Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-21
THE TOWN POOR, :, x.
Abuses Under the Present Sys-
 tenn of Giving Relief.

Drunkards, Sluggards and Keepers of
 Disreputable Houses Receiving Town | Aid-Radical Changes Recommended d
 by the Committee and Adopted in | Town Meeting.
 The report of the special committee of | public poor relief, consisting of Charles G.. Root, Edward G. Kilduff and Thomas D. | Wells presented at the town meeting last | night, is complete in every respect and must have cost the committee many an It contains 5000 words, exclusive of an appendix, the information collected largely relating to the fiscal year ending Septem- Der 30, 1893. The following is carefully prepared abstract of the report
 "Waterbury has been prodical in It's largesses to the poor. During the year under review it expended S3s. .452 70 in public aims. The disbursements are classified by the select. men as follows:
 Outside poor. ...~...... $2O,275 57 doSpltalS.. ........... .......... fl4I S4 A'mShouSe -................... U,ol9 29 Town physicians. ns................ 500 %
 Total. ................"...... $38, ,452 70
 cSO to the dollar on the grand list Each man, woman and child in Waterbury, from East Farms to Watervlle and from Bucks Hill to Town Plot, was taxed an average of S1 OS for poor relief. These figures, large as they are, do not tell he whole story, for they cover only the aid which was disburSed through of. tlcial channels and which was drawn directly from the pockets of 1he taxpayers. We com psfa. from such imperfect data as We could that the churches and charlt tble organ.zilons oi 'A~ +Hwn spent not less than SIC, 900 in allevlating the pSIii. -oa ro noe n, poverty during the year. VI
 "It is obvious, that the community Is struggling under an enormous burden of pau perism. Nor is it on the shoulders Cf the wealthy class of people that the burden f Ills proportionately the heaviest. The citizen, who by industry, self-denial and providence, has accumulated modest property is re- atively the greatest sufferer Ne found that not less than 55 pe- cent. of the resident tax payers on the grand list of 1892 were several y assessed for not more than $1 900. Every citizen, whether he belongs to the upper tel thousand or lower, who own taxable prop ,rty, Is peled to contribute his quota to the support of the grim and growing army of naupsrsm.
 liable in the appendix to this report, indicates rather impressively the develop nent of puolic charity in Waterbury during the past 25 years. IL shows that from 1869 0 1893, inclusive, the disbursements for uffi clal aims aggregated $4S3 O43. Ii the eX. peases of administration aud the cost of new
 
 he round total for the quarter of d century would approximate S6OO, QUO. The increment in aims during the twenty-five years has striKingly outstripped the increment 'n population and in the grand list. Ia 1869, according to the table, the total relIel amounted to $6,799, while in 1893 il was $3S. .452, an increase of 462 per cent. The popular ion of the town is estimated to have 6een 12 S34 in 1869 and 35, 800 in 1893, the growth being 176 per cent. The grand list on which the tax of 1869 was levied was S6, 300 .005. while twenty-five years later 1t was Sl0 SIS. .S36, the expansion chg laggard 56 per cent. In other words while the lauper expenditures in Waterbury during the 25 years have bounded f,rward 462 per cent. jhe census increased but 176 per cent. and the grand list, striking leisurely pace, grew out 56 per csnI. Your committee are not convlnced that changes in the character Of our population or in the condition of our industries jusrIfied per capita pauper tax of $1.0S in 1898, as against 52 cents in 1862"
 An elabor ite comparison of the cost of~ poor relief in Waterbury with the amount of atd granted iu HaIious other sections Of the pury's relief htures arc -snown to be n0taDly bigger than those obtaining in most locali- ties. The report then proceeds 10 discus sion of the