New-York tribune., 1876-02-28
STAlION-HOUSE LODGERS.
A LARGE MAJORITY or THEM "R voLvERs THE
RECORD FOR A MON IL.
h. IL Nm

A LARGE MAJoRlrY OF THEM "R voLvIRs THE
RECORD FOR A MON IL.
To the Fdifor or The Tribune.
SIR: Some remarks in your paper Of the
25th inst under the head OF The Growth of Pauper
sm" may create the impression that the number of
homeless persons 10 whom lodging WAS gwen nj The
station houses OF this city last month represents over
$4,000 separate individuals The fa is. That while the
police returns show that 1882 peT6ons-G5lS being
women-werc housed in January last at the Twenty
ninth Precinct, where such accommodation IL provided
there are not than 500 500 indS iduals who
ceve such lodging any one night II would be safe
to say that these chiefly represent "reYolyers or
FOUNDERS persons who spen the Winter in these free
quarters living in idencss and filth the proceeds Of
h. Gcing thieyiDg Tho respectable persons who I'M
f,rtunatey drift mt snch associations form but q
SIN II proportion OF the whole number; the police
frequently act with much consideration toward these
and dIrc toward free cheap lod nchouses for
which they are supplied with tickets have known the
uso Of llsoncell COR lookup granted for the hight
until Quirod to keep some more respectable individual
scraratc the ply scgl aud moral contamination VI
the common room No record, however, Is pt at the
station houses which would determine the actual numb r
of separate individuals lodged in this way during the
month Somo are well known 10 the police rs regtilar
dodgers several years Some more intermittent In
their recourse this mode Of life, but It s moi unchar
table that sympathy would bo quite wasted on
the large majority Of this section 4 our population Many
Instances could be Civ show how useless Is 70 ofer
work ana pay to these persons.
II may bo well TO explain the technical meaning OF tho
word, IeyOlyefs" An old police regulation more hon
oed In the breach than the Observance required that
persons snould sleep consecutive nights o ono month
in the same precinct. As there 90 precincts the
dodgers learned how evade thc letter of this rule
by revolving around them, beginning again with each
new mouth. 1t Is OF the Importance 10 make this
explanation public. the police returns seem TO have
deceived even experts In such matters In the annual
report OF tho Association for Improving the Condition Of
the Poor for 1915 there Is a paragraph proving that
above onetentl OF The entire population Of this city
slept ~ st.iou-house during tho three preceding Win
ter months the fact being that 900 persons slept
in the 20 precinct, during 90 consecutive nights, giving
total OF 10000 FOR that period. The same fact formed
the staple Of the speech OF prominent olcrsyma at
recent charitable meeting
/ inclUse fof your Information statement prepared
from the police returns which shows the actual number
OF cdgcrs in each station house during tho months OF
January 1873 and 1876. 1t is observable that while
there were fewer males last month there large in
crease in the number Of females thus lodged The truth
OF my remarks to the character OF the dodgers can
easily be tested 10y any who will take tho trouble to
visit come Of the staiouhOuscs about 10 o'clock at
night 1t will not DO altogether sgrecabo duty, but
there is good deal Of Information to be gained by prac
teal inyosi. gallon OF tais SORT Yours truly.
ser rori, Feb. %, 1876. HLNgr h. PsIAtw'