New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-12
.POOR'S RAnONS CUT DOWN
Eat Less and Cut Quality to Meet
Increasing Food Prices.
RENTS HIGH: WAGES STEADY
Charity Organization Society
Finds Many Unnourished and
Consumptives Neglected.

Consumptives Neglected.
Inc depressed industrial conditions which
had their effect the work of the Charity
Organization Society of this city in 1908 and
1909 did not exist when the work of the
last year began. For this reason the TWEEN
ty-eighth annual report made public yester-
day. indicates accomplishment of more ef-
fective things. the looking deeper into social
problems already recognized.
Expectation to the contrary, increase IN
the cost Of food has not been recognized
factor in bringing families TO dependence
by increa sing the number of charity cases.
the report says. 1t has however. been
found necessary to increase the pensions
which were once sufficient. or to supply
clothing or furniture and to arrange for
new and more liberal pensions
Only in old and undesirable houses has
there been a decrease in rents. In certain
neighborh,-ods there has been tendency
toward higher rents. Wages in the FAINT
lies under the Charity Organization nave
not increased except that here and there
women who used to get 81 p a day going
out 10 work have been charging 81 90 ON
the other hand in some neighborhocds the
pay of working women has been cut down
twenty -five cents
Economy in Food Supplies.
In some families women have gone out to
work 10 swell the household funds TINS
has been particularly true of the lower
West Side Generally families under the
society's care have not found it feasible
to increase their incomes Accordingly
I these people have been forced to meet IN
creased cost of living by econonlztng OF ,
rather-for ii is not held to be good economy
by getting along without things to WHICH
! they have been accustomed.
Rent has been least susceptible of re-
| duction There has been d slight tendency
! to move into poorer nelghporhoodS OF ~
take dodgers. Already the expenditure I"r
clothing among these families was GOWN
! to- hard pan: therefore the general way OIL
meeting the increase in cost or suPple9
| has been "A serious reduction in the amount
and quality of food. They have SupSls'eo
| on meat once or twice week. fresh Nese-
tables have been almost entirely cut OUT
| while milk and butter have been reduced 10
! their lowest terms. This is not all ne ~
| port shows that there has been tendency
! toward the irreducibe minimum OF pie""
and tea and coffee. 1t says:
Effects of this have begun to be appar-
ent even in the adults. and undernourlSh-
mont has been noticed as never before in
/
tho children on the streets and in the new
/ families coming to the society. What the
high nrices have meant to the poor Is
| enitnnized in the accomplishing comment
| of a self-sIIpporting widow with little chill
/ dren. a relative OF q family who had ap-
! piled for help. who said that since con-
densed milk had gone up two cents can
! she could allow only one teaspoomui fof
/ each cup of coffee instead of two, 10
which they had previously been accus-
toned.
7 Findina Work for Men.
! The Joint application bureau was most
| successful last summer. because there has
been a great demand for able bodied men
! on farms and a construction camps. Near
| IL eight hundred men got permanent
work which is almost double the number
| for 1e0S-'0a Homeless consumptves were
| less easily cared for. One man had been
/ going to the bureau al intervals for four
| teen years. He remained in hospital
| until he showed some Improvement, then
restlessly demanded his discharge, found
| little work or begged a pittance and nNea
i in cheap lodging houses until his health he
| came SO impaired that he willingly re
turned to the hospital.
| From October to May a social secretary
| - AS men, more than one-f1fth of the total
applicants. OF 913 who We're directed to
| employment agencies less than one-fourth
| reported there; of ]. S56 sent to the joint APP
| nIication bureau less than one-half report
| ed Work was obtained for 80 men and in
| 105 cases the work was outside of the city.
| Nine Maynard boys We're sent home The
| Intangible help, cheer and encoura cement
t have. of course. not been estimated
One-fifth of the 12.44S men consulted had
| been in the city less than week. Two
| hfths were natives of New York; another
| fourth and more We're native Americans.
! More than one-third of the foreign born
| Were Irish. and young men predominated,
two-thirds being less than forty and 80 per
cent less than thirty years old. Sixty per
cent admitted Incorporate habits.
For Compulsory Labor Colonies
! This work has not revealed any new
social problems nor suggested any new
| re NEEDLES for the old ones" the report says.
1t has however. empha sized the need for
| compulsory labor colonies, for rational
| treatment Of drunkenness. for more Tigor-
| Gus efforts To check the progress of ine-
! cheney and decentralization in the men who
are new to the condition of dependence on
the city for a nights lodging and to coun-
teract the forces which lend TO produce
! such q condition
! Nearly one thousand persons are helped
each year through IN" special employment
| bureau. Among these have been the aged,
crirples. invaids and physical and mental
detectives The inyalids We're chiefly tu-
bercuIols convaleScents, who generally ap-
p!ied only for temporary employment.
! The society fight against tuberculosis
! las never been more successful than during
! the last year, Cooperation with the Health
! I.ci .artment showed the vitality important
measures the city was supposed TO be TAX
! inc we're being neglected. Thousands of