The evening times., 1896-12-07
BOARD OF TRACE IS SLOW
Delays Action Upon the Charity
and Alley Matter.
NO MEETING TILL THE 9TH
The Directors Have. Not Considered
the commissioners Letter, and
Final Consideration Goes Over for
Some Time-Operation of Outdoor
System Reviewed by an Expert.

4 -
mittee before the 9th instant.
On that date there VIII he a meeting of
the whole l. oard, when ii will be proper for
| the board of directors to present their
recommended: :ons upon the esubjectfor cunsid-
GRAFTON and action.
In the meantime, the directors are ex-
pected to take the matter under investiga-
ZION. but since the Sd instant 10 special
meeting has been held, and it seems very
| likely now that 10 preliminary steps Will
be taken before the 9th, in order to permit
| of final action then.
Every days delay VIII be preJUdiciaI 10
| the interests of the many in this city de-
| pendentuponcharityf for maintenance during
the winter months, and Inconvenience and
suffering may result should another cold
spell visit us before the general outdoor
relief committee is organized,
PERFECT A SYSTEM
The experience of each year 81 ows that
| simplification OF method and economy of
funds is gained 10y the Capitalization of re-
lief agencies, but 1t takes considerable time
| 10 perfect a system within the many sys-
| tens now in operation.
| The point made by Secretary George 8.
Wilson and Miss Alice II osmer. OF the A S.
| sociated Charities, in their hearing before
,he Commissioners, in which they suggested
| action along the line indicated q love, is that
Capitalization should prevent imposture,
| duplication and delay.
| At the present time there are fully 100
agencies in existence here for the relief
| OF The Ioor, including the police, the Central
| Union Miss on, the III unicipal lodging house
| and the other WE'LL known societies and or
EaniZatiCns formed for general work in the
city and also 10 meet the special needs of
the various church parishes.
The complaint against all these / S that,
lacking system OF cooperation and inves-
tigatiOn, IL not infrequently happens that
there is a duplication of relief or failure
to reach the really deserving cases. II is
also true that paupcrisIn is often encour
aged 10y the possibility of living during a
long period without work, even II il should
be offered.
a general and permanent charity commit
tee could soon hit upon a method of in
vestigation that would place on record
for all organizations and all time the
names OF the really deserving poor, and
also wipe out the growing host OF un-
worthy applicants for relief, who Will not
work and who go from one society to an
other and from one section OF the city to
another in order to carry out their scheme
Of meDdcancy-
IT'S FORM OF WORK.
Since Secretary George 3. Wilson has
taken hold of the Associated Charities he
has changed its form OF work, So that now
it gives but little actual relief and confines
its effoIts chiefly to the Investigation and
recording OF applicants for charity-in fact,
acting as a sort of clearinghou for the
various organizations.
1t divides the city into six districts,
each under an agent, and provides plenty
Of visitors, so that case can be quickly
and thoroughly probed into without undue
publicity or roughness. A woman very
generally makes the visits, and her quiet
but experienced manner and sympathetic
attitude toward the subject OF investiga-
ton prevents unnecessary exposure OF fam
ily skeletons and unhcaled heart wounds,
and also brings cheering influence into
the household.
The facts ~ obtained are permanently re-
corded and the applicant is at length placed
under the care or the society having charge
Of that section OF the city or that looks
out for persons of the religious faith OF
the one in question.
Criticism of Il supposed delay in attend
ing to cases demanding immediate atten-
ton or OF the rcd tape methods that scare
Off worthy applicants, is not well founded,
Secretary Wilson maintains, as the visitors
have authority 10 provid. immediate re-
liefin all such instances, pending complete
search into tile merits.
Another costly branch of public charity
is the transportation from the city OF
persons living or having relations else
where. Mr.. Wilson believes that ut pres
ent much more none Y is spent in this work
than Is absolutely necessary. and too often
dista mt cities are burdencd with the poor
of our own city or of other places.
This is due principally to the fact OF
haste to get rid of applicants and improper
methods of investigation Mr.. Wilson con-
tends that under his system an applicant
seeking transportation is housed and fed
here until they can ascertain whether or
not there are relatives in the distant city
willing TO be burdeBed, or whether he is
not leaving a home and those who properly
should support him in order to become a
charge upon strangers.
PREVENT FRAUDS.
1t will be seen, therefore, that by proper
and efficient observation of the facts in
each case fraud may be prevented, duplica-
ton rendered impossible, the unworthy
poor weeded out and the deserving ones
lifted from the depths into positions of i'll
dependence and selfrespect.
Otder and by far the most important
branches of the Associated Charities work
are the bringing together in personal rela-
tions the rich and the poor, md also the i'm
provene in social and sanitary SUI
roundings of the houses and dwellers in the
alleys.
Volunteer visiting from the rich among
the poor brings the former object about,
and already the number of such sympa-
thetic persons has been vastly increased.
The other important aim of those who
work for the permanent welfare OF the
body OF society "A nd which has been advocat-
ed SO often by The Times, can only be ac-
complished by the cooperation of the
charitable and municipal agencies with the
owners OF the present alley novels.
T'npga IN l,xr r, hnt,s,.S TDuId in "A IA u
years be either wholly done away with. or
else replaced by habtations containing the
modern improvements and permitting the
poor to live in conditions that make for
self-respect and Independence, and not for
crime and poverty,
MONEY EXPENDED.
The central relief committee in 1893
'94 received contributions and supplies to
the amount of $50 o,OGO, and in 1S94'95
to the amount of SIT 900 and a Congress
sional appropriation of $4,000 for the
poor, making the handsome sum OF S37,-
OOOe
During the winterior 1s95'36 the eme--
gency relief committee received about
$4,000, and the police department expend-
cd about 81 500, making total of less
than 81 COO, which, added to the total
expenditure of the Associated Charities,
S5,621 As, makes a grand total amount of
Sl2,7 2.45. which ehumerates the whole
expenditure for the poor from November
/, 1895, to November l, 1896, by the public
agencies.
rms was 25.4 per cent of the amount ex
pended liz '93 and '94 and but "a a per
cent of the amount disbursed in '94 and
'95.
Superintendent of Charities Tracey OBJ
1ecss to the Associated Charities plan on
the ground that pubic money should be
expended By public officials, but Mr.. viii
son further explains tina, his society wants
nothing to do wish the funds. 1t oIly cares
I..d drar llare- a - f.rk 4,