Evening star., 1897-04-08
THE DISTRICT POOR FUND.
Its Distribution Explained in IL Letter
From the Com mmissiOners.

From the commissioners.
Following is the text of the letter ad
dressed by the District Commissioners to
the select committee of Congress making
inquiry into the charities OF the District.
ana to which brief reference was made in
The Stars report of the proceedings before
that committee yesterday:
The Commissioners of the District CT
Columbia have the nonor TO acknowledge
receipt OF letter from Mr.. Charles Moore.
clerk of your committee, inviting them or
their representative 10 appear before your
committee a O'Clock today or to make
written statement with regard to the
method of distributing the annual appro-
priltion of Sf3OeD for the relief of the poor.
The Commissioners have thought that a
ritten statement might be more concise
end satisfactory than oral statement,
and therefore submit the following:
The allotment of this fund made for the
relief of the POOR for the current fiscal year
is follows. For physicians TO the poor,
81 800; for medicines and printing prescrip
tions for physicians to the poor. s.. 100; for
womans dispensary. $500; for Aged Wo-
mCn's Home, $5o1; for cof1ns for INDECENT
dead, 500. and for emergency reilef OF
CO sss Investigated through the police de-
TartnIent on order of the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia, or recommenda-
tions of the superintendent of charities to
lie distributed in provisions. fuel or cloth
ipg by the police. $1,000 The item of
SI,2h for physicians to the poor is the same
amount which has been named for the same
purpose for many years. Formerly fif
teen physicians We're employed At the rate
Of so per month II having been ascertained
that this number of physicians could not
adequately cover the territory of the Dis
trirt. instead OF fifteen physicians at $40 per
month. twenty Were employed at $40 per
month. That has been the number en-
picyef for the past three years. They are
paid only for the time actually employed;
salS
Ce1urtei fer the time lost According to
the estimates OF the health officer. made in
HI annual report for the year 1896. page IL.
The average cost for patients for medical
attendance has been =, cents: hut if the
number OF visits and office consultation he
taken into considera tior. the average
amount received by each physician for visi.
Or Office consultation has been nut - cents
ne duties OF these physicians outlined
IL instructions issued to them by the health
officer. copy Of which is hereto appended
The item of s3.Ioo for medicines and
printing prescriptions for physicians to the
poor Is the same amount which has been
allotted for this purpose annually at least
as far back as 1874 Eighteen druggists to
t!ie Door are appointed, who paid by
the District for goods actually furnished
IN accordance with an agreement signed
by the druggists Ia copy OF which is here
10 attached), from which it will be seen
that the average cost of the prescriptions
flied by the druggists is between - and
- cents
The allotment to the wornan's dispen-
sary Of $50 is to an institution located at
a. street and Maryland avenue southwest.
The building is owned by the trustees of
The Miner Institute, an associa ton of pub
Hc-spiT1ted citizens, who receive fund for
the education and care of colored youth
As will be seen by the report by the SEQ
retary of that Institution. and contained
on pages S'3 and G4 of the report on char
liable and reformatory institutions of the
District of Columbia for the wear 1896 no
salaries are paid to any in that institution
except the sum of so per month to an
apothecary- Having no regular appropria-
tion for its benefit the Commissioners
deemed it proper to devote the $500 to its
laudable purposes from the fund for the
relief OF the poor DR. Joseph Taber John
son IS president of the board Of directors
The Aged WOmen'S Home is situated
at 12:i1 ::;ei street northwest. Mrs +. KEN
non Is president and Miss \. y. Riley is
secretary and treasurer Thirteen aged
poor women are taken care of in this home
as appears from the report of superintend-
ent of charities for 1893. page 81 The
only certain income had for this institution
is Sl44 per annum from invested MONEYS
making. with the public funds received,
total OF SH4, and the annual expenditure
is about $3.50.
The item of $500 for coffins for the in
Urgent dead Is an allotment which mere
y pays for the material from which the
coftins are made, the labor being furnished
by inmates of the Washington Asylum.
The collins are furnished only to persons
"HpSt IdfnlilsS or relatives are wholly
without means to provide for their burial
The last item explains itself. During
the inciernent seasons of the year cases of
great desituton and of immediate ur-
gency are relieved upon reports made as
10 their condition by members of the po-
lice force The money is used wholly for
the purchase of provisions. fuel and cloth
ing. and the Commissioners have regarded
these expenditures having been care
fully and satisfactorily made. 1t may be
proper 10 advise your committee that there
Is another fund disbursed by the supern-
tendent Of police for the same purpose
namely, the interest on the amount
S2h.Wo, received March 1s 1889 from
the executive committee of the inaugural
ceremonies of March 4, 1889. This princi-
pal is invested at per cent per annun
and yields annually 81 $50 The Comrnis-
sioners have within the past few days also
received from the committee having in
charge the late inaugural ceremonies the
sum of 5000, which viii be invested in
the same way for the same purpose. II any
further or other Information is desired by
your committee. the Commissioners will
take pleasure in furnishing the same upon