, 1874-11-08
The Amount Which Will Be
Required This Winter. ..
Opinions Of Mr. TruSdeu and the
County Agent.
Reserve Fund in the Various
Savings Banks.
Amount of Money Expended
by the City.
Present Condition Of the Labor
Market.

; >. Nld1k6Es
! There is perhaps no city in the country whic
has euch reason to be thankful for years. fnl
+. need OF blessings "a tho Chicago Of 1874. i
almost every respect tho city is much better o1
this year than it Was last, eyeu tbs great fire O
last July being now universally acknowledged II
bo blessing in disguise rather than g misfor
tune. At this time last year the city was fee1in
the worst effects OF tho panic, IN the shape Of a
impoverished working population, before who's
faces 1ay the painful prospect OF q cold winte
and no work. This year there haa been NJ
panic, however, and the only cause tt
which an increase in the number q
sufferers, apparent. could be attributed woult
be tho natural increase Of the city, which ha.
probably 1000 more population than this time
laat year. In order to ascertain the present CON
dltion OF the poorer classes OF this city, and
thei- prospects for the winter. TRIBUNE re,
porter called yesterday at three OF the leading
public chaTities Of this city and interviewed the
heads. The first place callod at was
TIE RELIEF AND AID SOCIETY,",
where tho reporter mot Mr.. Trusdell. In
answer to request that ho allow himself to be
interviewed, Ar. Trusdell said that Le had no
objection otner than that he had found that an
| advertisement Of the soclety's affairs in the
| daily press never failed to produce rush for
relief ue1t morning.
Mr. Trusdel-Of coursa We arc glad to see the
worthy poor come. and help them al We can, but
the class which the newspaper articles send us
are the floating or constitutional paupers, the
thieves, broseu~dnwn bumnaers, pimps, and
gamblers who seek to retrieve their fortunes
1t our expense. I can tell you safely, how
ever, that We have got tho work 80 systematized
here-our record OF naInes is so per1ect-that it
is, I may say, impossible for any one to impose
upon US. These men come Endorsed By clergymen,
merchants, and Aldermen, but l think they will
5000 learn that their efforts to deceive are un-
avaiiiug.
Reporter-What do you consider the condition
Of Chicago to be to-day as compared with this
time last year. from lelief-and-ald poiut OF
vlew7
Mr. Trusdell-Chicago il 3 great deal better
OF than she was thls emo last year. Last year
the city WAS raralyzed By the Pauic. THIS year
It Is perfect hee-hive. I believe that there are
1T present in COURSE Of construction 1880
houses. Up to wipte1 these all give occupation
to largo numbers Of bncklayeTs and Outside
meu. Almost all Of them will be rooted il by
winter, and will then give occupation to 3 large
nnnnbet Of finishers~ In the burnt district
1t construction. Why, this time Inst
year ! took drive through the
city, and could not hear bamner-sttoke from
one end Of It to the other. The factories we're
then shuttine down, but there Is nothing OF that
k1nd to report this year. Every day that the |
ans we2tler holds out is worth thousands Of !
dollars to Chicago. Money in easy, and people |
can get the means to complete these buildings, |
md they will all do 80 as BOOB ss possible Taks
it altogether. the city Was never 1t this time
Of year in AZ good shape as it is at present.
Reoc,tcr-1 am g14d to hear that How 1s the
supply OF labor this year IS compared with that
Iii. .Trusdel1-Fortunately the supply Of labor
s not 80 large The surplus Of labor whicL was
ete leie after tie hle, and which persisted 10 |
until the lesson Of las. winter left here
u the spring, and has had the good sense not to
,oIna back. !
Reporter-What did they leave for? Did las.
EinteE frighten them?
Mr.. Trusdell-ra1tly that. but mostly becauye
he prospect OF work in lhe bogiuulus OF the
ummer was very poor. There ia another reason
ondltlon at present. Tho usual fall lntiu1 Of
'o5kmon to Chicago has not yet taken place,
nd hope that this Year it will not, There u
= no means too much work for the workmet.
lat are now here. |
Reporer--Do you think that tho lessons OF 1ast
inter have taught the working classes tho ID
antase ot preparing fur had times by saving
portion OF their summer earnings? :
Mr. Trusdell-I think that most OF them will ;
OF save, no matter hos bitter lesson tbef mar
1iB respect. !
Repatriation much money hare you got to !
l1ry on vour winters work :? +
Mr. 1ruedell-Ttat cannot tell you, It not IT,
s IN M hne bnt do know that it is amply SUIT 6
ent the people are not stirred up to such &C 7
on ~ last winter by tho organized attacks upon
e soc1e:ys fuuds bT The city authorities : !
KeporteT-How does the work ra1u nov?
an m1.Irusoei!-We are receiving from twenty five $
teirty applications, and paving out about 500 | c
lily. Bus this is Perhaps the least imp ,rtaut Of
g good done by tho Society. There il h.rdly
spl'al Or charitable institution in tile city
'lcn has m not received large sums from the So :,
:ty. There are at our disposal beds IN The dr. tt
rent hospitals. as follows: Forty lu the Mercy pt
'spital, Is in the st. Luke, Is in the s.. n. c1
pb, Is in the Women'o aud Chi1dren's Is IL the &C
e1taq B. .others', Is in the Hahnen,ann. aud u y
tents gift to the hospital Of 81 ,ooo. The s. th
y has also endowed sll the free dispeussrlos OF
tue city: L 's also at present build ea ea
an "old Peoples Home" which ba
be completed this winter and to ready to &C. on
lse will be free to al and quite untramm+led 6a
sectaran'sm. This institution is an expanded an
N OF tue - Old LADIES' Home' Tne man ch
rs Of thls institution vacated their charter trs m
deorganized under n new one. the Relief and WI
!: Which will be the finest OF its kind this side oa
New England. Thus you will see that the work be
tue Relief s3d Aid Soc1ety cannot be els els
aauoA ny tne ssALeIaentA In tt6 monthly re- 49,
t. rec
TuK COUNTY AGENT ~,
he next place at which the reporter called va. ing
office OF the County Agent Oh Canal a,reet. da5
q he found Mr.. Dledon struggling with M aue
y Of Whitewasbers, who bclabored The valls thu
the large. long room with their brushes IA II
-cetlcally as though they we're a Committed the
investigation preparing majority report dep
Dieden apologized for the xonsv.trrvawoo. WaE
IN OF the Agency, but added nur
r. Dieden-The Commissioners like ma RI rnat
J things we'll whitewashed- There's nothing and
white wash to mako things look clean. OF I
10 reporter could not help smiling 1t the | asv
nty Agents ingenious. bus unlntentionaI ing
c1sm OF his superior officers. and beran 70 1ncr
a his inquiries ~ folloue: the
'porteE-Mr. Dieden, how do You find vonr
( this year as compared with that OF last? D
'unty AEeut-An increase is noted Wa hava Hay
It COO more families on orr handa +,,.. ~. ~
khie time last YEAR this
To what do ron at+,;h,+a time
cias
unity Agent-The chief cause is tha fra os rem,
July. Ont OF the 600 famliea $50 NAV be seas
lown as being driven TO US by the fre. the A
{ $50 being set down as natural ;1cra,aa Wor
proportion OF those burned out by tbe fra I wori
OF tho very poorest class--Habrnwa co1 mon