New-York tribune., 1907-01-23
CITY MAY END CHARITY
METZ STARTS PROBE.
Thinks He Has No PO1ccr to Care
for FOundRngs.

Believing that In many cases children placed
I In homes by the State Charities Aid Association
| ana the Guild OF the Infant Saviour had
been neglected, Ill treated and found with
! drunken guardians. Controller Metz threatened
| TO cut off the city's money for these Organiza-
| tions. They receive 50 Sc week for the care
| of each child. DR. Daniel c. Potter, chief audi
tor of accounts of the charitable institutions di-
vision OF the Finance Department. informed the
Controller that he had power to make these
payments. and then the latter told Commissioner
Hebberd. Of the Charities Department. that he
would cut off the payments on February /.
When the organizations heard Of the Con-
| troller's decision Joseph H. Choate. president
OF the State Charities Aid Association. arranged
a hearing with Mr.. Metz. and various repre-
sentatives conferred with him yesterday. At the
hearing yesterday We're Mr.. Choate Mrs Will
fam B. Rice Mrs Louis q. Bergen. George H.
Mrs Robert McGinnis. Father Sweeney. Mon
signor OHare. OF Brooklyn: Father O'FarreH
OF Hampstead. and DR. D. c. Potter.
DR.. Potter made q long argument against the
State Charities Aid Association and the Guild
OF the Infant Saviour. declaring the Controller
was illegally paying moneys 20 them and that
the city had been doing so for nine years He
read a statement from the Society for the Pre-
vention OF Cruelty TO Children giving details
Of thirteen cases OF children neglected or found
with drunken people. or in unfit surroundings.
These people" said DR. Potter. however
choose the children they want and take only
the healthy Any child sick or likely to
die or in bad condition they turn over 10
hospital ana let It die there. go their death
rate can be made to appear TO their credit
DR.. Potter said the charter provides that
payments shall be made 10 any charitable or
reformatory institution except a certificate
from tho Charities Commissioner that such child
as mentioned has been placed IN the institutions
pursuant 10 the rules and regulations estab-
lished by the State Board OF Charities. He
claimed these institutions had no certificate
from the State Board OF Charities. which. he
said they ought TO have
But Section 6G4 of the charter" put In Mr
ChOate. gives the Commissioner the power TO
place a child in institution which in his
judgment II shall be for the best interests OF
the child ana the charter says the word insti-
tuition shall include any charitable corpora
tion one of whose objects is the care of children
or the placing of children In families
But you're not an institution under the In
depreciation of the law by which the Controller
makes payment for such children said DIT.
Potter. and this same section of the charter.
OO4. II you read far enough, also states that the
Charities Commissioner shall not commit any
child TO an institution which shall be certified
by the state Board OF Charities to have failed TO
have no certificate from the State Board OF
Charities OF any kind
Homer Folks deried nearly all OF DR.. POtter's
allegations. and added:
He has made many misstatements. That
we have refused to take sick children and put
them in hospitals other institutions. credit
our own death rate and dscredit that OF another
institution, is wholly, unqualifedy and absO-
lutely false. OF course. we don't take children
with communicating diseases"
After a long discussion Mr.. ChOate asked the
Controller to put off stopping payment until
March l. instead OF February ]. and Mr.. Metz
agreed. and said he would investigate the whole
matter personally.
Il don't why politics should have been
dragged into this said DR.. Potter. Some of
you people went to see Senator McCarren about
this and some one went to ask Mayor Mcclellan
70 interfere, before you came to the Controller"
II didn't know anything about that" said Mr..
Choate
II want IT understood that the Controllers
office said Mr.. Metz. isn't run from the
MAYORS office. from Jefferson Hall I'm Brooklyn,
or from Tammany Hall, In New York"
The two organizations have about three hun
dred children. They get about $4,000 "A wear
from the city. and have been getting that
amount for about nine years.