Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-12
Overseer Chas. A. Hyatt is Now
Helping Thirty-two Families.
COSTS COSTS SStlQ0.S7 PER MONTH A FAMILY
Figured Down to Fine Point-County
Helps Each Indisent Poor Person
TO Extent of About Two
Dollars Per Month,


to keep the paupers of this county dur
ing the past three months. This may
seem rather far-fetched at first glance,
but professional paupers are given no
encouragement by Overseer of the Poor
Chas. A. Hyatt. To draw money from
the county treasury the recipient OF
county charity must be worthy ana
each case is carefully investigated be-
fore the applicant can put his hand in
the county till. His previous record is
looked into, and that with the present
condition of the family determines the
length of time the county will help.
1t often happens that worthy people
are temporarily distressed, but it is
not hard to determine to which class
they belong. /. 1t often occurs that a
woman with drunken husband who
will not support her is forced to seek
the assistance of the overseer, and if
all the self-respect has not been beaten
out of her by her lord and master she
will exhibit shyness that is truly pitt
tul. Those cases are the exception
rather than the rule although there are
many worthy persons who seek county
aid. 1t is rare thing that men seek
/, county aid. If they be married they
!. Invariably send the wife or one of the
girls, If they happen to have any, and
it usually happens so. This is supposed
woman can more readily work on the
sympathies of the overseer than man,
but sometimes when driven to despera-
ton man representing worthy case
will make application. The question,
of course, naturally arises, if the head
of the house is able to come
to the oyerseer's office, is he not
able to support the family in these days
of prosperity? Circumstances alter
cases. Some of the applicants are I'M
worthy, but at the present time prac-
tlcally all those who receive county aid
are worthy. The system of carefully
examining the needs of each case soon
brings to light the unworthy ones and
they who are unworthy cannot stand
the searchlight and they know it is
useless to try deceptive Methods
The total number of families son the
county" Tor The past three months ay-
erages thirty-two. Counting five per-
sons to the family this gives total of
$50 persons. To keep these people Ov-
erseer Hyatt has paid out from the
first of Septembec to the first of De-
cember. $347 80. or S10.s7 per month,
per family. With this money the fam
sslx has ought groceries, dry goods,
ekboots and shoes and fuel. This gross
amount includes the sums spent for
transporting INDECENT persons to places
outside the county, many times to their
former homes, before they gain resi-
dence here and thus become county
charles. The amount also includes the
item of funeral expenses. These latter
items would reduce the cost per fam
lily to some extent, as they did not re-
ceiye any benefit from the item of
TRANSFORMATION, and money paid for fun
eral expenses does not buy eatables or
clothing for anybody. These figures
mean that the county spends $10.S7 per
month to support one family, or esti-
mating each family to number five,
the cost is $2.17 per person for the
same length of time. 1t stands to rea-
son that these people try to get along
In the world and are not professionals,
else they could not possibly live on so
small an amount.
Last month Mr.. Hyatt distributed
$127.1s, among the applicants for aid.
OF this amount $9s.50 was spent for
groceries, $3.50 for, dry goods, boots
and shoes, $S75 for Transportation, and
$16.44 for fuel. The preceding month
the figures were reduced by $17.9O, not
a material decrease, but it shows that
charity is not indiscriminately distrib.
nted. As the weather gets colder the
expense increases, but not in the ratio
that might be expected. In October,
$3.50 was spent for groceries, $13.65
for dry goods and shoes, S3.13 for trans
portation, and 81 for funerals, making
q total of Shops. For the month Of
September there is difference of Just
6 cents and the total for that month
is Sll0.34. The difference in the items
for those months is that the bill for
funerals has been transferred to that
OF fuel, and the cold snap about the
time OF the street fair, accounts for
it.
In 1898 the county spent for the aid
of the poor people in the month of No
vember. $1s301, $55.S3 more than was
spent for the corresponding month in
this year. November weather in 1898
was much more severe than in 1899,
and The grocery and coal bills account
for the difference with possible in
crease in the number of families to
whom aid was given. In October of last
year the total amount spent was $146.33,
$36.05 more than was spent this year.
In September, 1898, $12O.61 was De to-
tai, s10.27 more than for the CORE.
spending. month this year, making alto
gether difference for Sthe three
months of $120.05. In the correspond
ing three months in 1896, $1,225.s5 was
distributed in charity, as against $347. so
during the same time in 1899, or diff
ference of $s3S.05.
In 1898 the total amount spent by the
county for charitable purposes amount
ed to $3,956.73; in 1898 it was 81, $685.
and the estimated amount for 1899 is
I S1,s54.o3. The amount. already dis
tributed amounts to $1,72903, and Ov-
erseer Hyatt estimates that it will yet
cost, during this month, the sum of
$l45. =,
Other figures We're taken from the
books of Overseer Hyatt and other
comparisons made, but the most strils-
ing figures found were for November,
1895, when the county spent $1,595.O4.
for groceries. fuel, clothing, etc. for
poor people, nearly as. much as ii is es-
timated it will cost for the whole year
of 1899. The marked difference OF
money spent by the county for charity
is accounted for in variety of ways,
chief among them being the fact that
the rrosperity Of the country has Given