The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-04
THE POOR TRADE.
A Well-Known Grocer Tells Of
Its Fun and Its
Pathos.

The testimony of several clergymen re-
Gently given in interviews with reporters OF
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS to the effect that
what restitution there is, is mainly in the
ranks of the habitually poor, seems to meet
with an apparent contradiction from the
grocers who receive what is known as the
s'poor trade" Applicants for aid from the
poormaster receive tickets, which, when
presented at the grocer's whose name they
bear, are good for provisions to the value
specified thereon. The returns from these
grocers would seem to indicate an increase
in restitution over last year.
UNWILLING PAUPERs.
TT remains to be seen whether the class OF
applicants which causes the increase are OF
the habitually dependent poor, OF OF those
who. from lack of employment, have been
forced to apply for aid for the first time. AT
the store of w. A. Rogers & Co., on Com
munipaw avenue, a reporter from The JER-
sEY CITY NEWS was told that there have
been over sixty applicants for aid in the past
six weeks, and that there were this year
many applicants who were evidently under
going a first and painful experience IN pres
enting the tickets. Women, poorly dressed
but evidently of a much better class than the
accustomed applicant, come to the door and
stand there hesitating,~ evidently dreadlng to
make known their errand; until they finally
take out the little pink ticket, and lay 1t
down upon the counter, without courage to
say a word. They take back with them
small quantities of groceries of the
cheaner kinds, to the value of fifty or sew
enty-fve cents. Few of these applicants are
personally known in the store-they have
eyidently zone as far as possible from their
own homes to conceal, as well as they are
able. the new necessity of their poverty.
Among the men there have been a number OF
bookkeepers who apply this year for the
first time; many are laborers out OF employ
ment.
THE OLD TIMERS.
To be sure there are old timers who come
every year, and they are no worse OH than
thew ever were. They often begin with the
statement. made in a high pitched whine,
that the applicant has lived in this city for
anything from fifteen to twenty-six years.
and | never took a penny's worth before"
followed by the announcement that II never
looked to come to this" He or she then
proceeds to work in a business Xix manner
that casts a doubt on these statements, gen
orally declining to take cheaper quail
ties. and finally standing out
for a little something to be
'sthrown M. There were two women who
came in one day ia price prunes; the ordln-
afV variety was LOU gnu OlOuSh5 y my
ordered a half a pound of the best. Then
they wanted something for a Christmas pres
emit. For three days running they presented
their tickets at the store. One day an old
fellow came in and slapped a card down on
the counter. "Here's a ticket" quoth he,
ssit calls for seventy-fve cents worth OF
groceries," in a loud, commanding tone.
ESQ | see," said the clerk. whats youl
flour worth?'' "~Sixty-ive cents" Gimme
a bag of -four and a can of tomatoes" 'But
that's over the amount "Well, gimme a
| can O. peas, them's ten cents!" So off he
! went, with the -four and the peas, and what
! sort of a meal he made out of them no one
| knows.
The new applicants are for the most part
not from Lafayette, where there is little II
| any restitution. They try, as has been said,
to go to a grocer where they will not be
known. The experience of w. A. Rogers &
| Co. will stand asan example Of the grocers
| of the city, and may go to show that there
are cases of restitution that escape the at
tention of the clergy and become known t.
the Overseerl of the Poor. 1t may also go tc
show that the proposed charity organization
may do well in cooperating with the Poor
master, the opinions of a number OF philan
thropists to the contrary.