The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-11-21
VACRANCY IN new YORK
Arthur w. Towne Gives
Startling Facts and
Figures.
BIG TAX ON THEPEOPLE
Some Serious Problems Of
the Present Social
System.
BIG TAX ON HEPEoPLE

Startling figures and facts were pre-
scented at the State Conference of
Charities and Corrections at Albany
by Arthur w. Towne, secretary of the
State Probation Commission, regard
ing the extent of vagrancy and the
habits Of tramps in New York.
More than 81 900 persons, mainly
Migrants, received free lodgings in
New York State, in town and city
lockups, during 1906, and the num-
Der in 1907 will probably be fully as
large Seventy-five cities and towns
thus provide for their wandering vis-
itors. Half of these towns and cities
also feed the wanderers free of
charge.
A large number of places give lodg-
ings also to boys, many of them as
young as ten or twelve years, thus en-
copraging the wandering spirit that
makes the later tramp. With only one
slight exception, not single town or
city required any work at all from
the dodgers in return for the lodging
or the food provided, thus giving alb
soiutely no incentive to the wanderer
to work for his board or meals.
The speaker urged that the system
of allowing the police authorities to
give these free lodgings, as well as the
similar practice in some jails and
almshouses,' should be abolished as a
most direct encouragement to vagran-
cy. and that in their stead such free
| lodgings as are necessary should be
| furnished by the overseer of the poor,
lbut only when repaid by some form
of work, such as chopping wood or
breaking stone.
Mr.. Towne also brought out the fact
that tramps like to go to Jail in win
ter, Instead of considering a Jail sem
tence for that part of the year as a
form Of punishment, they welcome 1t
as a chance to keep warm and loaf
at the public expense. Forty-three per
cent. of the commitment of tramps
occurs between November l and Feb
ruary /, In short, the Jail or the peni-
/ Tertiary becomes a sort of winter va
| cation resort for tramps. Many chiefs
Of police with whom Mr. Towne COM
municated said that tramps in winter
\ would ask to be sent to Jail, and that
4 If this were not done, they would
sometimes commit offenses for the
express purpose of being arrested and
sent there.
\ 1t is declared to be significant that
in the tramp's slang the word dump
was applied to both lodging-houses
and jails. With a cold winter the
number Of Migrants in penitentiaries
and jails increases. In 1906 there were
more than 10000 tramps and Migrants
In penitentiaries and Jails, while in
1904. which was very cold winter,
there were more than $4,000. On the
average, about one-third Of the pris-
oners are tramps and are Migrants.
This means that the public is annually
paying several hundred thousand dol
lars for the avowed purpose of pun
ishing men for vagrancy, but in real
ity 1t amounts only to furnishing O
free place of winter rest Most of the
chiefs Of police believe that jails and
penitentlaries do little good, If any, in
their treatment Of tramps Another
fact is that the sentences for this class
Of offenders are too short to accom-
plish any results. About IS per cent.
Of the sentences are from only one to
sixty days.
Mr.. Towne specially pointed out that
the most helpful way Of combating
the tramp nuisance is to lessen the
habit Of stealing rides upon freight
cars. Mr.. Towne has gathered a mass
of statistical material never before
COLLECTED in New York State, concern
ing the conditions now prevailing and
from this material he showed conclus-
lively that large number of boys, es-
pecially those living not far away from
the railroad tracks, become addicted
to stealing rides.
This habit Of ride-stealing is recog-
niEed by workers among boys as en-
couraging both crime and vagrancy
On the New York Central railroad, or
the division from New York to AL
bany, during three months OF this last
summer, there were 579 arrests fol-
vagrancy and stealing rides, more
than so per cent, of the prisoners be-
ing twenty-one years of age. Some
boys were as young as seven years
but the majority ranged from fourteen
to seventeen years.
Most people look upon the vagrancy
habit in boys as not serious, and as 6
. consequence much of it goes unpun.
ished. Yet the heads of two Of thu
largest Juvenile asylums in New Yorl
assert that the habit is the largest ex
listing cause Of Juvenile crime, and tina
after boys become addicted to thu
habit its effects are extremely hard Il
eradicate.
A detective agency reports an aver
age of about 100 bank robberies com
nitted by criminal tramps. known Al
yeggmen, each year causing annua
losses of over 500, 900. 1t is probable
that of 1000 or more postofflce rob
berries occurring annually in thi
country fully 80 per cent. of them ar,
executed by yeggs.
. The Continental Fire Insuranc
Company of New York, which ha
kept statistics of the causes of fire
for several years, has proved tina
more than three per cent. of all fire
are caused by tramps. These occu
$ chiefly in lumber yards, empty freigh
cars and on farm property, and in tn
course Of year will amount to man,
3 hundred thousands of dollars, If not
Y million.
!, Preceding Mr.. TONNES paper tn
) report of the committee on vagrane
A and homelessness was read by tn
chairman, o. f. Lewis Of the Chart
: Organization Society of New Yorl
The report called attention to the in
adequate treatment of inebriates
New York city. Wayfarers' lodges
and municipal lodging houses, while
great advance over the town locker