New-York tribune., 1908-06-22
EAST SIDE POVERTY
SHOP KEEPERS AID POOR.
Settlement Investigation Shoes In
crease of Suf erng

DR. Charles S Bernheirner. assistant head worker
at the University Settlement, RiVington and En-
dridge streets, made public yesterday report OF
committee of Settlement workers which has been
investigating conditions among the poor on the
lower East Side. The report says that the sTrali
dealers such as the grocers. bakers. and butchers
bear The greater part Of the burden Of supporting
the unemployed and their families,
In School District . lying east of Catherine street
and the Bowery. and including Grand. Orcharo'
Canal and Rutgers streets and the East River
about forty blocks in all. there are, according 10
the report about 100000 persons. OF jewish irish
and Italian families. the Jews are the most nuIner
GUS and in helping these people the small dealers
have shown a great deal of self-denial ard true
charity in extending their credits. Some OF them
have given credit in scases where there was little
hope tnat they would be paid in time to save them
selves from want The report then says
1t is evident that the situation on the lower
East Side has entered upon most serious stage
The unemployed have practically exhausted their
ssnce the S genera s period Of unempioyment for
most Of them set in: The second stage Is that
Which is their last resource Another serious
rhaSe of the situation is that many OF the popu-
fstnn there have not only cut down the consump-
tion Of goods but have resorIed TO cheaper ana
population are being unfed is beyond question by
which is meant not that they get no food at all
but that they do not get enough 1ood
A number Of statistics are given TO show that
the destitution increasing rather than diminish
ing 1t so happens that there is less sickness
among children this summer than usual. but THIS
is because. for one reason. purer foods and vege-
tables are sold than formerly account of the
campaign conducted by the Board of Health.
Fifteen druggists who were interviewed in the I'd
School District all said that within the last year
their business had fallen off from one-haf TO one
third Of its normal volume owing to the hard
times and the consequent lack OF money TO pur-
chase medicines. .---. ....
Some OF the tenement people lived entirely on
bread and herring. and Italian druggist said
that his countrymen in the neighborhood OF his
store found Il impossible TO buy Pasteurized milk
for their babies. The grocers generally had TO
give more credit and people bought many things
by the pennyworth. the cheapest groceries having
the largest sale. An Italian clergyman connected
with the Church Of the Sea and Land said that
the destitution among the Italians was greater
even than among the Hebrews in his district.
Sample accounts selected at random, are gwen
show the small purchases made by the resi-
dents The one-cent and two-cent purchases form
the bulk Of the accounts, and the 25-cent entries
are only for feast days. One grocer explained an
entry for . cents in cash by saying that he gave
it TO his customer buy piece Of meat because
he knew the family had funds. On this phase
OF the situation the report says:
A grocer says his maximum credit to any reg
ular customer is from 81 to So. People DO not
pay, they have not got the money The aver.
age grocery bill for a medium sized fanlly is -
a week. The people buy coffee but they buy
tea, because they steep 1t three or -FOUR times
Some people pick out decayed potatoes for use
The report recites that the investigation was for
the purpose of getting at the facts not TO support
any theory, indorse any relief movement or critlcse
any existing institution.