Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-13
THE NEW POOR LAWS.
Ymp0rtant Points in the Bill to Be
Sent to the Legislature.
OVERSEERS TO BE ABOLISHED.
The Whole System to Pc in Charge of q
Commissioner.
INDECENT CHILDREN PROVIDED FOR

The commission appointed by the Cover.
nor under resolution from the Legislature
to revise the poor laws Of the State has
nearly finished it work. After several
months spent in gathering and digesting
data, an elaborate system for the mainten-
ance and government of the State poor has
been evolved. A bill covering all the
points was prepared, and yesterday at a
meeting of the Poor Directors Association
of Pennsylvania in Erie it was finally
adopted The report, with recommends
tion to pass the bill, will be presented to
the next Legislature.
1t is noticed in the proposed act that the
good features in the great mass of legisla-
tion on the subject that has accumulated on
the statute books since the organization of
the State have been retained, and a lot of
regulations that conflict with the exigen-
cies of the times have been omitted. The
bill recites long list of poor acts to be
repealed. This is done to avoid any COM
plications in the future. Much credit for
the construction of the new system belongs
to John d. Carr, Steward of the Fayette
County Almshouse an6 a member of the
commission.
One Evil Corrected.
The present plan of farming out the poor
is abolished and provision is made for the
training of children under 16 years of age
in some respectable family, or in industrial
schools. Mr.. Carr personally is opposed to
binding out the little ones. In his expert
ence he says he never found family will
ing to take poor children that he thought
were quite respectable" enough. Under
no consideration would he have permitted
his children to be raised by them. 1t is the
intention now to change the> soldiers or
phans' homes into industrial and training
schools and this is contemplated by the
proposed poor law.
On the passage of the act it is provided
that State poor law department be estab-
lished at once, and the Governor, with the
consent of two-thirds of the Senate, shall
appoint a commissioner for term of four
years at salary of 81 900 per annum to be
the head of such department. A room will
be provided in the Capitol. His title shall
be the Poor Law Commissioner of Penn
sylvania.'' He shall have the direction
and general supervision of the administra-
tion of the relief of the poor throughout the
State according to the act or such laws as shall
be in force at the time; and for executing
the powers given to him, the commissioner is
authorized and required from time to time
as he snail see occasion to make and issue
all such general rules and regulations tor
the government of poor law institutions,
for the custody, maintenance and training
of poor children, and for carrying the act
80 oil t1,nr hal
shall think proper. The commissioner may
at his discretion suspend or rescind such
rules and regulations or any of them, but he
shall not have power to order relief in any
individual case. He shall have power by
summons to require the attendance of wit
nesses and to compel them to produce any
books or writings upon any Question or
matter connected with or relating to the |
administration OF the laws for the relief and |
employment of the poor.
Power to the Governor.
No rule made by the commissioner will |
90 into effect until 20 DAYS alter it has been
approved by the Governor and Attorney
General Copies of the rules must be sent
to all poor directors and those working
under the law. Provision is made for the
appointment and removal by the commits
sioner of general inspectors and q clerk at |
a salary of 81, 800 yearly. They shall have |
the authority to examine witnesses, books, |
etc, to inspect the poor houses and in |
mates, and to see that the rules and regula- |
tions are generally observed.
Each county shall constitute a separate |
poor district. and at the next general cleo |
tion after the passage OF the act the quail |
fed voters shall elect three directors of the |
poor for the district composed of each |
county, one to serve one year, one to serve |
two years and one to serve three years, and |
annually thereafter, one to serve three years |
from the first Monday of January next |
after their election and until their success |
sors shall be duly qualified. The directors |
forever shall be in fact and name with ref |
erence to the relief and employment of the |
poor bodies corporate and polite in law. |
Perpetual succession is provided, and they |
can sue and be sued receive, take and hold |
lands, goods, etc, given or devised by any |
person, and can dispose ofthem for the benefit |
of the poor. Bonds are required of each |
director for the proper discharge of all |
duties connected with the office.
The directors of each county shall meet |
and organize on the first Monday in Janu- |
ary of each year and proceed to choose a |
clerk and to fix his salary, and make an es-
innate of the probable cost and expense of |
providing necessary accommodations for |
the poor OF the county Tor the ensuing year, |
and for the first year the probable cost of |
the relief of the poor shall be based upon |
the average cost throughout the county for |
the relief of the poor during the three pre-
ceding years. The probable cost for &C. |
commodation, including the expense of |
purchasing land, erection of buildings, i'm |
provements. machinery, furniture and stock, |
or either of them, shall be certified, and |
copy delivered to the County Commission
ers.
Providing the Expenses.
All other expenses shall be certified to |
the commissioner in the same way. In |
counties where the tax levy is made before
the first Monday in January, the estimate
for the year must be made ten days ahead. |
The commissioners are directed to raise the |
amount of money required by taxation in
addition to the regular county tax, the
funds to be paid out by the County Treas
urer on warrants from the poor directors
The books of the latter will be audited like |
any other officer.
In addition the Commissioners are di-
rected to borrow money, if needed, to carry
out the purposes of the act by issuing bonds
of not less than 500. They can't be sold
below par and can't be taxed except for
State purposes. The directors are en-
powered to erect suitable poor houses
within or without the county and to fix the
of employees. The matron
and superintendent cannot be discharged
without the consent OF the State commits
sioner.