Daily Republican., 1881-04-25
ALMSH0USE REMOVAL.
WHAT THE POOR BOARD Is
LIKELY TO DO.
Leading Business Men still Urging
that the AlmshOu be Removed
How the New Street Rail.
way Will Effect Things
What Mr. MeaId Says.

Almshouse removal is again agitating
the people interested in Wilmington S
prosperity toa very considerable degree.
Those leading business men, who, about
n wear ago so strenuously urged upon
the Trustees of the Poor the necessity of
removing the poor-house, have again
commenced to talk about the matter.
They are nothing daunted by their lack
of success the other time, and are just
as eager now as before. The necessity
of removing the almshouse appears
much greater now than it did when
before agitated, and it only remains to
he seen whether the Trustees of the
Poor will be guided by the wishes Of
the people and remove the establish
mcnt or, following their own stubborn
ness, declare after brief consideration
that to do SO is impracticable at present.
The subject will come up again at the
annual meeting of the Board of Trustees
which will he held at the Aims House
on Wednesday OF this week. At the
special meeting held last Thursday
| the subject was broached and an inveS-
CATION directed for the purpose of ascer-
| tanning whether the property occupied
~
ple or in trust. The object Of this was
10 find out whether the property could
be sold. A report by counsel is likely
| to be made at the meeting on WedneS-
day. What it will be in effect is a
III ere matter of conjecture, bbt it is not
thought that there will be anything In
| the way Of titles to prevent the TruS-
tees from diSposing OF the land at any
! time.
The need OF getting tho institution Of
the countys charity away from the
| city limits becomes the more urgent
from the fact that the projected Front
and Union street railway is to be con
| Structed at once 1t was stated to-day
by "a very well informed gentleman, that
when the road was put in operation
many improvements would at once be
made upon the district back of the poor
house property-the best location for
building by far, he said, to be found
upon the suburbs of any city III the
Union, 80 far as his knowledge went.
The nature Of this improvement, he eX
planned, would be largely due to what
the prospects were for ihe removal ofthe
aims hUuSe.
Men of capital would not put up cost
| lv buildings in the neighbOrhOOd of
such an institution, because no persons
able to occupy such houses would care
to reside in the neighborhood of pest
house, no matter how eligible might be
the situation. 1t was, therefore, very
desirable that the Trustees should ut
once take steps which would insure
almS house removal at an early day, as
the longer it remained there without
assurances the more it was injuring the
valuable suburban property, and hence
doing great hurt to the city. With
reference to the Front and Union line
of street railway, 1t is only necessary to
state ut present that the work of con-
struction will be commenced at once
and vigorously pushed.
Mr. j. T. Head, the veteran real es-
tate dealer, by his conversation this
morning showed that he was still
strongly in favor Of the project of re-
moving the aims house. He does not
own foot of land which would be bene-
fitted by the change, in fac he has ad-
verse interests: but he is in favor of the
removal because it would be greatly to
the city's interests. Said Mr.. Heald {:
81 am still strongly in favor Of the re-
moval of the almS house. | think it
one of the best things that could be done
to Wilmington today. The value of
the land in the vicinity of the aims
house, for building purposes is almost
ineStimableif the institution is removed.
The property on which the building
stands and by which it is surrounded
could be sold for sum certainly large
enough to purchase new site and
erect ample buildings. 1t isa matter
in which every citizen of Wilmington
has an interest and it should not be
again postponed