Norwich bulletin., 1910-01-24
Local General Charity Conference
To be Held by All Organized Bodies Dispensing Assist O the Poor and Needy-Want Central Com mission to Handle this Work in Norwich.

ought to be some central organization to do our charity work well. with salaried officer and Ylerks to keep the records. He told of the united char- : | ties in New Haven, Bridgeport ana Meriden, and said he would suggest board of charity relief, composed or three men to be elected by the citizens and two women to be appointed by the United Workers. Both political parties should be represented on this board.
 There was also applause for the words of Rev. Mir. Wright, and then First SelectInan Lillibfidge was called upon. He told something of methods used in determining if applicants were worthy of charity from the town and said that rents were a big item here, amounting to about $7,000 annually. Because Of short work in local indus tries just now there was considerable call for help. but he thought these calls would be materially decreased in the spring. He approved of the board of charities proposed by Rev. MT. Wright His remarks won applause.
 Frederic W. Cary, who has just com- pleted two terms as president of the Board of Trade, was called upon and spoke along the same lines as his final annual report at the boards meeting last week. showing that methods of charitable aid here had amounted to practically permanent support, while in New Haven 1t had been only tenn ponary aid as the same amount of money used there as here had been distributed to about ten or fifteen times more people in New Haven. He ad- voeated a clearing house for charity information and statistics. also the dis bursement of supplies from a public storehouse, and the establishment or 3. place where men could do some work in return for what they received. He thought We ought to have charities commission, and a new city charte- with commissions for other depart ments, for there had been neither s01- aff n ri ernment, and we needed something to stop the making of deficits, which mount up under the present system. He received enthusiastic applause.
 General Aiken spoke briefly, refer ring to the vast amount of good that he thought could be accom- plished by d commission, but brought up the point that it was probable that some frater- be willing to delegate their charitable work to a commission. In a former investigation along this line, he said. it had been learned a number of years ago that there were about seventy dis tinct organizations doing charitable work.
 Rev. J. Eldred Brown. one of the advisory board of the United Workers followed this up by stating that he thought there ought to be some cen tral board, but he thought it would be impossible to get such a commission as Rev. NIT. Wright had suggested. He suggested the calling of a meeting of delegates from all these organizations thinking that such a conference might result in the formation of a commis- sion, and he said he hoped this would only be the first of many meetings for discussion of this subject.
 Woodbury O. Rogers mentioned the interest the taxpayers had in this mat ter, especially the landlords, who were involuntary contributors to the local charities He thought a central or ganization was needed, as the select men have enough to do anyway with out looking after the charity of the city. Byron Peck and James Miner also spoke briefly. and the meeting came to a close. when Rev. J. Eldred Brown moved for the meeting of dele gates, which was voted.