept their
places or not 1t made no difference, but on the con-
trary 1t was rather point IN their favor ii they
TO the Bureaus list, confusion became worse con-
l0unoed, and the ''Free Labor Bureau' became
Mean While, the really worthy poor and indus
trious, for whose relief the charity organized,
favor with the management, and their claims
were completely lost sight Of in the noisy SELL
assertion OF the worthless.
Besides all this,
IA CHARITY RING"
was formed In the course OF time between the
clerks and the men and women seeking situations.
The latter began to lee the former, VINO. in re-
turn for their little rake" would recommend
those parties, even when they knew them to he
utterly w0. thess, to employers.
The "iee" system works badly in two ways.
First, the worthless man or woman VINO is not
really Ill want uses the city's charity thus Tor his
or her own selfish ends, while, second, the really
poor and deserving, Tor whom this very charity
was oIdtbc uOJ having JIG MY CculS OF QOlldr
to fee the Official, are deprived OF those dement's
for which the city pays.
Again, 4 is alleged that various oflcials con-
nected with this Bureau add TO their gains by re-
ceiving fees from "emplovers' tor giving them just
such 'hep'' as they want. Now, there Is nothing
dishonest IN this, so lar AS the employers con-
cerned. but 1t Is IN violation OF the regulations and
OF fair play, Tor the city pays its money to those
with Just the help they want" for nothing ''''''
1t has even been limited to the HERALD represen-
tatlve that certain male and female thieves and
no a fhn 10 aAff ha
Free Bureau "lOr consideration and tnat In one
case where girl was reported to the office as a
tnlel, she was yet within week afterwards
strongly recommended for new situation by q
CLERK who had been "seen."
HIGH SALARIES
have also been PAID to the administrators OF the
clty's charities In this line. The superintendent
o. the Bureau has received $4,000 per annum, and
the expenses of the Bureau have exceeded the an.
preparation by over $1,000 yearly. The Illegal fees
OF clerks have been alleged to exceed $4,000 per
aDnum, and there have been several sinecures
Several Ot the officials are alleged to have been
utterly unworthy OF their trust and to have been
men of dissolute and drunken habits, whose lives
have brought the institution into bad OdOr.
Several ladies have assured the HERALD repre-
sentative that they have always been compelled
the idea OF impertinence and Insult, while several
msn and women have stated stated, to MIN
really decent and deserving man to obtain
situation through its agency, while
people is that it is a mere shell and a mere sham
answering no purposes OF true charity'' or true
funess. It has been cOnfessedly mismanaged from
the start and has thus far wasted not far from
100000 OF tue public money without any adequate
benefit to the poor.
But 1T seems to be simply matter of justice to
state that the present head OF the Free Labor
appointed. is aware Of the bad Odor which
has pervaded his institution, and is attempt
ing to remedy Its abuses. MIR. Edridge claims that
the Office OF superintendent has been abolished and
that he himself receives but $500 year and mo
perQuiSiteS;" that he Is gradually reducing the
prepared to remove at once any clerk who will
take fee from either applicant or employer, and
that he Is dong all in his power to weed out the
unworthy and to aid the deserving poor 10 obtain
honest work, which was the original and sole