New-York tribune., 1875-11-16
CHARITY'S WINTER TASK.
EXTENT OF THE DEsTITUTION IN THE
CITY

FOR YEARS VT 'O''@'''N
FROM MANY sOURCEs-LABoRERs OUT OF EN-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES RESOURCES OF MANY
PERSONS UNUSED 10 wANT-CoNDITloN OF
woKKINGwoMEN AND GIRLS.
In n metropolitan city of million inhab-
,ants which, from relations to the whole country
feels first and feels for long time and very severely,
the effects OF general business depression ana
depreciation values 10 which alike in times OF disaster
and Of great prosperity the adventurers rogues vaSa
bonds and parasites of society naturally eravitate
the self-imposed work OF the charitable VIII
never be finished and II properly directed can scarcely
ever be overdone Now-York, in the past has fairly
earned the reputation Of being charitable clty Dih.
the year ending october 9e74 the voluntary oeheiae
tions OF citizens through organized relief socieues
amounted 10 over So 100000 There was IN addition
over 81 800 expended the public hospitals anu
rofornatories and the distinctycly public institutions
OF charity and correction cost over Sl,oooooo more,
making a grand total OF over S5,5OO,O00 expended
toward relieving human misery and disarnns vice.
Probably as much given privately not TO men
ton the vast represented by the articles OF clothing
and food voluntarily bestowed.
Since 1873 the burden of supporting the unfortunate
and the INDECENT has been heavy With tue approach
of November Il has not difficult task TO seeS out
poverty and increasing destituton, and multiplied want
and misery are expected during the Winter MONTHS
This November, thrcatenings Of Winter aboundmg III
wrctchedness announce themselves III tacts tht are w
mstakable IL can scarcely be an eNaggerauoh 10 say
demands which VIII Oe itlt upon
during the coming Winter viii be third greater IMAM
they were hast season. From present indications the city
win he fortunate II this estimate he not found too low
With all that has been done toward 81 sematizng and
recording the charity dispensed in New-lork Cy the
class of statistics concerning this work is apt 10 pe
deceptlve The most Trustworthy Information on TINS
snbiect Is undoubtedly furnished by tho NsltihS
missionaries OF benevolent societies and ths police
authorities But there are additional sources OF
information Day laborers having work are not apt to
exageerae the number of ablebodied men ont OF en-
ploymeni; and those who have no work can give some
estimate within bounds of those in employment Ihe
buidere have most OF them, made their estimates for
the Winter The savings banks give some indication
Of the winters store and the pawnbrokcr shops iurnsh
tangible idea Of present necessities and OF the con-
dition Of the classes Of society most deeply Involved
DEsTITUrIoN REPORTED IN ALL QUARTERS.
The deductions made various information obtained
from The above sources point Ia Winter OF almost M
e1ampled destitutOn in this city II TINS estimate
should happily prove 10 be an eXaggcra10n one thhg'
cav the officers OF charitable institutions is certain fei
SOM irresulue and incapable, drifting toward paup'r
ism can make no capital which would ahoc, the general
result out OF the noise Of preparation and the herald
ing Of woe Ii they should throw themselves entirely
on the public earnest workingmen by me , nuh1Lrus
had dropped and then not he able 10 support themselves
The fact is there Is not steady employnh III w.! 's s r
s time for the men whose work is Of little Nue hesH
themselves as they may ana prosec,s WI ~ 1, h Z %
as Winter advance b"ers sy as In 80 a cNars win
be needed TO obtain contributions TO supply ch"gitane
fnnds and stores equal To those of last Winter for the
reason tbat pcople NAV not feel equally able to give
The enlarged number Of applicants WIZ MAKE II n,9
tary dsburse with increased care ana IN sin,@.ei @
amounts. Unworthy persons will consequently ma ma
living charity very hard task ana no. as 10 He o Gs'
In exchange for the worst drudgery that NOUS out
promise of wages. , , ..,,,. ,,a
yagaDonds nfesting the city through the SUMMER Wa
never before so large the season. and now that
The crops are secured il is expected tdi the arge
numbers reported as roaming through the rural districts
making forced marches ON the cues me a,1Naicc @
the past week were crowded with "repcaters" and
from 30 to 50 persons with board he ana an aios-
pheTe which would almost sufOcate cat Each OF ihcSe
houses r. now visited by - to - persons nightly.
mendicants twOthirds males, small percentage Only l
,tV But this affords no approximation to the number
Of hOuscess beggars and ramrs at present n lhe cy.
