The Washington times., 1894-04-15
Citizens Relief Committee for the Poor
and Its Accomplishments.
EMPLOYMENT FOR THE NEEDY
A Large Fund Raised and Intelligently Dis
tributed Among the Large Army of Unem-
ployed-Plan Of Its organization-Every-
body Helped Everybody Else.


was organized. During those three months
100000 was expended, and about 5000 peo-
pie were given employment.
The manner in which the citizens of Boston
went to work to raise money to help the un-
employed insured success. Everybody helped
everybody else; the mayor told the people
they must do all they could to help their un-
fortunate fellow-citizens, and assured them at
the same time that the city would do its share
in the matter.
The plan of organizing a citizens relief
committee for the unemployed worked very
successfully in Lynn. This suggested SINH
lar plan for Boston to a well-known news
paper man. This man at once put his plans
before Mayor Matthews and the mayor issued
a circular TO many of the prominent business
men in very few days. This circular set
forth in part some of the plans the mayor had
formed and called a meeting week hence.
At this meeting, at which the mayor pre-
sided. were representative men and women
of Boston. The problem of the unemployed
was pretty thoroughly discussed, and OF those
at the meeting the citizens relief committee
was organized. The fund was started right
there Money was raised before the commit
tee adjourned.
In few days there was another meeting,
this time OF the regular committee as organ
lied and subcommittee were appointed,
such as special committee for the women's
work and a committee for departments OF
the mems work. At the same time some of
the committee were preparing circulars to be
sent out to the business men and others, ask
ing for contributions. Appeals for money
were made by the committee and by the
mayor through the newspapers. Briefly,
+In, ,,,-. tba I..s,t nA
in raising the 500. 900 for relief work in Bos-
ton. and during the whole whole three months
that is the way almost ali the money was
raised. As soon as the people OF Boston
learned that committee had been formed
for the relief of the unemployed. at the head
of which was the mayor Of the city and some
of its most prominent and wealthy citizens,
and that an office had been selected for the
transaction of business, they began to send in
their contributions.
Mr.. q. II. Dalton was the chairman OF the
committee. Mr.. c. S. Miller was the secretary,
and Mr.. L. W. Peabody. of the banking firm
of kidder, Peabody & Co.. was treasurer. Mr..
Peabody had several thousand dollars to
handle in very short time. Then the COM
mittee looked around them to see what could
best be done for a beginning. There was
some city work which could be done, and that
work was at once considered. 1t was work
which the city had made no special provision
for. and which would probably not have been
done by the city had there not been a relief
committee. An arrangement was made be-
tween the city and the relief committee TO the
effect that each should share in the expense
of paying the men for the work. The city
took big portion OF the expense in many
cases. The wages paid. however. were not
quite equal to the regular scale OF wages.
Men received about three days WORK yer week.
for which they were paid from 81 to SI.j0 per
day. An office was established a which men
were registered for the work. People volun-
teered their services as clerks, and three or
four men were kept busy from morning till
night registering the names of those who
wanted work.
All the time the fund was swelling. Con-
tributions as small as 50 cents were sent to
the committee, and the sums sent in ranged
from that amount TO $1,000. some may ask:
Did the rich people of Boston send in most of
the 500. 200 which was raised: No. they did
not They sent In comparatively small
share of that sum. The $10O, 600 that helped
the Boston unemployed Tor three severe
Winter months came mostly from the pockets
of what might be called IoOr people. Mer-
chants sent their checks for $50. others sent
500. and many OF more moderate means
sent SO, 525. and $50. Many private in
dividuals' sent in sums o. about the same
amounts. Then there We're sums of 800 or
up by each man or woman paving 80 cents or
II from their weeks salary. The liquor
dealers of the city sent in over - 600 and the
school teachers over =. 900. All the en-
ployes of the city of Boston gave a days
salary. and the letter carriers did the same
so there was biz lump to swell the fund. In
some Of the business houses those employed
and the employer himself formed relief COM
mittee of their own. and ior several weeks sent
n portion of their week 5 salary to the relief
committee. The whole city OF working peo-
pie tried to do something TO help those who
were out of WORK. From $1,000 the fund
soon reached $4,000, and SO on, ali sent IN in
the same manner Ited. until the limit seemed
about reached. and not enough came in TO
carry on the work rs necessary.
When tie committee Lad received more
money than il could use !Or the maD on the
street work. plans were at once discussed for
doing somcthiug to help the unec. pioyed
women. On BeJtOrl street t ere was large.
empty warehouse, owned 10y the neirs of the
Fred Ames estate. The -raiaf committee be-
lieved if such a large place could be secured
that uany women could be
put 70 work making raS carpets, quilts knit
ting, etc. The idea was 10 get al! the con-
tributions OF rags. etc. ana with this for
working material pay the women wages out
OF the relief fund. When the relief commit
tee inquired about the Ames property, the
heirs Of the estate told them they might have
the use OF the warehouse free of charge The
whole space included three large floors, each
about $50 feet long and 100 feet wide.
The same plan as carried out in giving CITY
work to the men was instituted at the Bedford
street building. that is. an office was nj once
opened for registering the names OF those
who desired work and for the transaction of
any other business. The whole plan worked
well. In fact. the greater part of the work
and interest of the relief committee centered
around Bedford street after that As the
work progressed there were supplementary
methods suggested, and occasionally some
work OF only few DAYS duration would be
found and given to applicants who could not
be given place on the regular force as then
registered. The women's work at Bedford
street began u few days after Christmas. A
month later men we're set to work in the base
ment OF the warehouse making rag carpets.
This was for the benefit OF the unemployed
men who were accustomed to indoor work
and who could not stand the heavy manual
labor of paving streets or digging sewer
mains.
After the carpets, quilts, etc. were completed
they were sold for as much as the committee
thought they could get for them regardless of
Ihe market value. The papers freely printed
IN account of what there was for sale, of
course, and people went to the warehouse and
helped to swell the fund still more by their
purchases.
There were in all 100 women employed at
.he Bedford street warehouse. making a total
of days work given to the women of so. 1S9
They worked in three-day shifts, and it Was
so arranged that each..shift of workers worked