The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-03
BOARD OF APPORTIONMENT
 'GRILLS PRESIDENT STONE
Searching Inquiry by President of Tax Board
 into Expenditures of Charity Board.
Incidentally It Appears That Many People Are Out of Work and That the Charities Department Expects the Coming Year to Be Even Harder for the Industrial Population Than Was 1908.

The principal features of the hear ings before the Tax Board last night
 were the close inquiry into the ex- penses of the Board of Charities, con-
 ducted by President Hincks, in which as whole the work of the Board was vindicated, and an inquiry into the number. of patrolmen that a city the size of Bridgeport ought to have. Dur ing the course of these inquests num- Der of facts were brought out, tending
 to show how severely the population of the city has suffered during the panic period. It was the opinion Of President Stone of the Charities De- partment, that the depression is so far from being over, that the demands upon the department are expected to be greater in 1909 than they were in 1908
 Commissioner James A. Stone of the Board of Charities in response to Pres ident Hincks said that it's $H0,000 de- ficiency had come about through nor mai conduct of the affairs of the board. "I understand said President Hincks, "that you have purchased very ex- pensive automobile. Don't you think that you should have come before this DOdfQ ana dSkOQ TOT the fIlOuSy.
 Commissioner Stone replied that he had been inclined at the start to op- pose the appropriation for the sutomo- bile, but the mayor had recommended it in his message and public sentiment had demanded such improvement in the service as it is possible to provide with the auto ambulance. He also stated that the funds to purchase the ambulance came from a different co,,rco than tho regI1lar apr,rOnriat ion of the board.
 President Hincks said he. thought that it would have been better to have taken the $5,000 spent for the ambu- lance and applied the same to the de- ficiency of the board. He continued, "I am only speaking for myself but it strikes me as being entirely contrary to the charter to make such an .ex- penditure and then come before the Board of Apportionment with $20, 900 deficiency."s
 President Stone replied that the num- Der of families among the outside poor had increased from 60 to 160 and that the expense of caring fer the poor at the hospitals had doubled.
 Asked if he thought this year was equally productive of poor people as last year President Stone said that he believed the conditions were just as bad as last year.
 MT. Hincks wanted to know if MT. Stone thought there would be any let up in the demand upon the city for aid during the next year. That depends on business" replied the commission CT.
 MT. Loewith wanted to know from MT. Stone if he thought that $20,000 would cover the deficiency this year. "No sir" he replied 'tthe b bard still has three months to do business in this year."
 MT. Loewith said he had gone over the accounts to some extent and had formed a conclusion that the defcien- cy would be in the neighborhood of s25742
 Don't the Board of Charities get something in the way of partial com pensation from some of the patients whom they send to the hospitsls?'' ask ed Mr. Ixoewith.
 MT. Stone said he never knew of any such cases and MT. Loewith said he was of the opinion that he had heard of patients paying for one half of their care at the hospitals.
 ''Isn't the giving of money to poor people demoralizing-don't it create tendency on their part to come back for more?" asked MT. Kinks
 I've only give money where we pay rents and then we pay in cheeks. As for the tendency to increase, we have an investigator to look into the case of each applicant" replied the com missioner.
 President Hincks wanted to know if many were refused. MT. Stone said there were many who were turned down.
 MT. Stone called the attention of the board to the fact that the Charity de- partment had calcula ted on $t0,C0O be- ing sufficient to care for the c1ty's Jnfr fn1>t th0 year but the last quarterly bill was for S4,127, and it was evident that the cost was going to be in the neig 1borhood of S12,c00. He explained that this ex- pense was one over which the board had absolutely no control-the patients were committed in the prob<te court and tkere was nothing else tD do but pay for their keep.
 'Supt Cowles says he is not allowed ] tc sell anything from the town farm There used to be some revenue from the farm said MT. Loewita.
 "Supt Cowles was never told that he must not sell things said Com missioner Stone. He was instructed that if he wished to SCI anything he must first notify the beard and get permission to make the sale. He has never asked for permission"
 The head of the charity de:tartment said there were st me who pais for the keep of old peoplS at LakeVieW Home and this money. NTith chasge of $3 which is made. for the use of the aTn- bulance in transfer cases. had netted a sum of S55o which was recently turn ed owed to the clerk of the bSard.
 MT. Loewith said MT. Cowles had in formed him. that he had over $500 which he was going to turn over and MT. Stone said he thought it was the same money.
 Henry c. Sherwood of the tax board made inquiry as to whom checks were made payable when they were drawn to pay rent and MT. Stone replied S"to the landlord
 Do you ever draw any checks pay a ble to "bearer' and MT. Stone said the board had put a stop to that. MT. Sherwood said that within week he had seen one of the departments checks drawn in favor of an Old lady and it was payable to her or bearer. Mr. Stone said that it was news to him. Farther Mr. Setzer wanted to know if anyone on the board had ever noticed the endorsements on the cheeks and MT. Stone replied in the egative.
 "The reason that I ask,' said MT.
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