The sun., 1893-12-24
DISTRESS IN JERSEY CITY.
kHR BUsIEsr lE<T lChoss SORrH
RITEB n nHs PooaM<tfkA

wssk-rvsryseey g.er,> % Bi..s Tsrin
Asss.ae--Fsstoriss % Short TIVE and
so-s May shut Down Ansr Jan. 4
Poormsstsr John G Hewitt Of Jersey City ID
providing food and coal for 1.12o persons who
are destitpta For three weeks the number
has Increased at the rate Of more than hun
dred week. and there Is no prospect at the
present time Of q cessation. Men and women
who have never known what want Is make up
fair share OF the applicants. There
are twice as many destitute to-day
ss there we're last year at this time.
and the number bids fair to double
again in very short time Many factories in
the city are reducing their force OF employees
Other businesses are cutting of from the num-
Der Of hands employed too. skilled workmen
Of allkinds are walking the streets looking for
anything TO do that will bring them in a penny
The depression that results in oil this desttu-
tion is said By the citizens to be due to the
tariff agitation.
Besides the destitute who are officially
known through Poormaster Hewitt. there Is
not church In the city that is not caring for
poor families. The Catholic churches have
branch OF the Society OF st. Vincent de Paul
organized in nearly every parish in the city.
and hundreds are being cared for by them.
Besides the destitute that are being cared
for By the Protestant churches as churches.
the organizations OF the King Daughters. the
Helping Hand Society. and the Society Of Ch ris-
tian Endsavor are being taxed almost to their
capacity to care for the cases that come under
their notice by appeal or are hunted out by
the young women members who go about
daily visiting the homes OF the poor. No reli-
able estimate OF tho number Of men out OF
work. who usually havo work at this time Of
the year. can be obtain ed. for there Is no great
.ha N ha pit that n
record OF such things. One estimate Yesterday
was that thsre were 10000. IT is not thought
that that IL very much. il any over the mark
Last night the big Lorilard tobacco factory
shut down. Between 5000 and 1000 hands
are employed there. 1t was announced that
the shutdown was not due to hard times. bul
was tbs regular annual shutdown to enable
repairs IN machinery and the taking Of m ac-
count Of stock. 1t was said that work would
be resumed In a months time. probably.
While the greater number OF the employees in
tho works have anticipated the shutdown and
have money saved TO carry them through
there are many who have not been frugal and
many whose very small salaries have not en-
abled them to save anything. They will have
TO apply for aid to charitable persons.
or the businesses that have reduced their
force, those In the Griffen Iron Works. which
made cut OF fifty persons. and announced
tnhL AnOtnok cut WOulu DC mhue bHOrty.
Nearly oil the other iron works and foundries
in the city have followed the example OF the
Griffens, and are running with greatly reduced
forces The sugar refinery. where nearly 1000
= men are ZEN ssTpIoysd 1 ts sS sSous the orly large rye
breweries are affected. Not 80 much beer has
been sold since the hard times set in. and
There 10 considerable distress in the north |
end of the city. where the chief business is that
of them with reduced forces. and the persons |
thrown out Of work are Of the class ,s., that san
Poerrm@ @ aster Hewitt said Yesterday; ' "''''
IT 10 fact beyond dispute that tho distress |
in years. The fiscal year OF this department |
ended Dee. !: During the year 5sl families, |
%S e. S.rs c
s dcs 81 now ss
tiop. 100 were the families Of men who |
bad had good employment, but who |
mean @ that they were @ unsSilisd laborsrs.
They were clerks. statesmen. and mechanics. |
well, but there was no employment for them. |
begtnninR the new year on Dec. there were |
Ss Dsa ig ssre we're and
ssn1 sS1as .s IL Many .a d as
was out Of work before in his life, know him
home with a wife aud Ave children. There |
was no IRE in the house. and not so much |
Ssen OUT out o. % work for $50 somo ' mSnths. NO ue
His money was al gone. and his credit was
left for him but starvation. There was al other
case OF family OF three. The ono child was |
had been % married % only S' year. ga % The husSand
had l9st his place because mis- employer had TO
turned everything they possessed into money
TO supply the bare NECESSITIES :e OF life. Now
shst ~ s;ons s or Sonr. eia hn"thgr case was
bis trade; He has wife and seven children. |
lie lost his place seven weeks ago The little
everything on which he could obtain u cent. |
An that was left in the house was a table aud |
good Tor anything but frewood, ~ " ~
I'm the busiest man in the city these days"
morning at o'clock. but it was after l O'clock
bstore got chance to eat my breakfast lt
to sn s1 what the distress ,SSn T
IIss here yery seldom shut down in the duliest
everlasting and Internal tariff tinkering is rs-
sponsible for the hard times. and don't LOOK
settled. II bad legislation or false legislation
Is responsible. then It Is time that some
government TO Its senses. 1t would be good
thing II this army Of unem ployed could march
direct cause Of their trouble see the evil and
let them pay the piper Thoy sit down there
HOUSE and the dignity Of the Senate. What's
dignity TO man that's hungry TO my mind
It IL a national disgrace that In a country like |
this any person who Is Wiling should not be
:, INQUIRY was made among the ministers OF
the various churches. They were Ayerse to
talking In any but general way, for fear that
something might be said that would hurt the
feelings oi some OF the folks who were forced,
much against their will. to ask Tor aid. One OF
he doyn.towr ministers told Of dozen cases
There was not one. he said. where the head Of
The family had not until recently had a place
Iamily of twelve that he found starving Not
lne OF the ministers seen told of fewer than a
iozsn families. and one had thirty on his list.
Besides the i4mtlise they are caring for. the
ministers said they had an extraordinary mum
Der Of appeals for aid from men who were not
reporter for TEE Sun rode from the lower
part OF the city 70 the Hill on a street car yes
erdey afternoon- There were dozen on on |
he back platform. An acquaintance OF one
Iot aboArd; They crested each other this
.ay; Hello. Frank. got anything TO do YETI"
No. Its q, pretty tough Christmas for my
,ilL" S'-
Another OF the twelve men spoke up: We'll.
am h Ina a.