The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04
Charities ASsocia Must Have
Time to Straighten Things.
Are Now i'm a Chaotic
Condition.
MAKE FEW MISTAKES.
Applicants for Assistance Must
Submit to Investigation.
Only Staple Articles of Food
Are Given Out.

The headquarters of the Charities
association are closed today. and Will
be kept shut up a half of each day
next week while a rearrangement of
the goods stored in the building at 111o
Kansas avenue is being made. The
assets of the Charities association, ex
cepting a few hundred dollars in money.
are stored in rather chaotic manner
in the basement and first floor Of the
store building which it occupies. Two
weeks of business have not given much
opportunity to a Strengthening up of
things. The grocery department in the
basement, in charge of Grant Howell, is
kept in a very orderly manner, but the
piles OF clothing need very much to be
overhauled.
A high basement raises the level or
the first floor of the building at 1115
Kansas avenue high above the side
walk, and a set of wooden stairs leads
up to the entrance. The Charities as
sociation uses the front part of the two
floors. Private parties use the back Of
these floors and the rest of the building
for living apartments. There are piles
upon piles of old clothes in the clothing
department. They are heaped about
after the manner affected by North To-
peka flood stock sales and are about as
accessible. The edge of a vest, the
bottom hem of a petticoat or the brirTi
of a submerged hat is all that indica tes
what the article sought is like. The
applicant waits while the person III
charge of the department searches, and
tries on what is produced in a patient
effort to get something that fits
Business in both departments has been
active ever since the headquarters were
opened and the officers in charge say
they can see no appreciable diminution
in the demands upon them. Investiga-
ton OF cases is carried on constantly
and lot of those who secured aid have
been weeded out since their first appli-
cation The investigation will be car
ried on more closely next week during
the shortened hours. If the half day ser
vice of the charities association next
week proves practicable it may be con-
tinued. The headquarters will have to
be kept open throughout the summer
and of course, next winter Last winters
experiment proved that there was a
very ready field for the institution and
the demands upon it next winter viii
doubtless be greatly increased.
| In the grocery department food is
given out in small quantities. w. H.
Jones or Mr.. Van Horn inspect each in
dividual case, visiting homes and max
| ing inquiries. Orders are given for from
4 so cents to 81 worth of food, staple ar
| tieles only being given away. The de-
partment looks like very well equip
! ped grocery shop. Many donations have
been received for it, among them one of
| 500 pounds of coffee from a Chicago
firm. The association has several BUSH
els of coffee on hand, enough to last the
rest of the season. Flour, bacon, ce-
reals, crackers and lard are taken most
/ frequently. Soap, candles, brooms,
clothespins and matches are in less de-
mand but are to be had. Twenty-Five or
more. people, representing families of an
average of four members each, call ev-
cry day and receive enough to last two
or three days or longer. The estimate
of 300 who are dependent upon the as
sociation seems to be justified