The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-20
POOR RELIEF In INDIANA
DETAILED STUDY OF THE CUES
TION BY PROF. BUTLER.
Given i'm Seven Years Amounts
to 1898, 44iS1.

poor relief in every township in Indiana
has been prepared by Amos W. Butler.
secretary of the Board of State Charities,
which will be inserted in the current bulle-
tin of the board. Facts and figures of in
terest to taxpayers are set out by Secre-
tary Butler. Among the other things the
statement calls attention to is the fact
that the number of persons receiving aid
from the State is about 10000 less
than in 1897, and that the reduction of the
cost of such aid to the State is close on to
100000 in seven years. The statement fol-
lows:
I'm 1895 the amount of relief given by the
overseers of the poor and the medical aid
in Indiana amounted to $500 1879. The ex-
penditure for these purposes last year was
S236, 723.9S
THE reduction in the amount of aid
given in seven years is 1898, 444.S1. The
number of persons receiving such aid in
1897 was s2,235; IN 1901, s., SOL 1t is strtk-
! ing fact, however, that the number of per-
sons helped by the township trustees and
the amount of aid given in the aggregate
is greater in the past year than in the year
before. The increase is 6.4S2 in the number
of persons aided, and SIG 1915 in the
amount of RELIEF given. In a number OF
townships there has been a decrease, but
| in many the increase is notable. II should
| be remembered that the trustees are new
! officials who were inexperienced in the
| duties of the office and unacquainted with
the law.
Among the counties showing a decided
| increase is Daviess. It's relief increased
| from 2O3O.4S in 1900 TO s4.171.74 in 1901. The
number OF persons aided increased from
/ 800 to S96 The principal gain is in Wash
! ington township. which alone gave more
/ relief in 1901 than given by the whole
! county the year before. In Pike county
! the number of persons helped and the
amount of aid given was almost doubled
! last year. Reports from Knox county
! show that the amount of assistance given
was almost twice that of the preceding
| year. With one exception every township
! in the county showed an increase The
| township containing Vincennes increased
| from Sl,66S.3 to $40407
COUNTIES SHOWING DECREASE.
Thirty counties show less amount of
relief given last year Allen shows the
greatest decrease. s1,OSS.s5. Montgomery,
Lake, Elkhart, Laporte and Bartholomew
show considerable reductions. Elkhart is
an illustration of continued yet striking
reduction in the amount of official poor
relief each year. In 1897 the overseers of
the poor in that county paid out sl5,94OO7.
Each year since this has been reduced.
In 1901 it was $4,000, a reduction of 20
per cent. in four years in the amount of
relief given.
1.-The reports received from the trustees
show that in Indiana one person In forty
| eight, or about 81 per cent, according TO
| the census of 1900. was given help by the
township trustees last year. This does not
include all who were helped by that official
| directly and but few of those given medical
assistance. The proportion of persons helped
varies widely in the different counties.
| The lowest number is represented in Wash
| ington county, where one person in every
! 173 is reported to have received aid. Scott
county shows one in 122, Dubois one in
$40 sI4 a.
Ripley one in 20. Ohio one in SO, White
one in S. Crawford and Franklin each one
in So st. Joseph one in S4, Adams one in
50, CasS and Wells each one in 81.
THE average of the State is exceeded in
thirty-nine counties, notably in Knox,
where the number of persons reported as
| aided is one in every ninteen of its popula-
| ton, and in Bartholomew, where one person
in twenty-One was helped.
THE townships show more striking fea-
lures. We have before had townships
| where one person in six received official
relief. Last year, in Blue River township,
Johnson county. one person in nine of it's
entire population was helped by the town
| ship trustee. In Vincennes township Knox
county, containing the city of Vincennes,
and Prairie township, Nigo county, one
| i'm ten was given aid. In Lawrenceburg
township. Dearborn county, containing the
| city of Lawrenceburg, one in eleven was
| given official relief. Going to the other
! extreme, there are some townships in which
| no one has been helped except to medical
aid for several years. Where there have
been noticeable reductions in the number
of persons aided in many townships, still
the figures are very striking.
THE AVERAGE COST.
what does this poor relief cost each per-
son of our population? The average cost
per capita is cents. In Wayne county it
is greatest-2S cents. Warren and John
son counties show % cents; Parke, p
cents; Monroe and Vermillion 10 cents
/ MonfOOmprU
| Tippecanoe, 16 cents. Owen shows the low
comes next-3 cents-and nine counties
show per capita of 4 cents-Adams, Cass,
Clay. Dubois, Hamilton, Harrison, Hunt
ington, Ohio and Perry.
1.-THE amount of the township levy for
poor purposes gives another method of
comparison. This was highest in Polk
township, Monroe county-3l cents. This is
greater than the entire state levy for all
purposes Excepting the sinking fund and
the school fund the regular running ex-
penses of the State, including the main
tenance of it's great charitable and correc-
tional institutions, could be paid from a
levy OF less than Is cents. This is equaled
several townships.
people complain, often justly. of exces-
sive taxes. The bulk of this burden is
notable illustrations of a high poor levy.
1t is 20 cents in Point township, POsey
county; Brownstown township Jackson
county, and Northwest township, Orange
county. Salt Greek township Monroe coun-
ty. shows Is cents
I'm 1898 there was a levy of 10 cents or
more for the poor in lbs townships in the
State, in 1900 in thirty-four townships in
1901 in forty-seven townships.
ut is to be noted that notwithstanding
the contin Ling reduction one year with an
other in poor relief given the population
of our poor asylums does not increase. On
the contrary, there has been a decrease
each year for the past four.