They probably number 10000 t. l"oVO As lohI ~ .ts
kind OF shelter hc obtained outside, Inc htatoh
houses Offer inducements 10 any na' ,nG M o., nsS @
stepped ul1ts ana d'a'lIS a'ih's
pheres that they take TO these conditions as II ny secohu
Day iaborers give the opinion that not one in two OF
their class has adequate enplo!uen lncy "a, aU u 2 S
that during the summer lnat u was
Impossible 10 make any provision Tor winter ana many
were forced TO borrow and TO seh many hCmeSHu ART
the employment bureaus indoor radesmen are applying
Tor outdoor work ususiy %n1a, & @ banSss yin
fths class, II Is thought that not many VINO nave nave
,lways lived in the city out OF employ ment Arti-
sans from the interior continually coming 10 New
York deceived in the belief that the city can oer some
thing IN the shape of honest emlloyme&n NV Wncn m ns u
MED them in the country Binders say that the amount
Of unfinished work in The cry rs n9I as sie & d. y T ht
last year; that masOns are having the mosl pu.
thai this field will bc barren by Christmas carpenters
viii obtain considerable indoor WORK dnllns uS NgI'
but there many hands ready TO take up the tasks
Officers of savings banks report railing on IN the deos
s workIngnen ana say that they appear TO be already
using what little they had saved against the demands oil
Winter. IL u significant that the ,NIehny SAVINGS M ne
Bank among hanks visited has suffered perhaps me
least dminutOn OF business. IN ls"l 0l03 accounts
werr opened al the bank and 252 CLOSED Up 10 tne
present tme This year. JSio accounts nave peeh Vlneu
Ind 5l9 closed During tue month Of October, $50 ac
counts were opened ana 42i closed
STATEMENTS or CHARlTY's ALNoNERs.
Tho officers and visiting missionaries of benevolent
mud charitable societies say that from onefourth 10 one
third more applications for relief have already been
made this Fan than year ago. and that many persons
with whom they come in contact ond who are able par
TALLY Ia support themselves will De wholly depend
Unity that demands credence, that desuinton Is TINS
season reaching class which has never before kh2Wh
xh, II WAS Ia want the common neccssilts OI me-
n ~ 49, t n fr;n dcsuton since the panic
by gradually encroachins on what property they had
accumulated. Many of them nave now seen me L,rC
encti ionrooms or swallowed up by the pawnhrokers'
shops. let this class dTllt into pInlfrIsn, say the
pe must be helped far as possible ana
tamilics kept together through the Winter
and relatives in other parts OF the country. There
is an unusu Il number of families IN the cty mlde des-
tutc by husbands seeking labor in the lar wet ana n
obfaing enough support tncmsclves and transport
their families 10 the West u slated at t.e Ofoinu
year ago. ,..'...,.- .,....,.. ,,.on. ,.or, ..ou.
nrmed by visits TO the pawnbrokei7 shops .Ieheiuy
eueakng what the b0nng class once lad that could he
pawncd was placed pawn at low valuation long ago
In some Of e little stalls before the counter ana Wiin
two pairs swinging doors that exclude me mq-iuNe
ewes the pubic, were noticed the batks ol "ti-I9
iped drsse. ma front Of which piles OF snOwwhte
eounterpaIcs other articles OF house hold use one
receneo pawbrokr concerning the profits OF the
business, and confessed thai prospects were unusually
Iodeenng articles Of Winter wearing apparel, "he at
The same summer oNcIcodts were DcnS ucAetu or