St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-17
FOR CARING FOR THE POOR.
Owners OF Land in the Out
skirts to Permit the Poor |
People
TO CULTIVATE THE SOIL
And Raise the Necessaries or.
Life--The Results in
Detroit.

The citizens RELIEF committee met
at the mayors office yesterday after
noon and discussed what is now
known as the Detroit plan of reliev-
ing.the poor. CT. Buell. outlined the
plan. and quoted from the report OF
Mayor Pingree, of Detroit, which sets
forth the results of the scheme,
which is as follows:
Owners of vacant ground on the
outskirts of the city permit the poor
people to cultivate the soil and raise
potatoes, beans, cabbage and such
other vegeta bles as they may de-
sire The system was not inaugural
ed in Detroit until late last season,
and consequently the results were
not as big as they otherwise would
have been. AS it was some 400 peo-
pie were employed in gardening, and
they succeeded in raising about S14,-
600 worth of vegetables and garden
truck, more than enough to keep
them in provisions through the en-
tire winter. The expense amounted
to So $780, but it would not have been
nearly as large had the plan been
put into operation earlier in the sea-
son. In his report Mayor Pingree
further says in behalf of the plan
that it has the advantage of re-
moving from the minds of those
assisted the idea that they are pau
pers, for they realize that the public
does not regard them as such.
Mr.. Buell. expressed the opinion
that the plan could be tried in st.
Paul, inasmuch as there are large
quantities of vacant land, the own
ers of which would be only too will
ing to allow the poor people to cul-
tivate it, and so provide for them
selves for the winter, and thus large
ly reduce the amount of cOntribu-
lions heretofore made to furnish
them with food. Mr.. Buell. said that
in Detroit
WOMEN AND GIRLS
and even children took care of the gar
dens when their husbands or fathers
secured work.
William Pitt Murray questioned
whether the plan could be successfully
put into operation in ST. Paul or Min
neapolis. The conditions were diff
ferent here than in Detroit, which is
an old city.
Capt. Castle did not agree with Mr..
Murray. He thought the plan was
worth trying the coming spring and
summer, but that it should be geneF-
lie l..
winter of the existence of the relief
committee. Contributors We're be-
coming tired of donating funds, and
the practice of aiding all people out of
work has demoraEzed the poor, many
of whom had reached such a stage
that they had grown to rely upon re-
ceiving relief and aid. Capt. Castle
thought that a large majority of the
poor could raise garden truck. The
Germans in particular, were very sue
cessful in that lire. Some of them
could raise enough vegetables in their
front yards to support their families all
winter
Secretary Jackson. of the associated
charities, also expressed the opinion
that large proportion of the poor peo-
pie could work land, but that the relief
committee would do we'll to go slow
before adopting the proposed plan.
Representative George N. Gerlach
said that he was confident that the
plan would work here. There was
plenty of vacant land west of Western
avenue extending as far out as Smell
ing avenue that could be cultivated,
and Mr.. Gerlach believed that plenty
of people could be found who would
be glad to work the land. He was OPP
posed, however, to going into the plan
so extensively.
This closed the discussion, where
upon the chairman of the committee
was instructed to appoint subcomTnit-
tee of five to investigate and report as
to the feasibility of adopting the De
troit plan in st. Paul.