Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-24
LOOKING FOR A LIFT.
Many Applications for Assistance
Along Lifes Highway.
CHARITY OFFICIALS KEPT BUSY.
Examiner Hsffman Talks on Secondary
Effects of Strikes
SOME pAUPERs WHO OWN REAL ESTATE

The departments of charities in both
Pittsburg and Allegheny report large in
crease in the calls for help from the poor.
This increase is attributed to a number of
causes, some general and periodical and
others local and accidental
At the Pittsburg department, Examiner
Hoffman says there has been q steady in
crease in the demand for outdoor relief since
the beginning of the year. Thus far, he
thinks, the increase is at least 20 per cent
over that furnished to the poor during the
corresponding period of 1891 During last
year there was an increase of about 16 per
cent over 1890. Some of this increase in
pauperism is the result of the growth of the
city, which has within two years been very
rapid in nearly all sections
"Always in Presidential years." said Mr..
Hoffman yesterday, "there is an increased
want among the poor In these years there
is decreased activity in trade and manu-
factures Capital is restrained, and nearly
all the sources of employment are con-
tracted. The closing of the mills here for
an unusually long period swells the demands
made upon us, and the city has not yet re-
covered from the strikes of the bricklayers
and carpenters
Where Calamity Touches
"Skilled workmen in these trades affected
by strikes rarely come to us, but I will show
you how their temporary idleness affects
strata lower down. If bricklayer is
thrown out of work he is pretty certain to
have something saved and his credit with
tradesmen is probably good until he re-
sumes work. But he begins at once to
curtail expenses. His wife does her own
washing, and thus the poor woman in the
alley who formerly washed for them soon
appears In our doorway. In working times
the families of mechanics usually help, in
many small ways, the very poor in their
neighborhood by gifts of cast-off clothing
shoes, etc. When. the strike comes these
benefactions stop, and the calls to us at
once begin to increase.
"Then," continued Mr.. Hoffman, ''there
has been . general dullness in trade for at
least IS months 1t has affected all lines of
business 1 think nearly everybody has
noticed it. I want to say, however, that a
large part of the increased want in this busy
city comes from the great inflow of pauper
immigrants. If that could be cut off pau
perism in our cities would be greatly de-
creased.
'There have this year been increased de-
mands on us for transportation by people
who wish to be sent to their homes else-
where. There seems to be an idea among
rowing paupers that Pittsburg is mark in
this respect, but they get badly left. We
are asked to get railroad tickets for able
bodied men, but we do not do it. Only
few days ago big, healthy looking young
man came in and asked for a free ticket be-
cause he was an orphan. He had to walk.
Tba has al
We are appealed to by women with little
children we generally furnish help.
Fewer Going Over the HILL
"while there has been an increase in
outdoor relief, in the supplying of -four,
fuel, clothing and medical attendance, there
is decrease of Is per cent so far in the
number of people sent to the Poor Farm.
While one cause of expense has increased
another has decreased. |
81 do not think there will be an unusual |
suffering among the poor this winter Work |
is being resumed in the mills, and that will
soon have its effects on the poor clear down
to the lowest If the mills are all running
there will be work for all who desire it,
either in the mills or in other branches of
work which the mills affect. We have not |
felt any effects of the Homestead strike. |
We keep carefully posted on the operations
of the mills, and know just how strong all |
of them are running. That protects us
from imposture by men who do not wish to |
work.
"We will, I am confident, be able to |
keep inside of our annual appropriation of |
500, 600 for the poor. Evenit there should |
be an extraordinary demand we have an |
other fund to be used in an emergency.
There has been nearly s23, 600 returned to |
the Controller during the last four years
by Chief Elliot Yes, and that amount was |
obtained legitimately, too" |
"Have handsome donations come imp"
How Paupers Support Paupers
trNo; it comes not from that probable |
source, but from the paupers themselves |
We have had a number of paupers on our |
hands who have inherited money from rela- |
tives. At their demise we have filed bills |
for providing for them in court and our /
bills have been ordered paid. There have |
been some singular instances during the |
last several years, and it is, generally by |
this and another method by which we are /
able to turn money back to the city. This /
other method may best be illustrated by
recent case which we put through. A num-
Der of years ago a young man was sent to
the Poor Farm. He was deserving of |
charity, as all supposed, and he has been at
tended to as all others have been at the /
farm. A few months ago looked up the
man and found he had some money when he |
was sent to the farm. The money amounted /
to a Thousand dollars, and during the many
years the man had been at the expense of
the city had increased considerably. The
man had never spoken of this money, SO II
figured up his expenses to Allegheny
county for his keeping, and after deducting
the amount of the cash he had, found he
was still indebted to the city. This money /
was duly turned over to the city.
"Another case was that of a woman who
was sent to the Poor Farm several years
ago. She had a sister at whose death she
inherited some money, and we collected our
bill out of that A man was accepted as a
pauper who owned house and lot He
did not speak of his possessions to us, and
no one offered to pay his bills, so when we
heard of it we took the rent money,
which amounts to $40 per month, and at hi0
death we can collect the rest of our bill |
from the sale of the property.
Want to Get an Easy Living.
SIN the majority of such cases it is simply |
a desire upon the part of the person to get |
his or her living gratuitously and hold their
possessions for the time when they leave or
for their heirs. But we closely watch all /
cases, and oftentimes succeed in saving con-
siderable for providing for them.
"Another method of saving money is that /
instituted BY Chief Elliot in locating a |
pauper when they apply for aid and learn
ing where they come from. By this excel
lent system we frequently find that pauper
who belongs to some other county comes
here for aid. In such cases we promptly |
send them to the place where they belong
and charge the latter place for the money
we have expended upon them. As an in
stance of this have but to say we have sent
about 20 paupers to the place they belong.
Also we have found homes for orphans to