Daily Republican., 1886-02-17
Board Of Charities.
REPORT or sUPERlNTERDENx
JOHN MAssEH-wORK DOHE
DURING THE wIHrEk,
A SYSTEMATIC WORK

1 1no DoAru OF Oharltio8 holu D meet
ing last evening, when report, of
which the following is q synopsis, was
presented by Superintendent Massey:
"By comparison with the last years
record We find the number OF applics-
tions has been less. From January 10
TO February 10, 1885, there were 807 ar
plicstions, and 624 coal orders and 1852
grocery orders given out. For the cor
cluded the two snow storms, there were
COZ applications, and 1856 coal orders
and 130 grocery orders given out.
| In comparing our January reports
OF 's5 and '86 we find considerable fall.
iug off. In four OF our busiest sections
We find fifty -one applicants last year
and sixteen this year. One well known
character, who was refused help .Iast
year as unworthy, applied this year
under o different name, and when found
said she was known by both names.
Others have given names of different
mem bers OF the family. BY giving the
same ladies charge Of their old doubtful
cases we find great benefit. We feel
our work has improved In every way
since last year
The following Is n summary OF the
work for January. There were 1,O0B
visits made TO or on behalf Of the poor
and sixty Ave letters ritteD /; 204 white
families, consisting Of 265 adults and
3l4 children, and 164 colored families
Of 184 adults and 201 children received
substantial aid /; thirteen families have
become self supporting, twenty seven
were reported as undeBerving, twelve
a. not requiring relief ard 1--we as having
given false address, 100 women were
referred to the Provident Society for
sewing and So to the Female Beuevo.
lent. 10 were referred 10 the Trustees OF
the Poor, 10 10 private persons, and 8 tD
other institutions 204 were reported as
new cases and 12l as old cases re-
visited.
"The nationAlitiss OF the families sre
as follows: American, 1877; Irish, 32;
German, ID; French, /. Among the
| causes OF distress, want OF work and
sickness are the chief, but intemper-
ance, shiftlessness and old age are also
prominent. The total number of times
application has been made for relief the
present season up to date, February 16.
IL 1918; seventy orders for medicipe
have been filled, 577 GOAL orders and 28l
grocery orders have been distributed. )"
The following supplementary report
was also presented:
"Way faTers' Inn-The failure to com.
plets our labor test. rs We had hopea
the present winter, only makes us more
earnest In advocating the establishment
OF q 'Wayfsrer's Inn and wood yard
in accordance with the provisions OF
our charter. We advertise ourselves "a
being able to take proper care of all the
poor In the city OF Wilmington, but we
are not living up TO our profession
There Is certain class Of men drifting
from city to city, many Of them honest
men IN search of work, many others
"If one OF these should apply at your
door at 8 o'clock In the evening, youtI
only recourse 10 70 send him to the sta
tion house, which Is brutal treatment TO
any man, worthy or unworthy; or you
are obliged To put your hand In your
pocket and give him money, which in
large majority of cases, will be spent
for drink. These things ought not I'd
be. These mon ought to have such
treatment as is best adapted to their
needs, and to the best interests of tho
community at large.
"There ought to be an establishment,
which woula be open until 10 O'Clock o.
night, to which these men could be sent
by any citizen, and also from police
headquarters, where they would be fed
aDdmade com Portable for the night, and
in the morning be obliged to work for
what they had received.
"It would not require large sum OF
money to place such an institution ON a
permanent basis, which, with proper
management, should then become self
supporting. In fact reports come from
In ~, fAh oh L.
siderable yearly profit. As we would
not pay full wages and would use hand
power instead Of steam, we would enter
into competition with the yards already
In existence In our city. Another OBJ
ject OF the woodward Is to furnish tenn
porary employment and as q labor test
for resident families who are now
living wholly off the Associated Chari-
ties under the plea Of mo work, many
OF whom would not work If they could
get 1t.
''If the Levy Court would appropriate
81 900 or 81 800 for this object, which
our act OF Incorporation permits them to
do, we believe they would be sustained
by all good citizens as being q measure
looking to the proper aud human itarian
treatment of u mixed class of worthy
aud unworthy applicants for chari.
ty, now living wholly At the expense of
the community without any return onl
their part, except to return and repeat
their application.
GAS we have said before, we hopel
this subject may receive the serious con.
sideration of the board, because we feel
that our sy stem Is not complete without
1t, and also feel that we are doingl
wrong, and the citizens are doing
wrong in feeding able e-bodied men who
ought 10 earn what they get. 1t would
also be n matter Of economy, as itI
would soon be noised abroad, apdl
tramps would give Wilmington . wide
berth, as they always have q wholesomeI
hatred for anything like work.
Day Nursery hope the ladies
may at an early day turn their atten-
tion toward the establishment Of day
nursery, to which working women can
take their children in the morning, andl
for the small sum of five or six centsl
have them properly fed and cared forl
during the day, thus allowing thel
mother to 20 ounencumbered to her day 'sl
work. Many women, who are Obliged
TO remain at home on account of SMALL
children, would gladly avail themselves
of such privilege.
Dispensary = Another object in|
which the benevolent citizens Of Will
mington are Interested and In which al
number of physicians have expressed oil
willingness to cooperate is that of oil
dispensary, in which the poor could re-
ceive medical advice and treatment
free, or at small cost. This would be
valuable adjunct to the charities OF
our city.
"With the Associated Charities, the
1 Il