Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-20
UNEMPLOYED TO
BE GIVEN WORK
PLAN EVOLVED BY CHARITY
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
WOOD YARD AND FREE AGENCY
WILL BE STARTED
Report to Be Rendered on Subject oil
Abandoned Children, and Meas
ures to Be Urged Before
Legislature

AS the result of plan effected yes
terday by the recently organized char
| ity conference committee able-bodied
and unemployed men in Los Angeles
will be given an opportunity to earn
few dollars, sufficient to maintain
them until work is secured! And when
they do find employment it will be
| through the medium Of free en-
| ployment agency.
The charity conference committee
met in the rooms of the Associated
charities yesterday afternoon. The
organizations represented were, be-
sides the county body the Kings
Daughters Day nursery, Children's
Home society, Humane society, Hol-
| lenbeck Home for the Aged, Feeble
Ladies' Benevolent society, Volunteers
of America, Legal Aid society, Wo-
mans alliance, Maternity Cottage as
! ISOLATION, Ladies' Benevolent society,
California Association for the Proven
ton and Study of tuberculosis, Los
Angeles Settlement association Ger
man Ladies' Benevolent society, Work
ing Boys club and the two Hebrew
societies. Other charitable organiza-
lions of the city and county will, 1t is
expected, affiliate with the conference
committee within a few days.
Details of the plan for establishing
woodward, where unemployed men
!
pleted. The plan, however, was APP
proved and the experiment will be
carried on during January, February
| and March. The woodward will be
under the management of Rev. Thomas
| Marshall and estimates prepared by
| Secretary Spencer K. Sewall of the
Associated charities fix it's cost for the
period at about 5000. The yard will
not be conducted as a paying PROPOSE
ton, and may be run at a loss. Even
should this occur the organizations
believe they will be benefited, as the
necessity for aiding many able-bodied
persons will be eliminated.
Employment Agency Free
In conjunction with the wood yard,
free employment agency will be main
| tanned, and this also will be under
direction of Mr.. Marshall. The words
free" and charitable will be tabooed
in connection with this establishment,
which will be known as the "Co-opera
tive Employment agency" No aid for
| its maintenance will be furnished by
others than the organizations which
| have made 1t possible. The agency will
| be an experiment for three months.
| If at the end of that time 1t is success
| full, the conference will have something
to show for it's work and will place the
results of its labors before the city
council and board of supervisors, each
| body being asked to appropriate suf-
| ficient funds for the continued exist
ence Of the agency.
| A proposition to establish a state
farm, to do for newly arrived persons
in the state who have not acquired cit
| izenship what the county farm does for
| citizens of the county, also was APP
proved and will be submitted to the
state legislature by Senator Thomas,
who was named as one of a committee
/ l. I.91 oh in
view.
Abandoned by Parents
Another committee was named to
carry on an investigation and make
report at the next meeting of the con-
ference in regard to abandoned chill
dren. So far this year 100 babies have
been cared for by one home alone in
Los Angeles. Seventy-five per cent of
| this number have come from Los An
gees city, and the remainder from the
rest of the county. Some criticism of
the freedom with which the Los An
geles Children's Home society grants
relief has been made by the national
! organization with WHICH it is affiliated,
according to Herbert w Lewis, super
/ intendent of the home, but owing to
the conditions surrounding the work of
/ the institution no other way out of the
difficulty is possible. The passage OF
laws making those responsible for the
|
for their offspring will be insisted on
at the coming session of the legisla-
ture. Most of the criticism, said Mr..
Lewis comes from states where such
laws are in existence.
One of the remedies that will be
sought through the legislature will be
plan, now in progress in New York
state, providing for the support of I'M
fortunte women for six months or
year after the birth of their children.
During this period the child will be
allowed to remain with it's mother, for
whom employment will be found and
the mother love is expected to prove so
strong in almost every case that the
several societies now taking charge OF
children Immediately after birth will
be relieved of a great burden.
The next meeting of the conference
committee will be held some time in
! 10