Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-19
CALLS FOR CHARITY
Associations Find Conditions to Be
Worse Than Formerly.
SAVINGS FUND 0BLITERATED
Scarcity of Houses at Reasonable
Rent Adds to the General
Distress.

Probably nowhere in the National Cap
ital is the increased cost of living felt
more keenly than in the ranks OF the
very poor folks. Workers in charity
organizations are finding this TO be true.
and in not few instances have they dis
covered the needs SO great that the orti-
nary facilities for dispensing relief were
inadequate.
Some of the unusual amount Of distress
undoubtedly is due to the severity OF the
present winter, because the long-coutin-
ued cold wave has resulted In particular
ly heavy demands upon the funds from
which fuel for the poor Is purchased. For
the same reason II has been found that
there are more requests for warm ctUth-
ing.
But. entirely aside from the extra calls
upon charity growing out Of climatic con-
poor classes are in a much worse condi-
ton than at any similar season In years,
and the only reason which investigators
can find for this existing condition lies
in the largely increased demands upon
the slender resources of the poor for the
purchase of most Of the necessities Of
life.
Distress on Every Hand.
Workers in the field for the Associated
Charities are finding distress on every
hand. and where a year ago and twp
years ago they were able to inspire
very considerable proportion OF the semi
dependent class to lay aside sav1ngs
funds. however small. against the DOS
sible rainy day." 1t is now almost I'm
possible to keep these tiny funds alive.
Most of the poor folks nowadays have
not even few pennies a week to spare
after food and rent and clothing bills
are paid TO be laid aside as savings.
The Associated Charities workers for
several years have conducted the savings
funds upon a system of stamp sales and
the actual total of the sales for the last
three months of 1905 and of 1909, re-
spectively. serves well to show the pro-
portionate difficulties which are met in
the field work. In October, November
and December. respectively. In 1905, the
amounts of the savings were 81 BAL Sl.3sa
and 1901, while in the same months last
year the amounts deposited were only
S.se.10 S1.164-91 and $641 56-an asgre-
gate decrease of S7O2. 43.
Heavy Demands Made.
During the same period the orders upon
the Citizens Relief Association fund.
which is subscribed by phianthropic citi-
zens and dispensed by the agents Of the
Associated Charities. were especially
purchase Of food, fuel, clothing and for
few other necessities mot including
remit. and where i'm October, November
and December, 1905 the expenditures
were S26i. ~. S457. As and 1881. IL, respect
lively, the same months In the year lust
ended showed purchases for charity ag-
gregating $3.50 "A, $610.aS and x977.44
As whole il may safely be said that
the decreases in their own resources and
the parallel increases in the demands
upon charity funds show tndubitably that
the poorer classes in the population OF
Washing ton are I'm more pitiable con-
dtion this year than ever before In re-
cent municipal history.
Scarcity OF Low-Priced houses.
One very potent factor in the equation
is the scarcity of decent houses which
may be rented at reasonable figures The
two sanitary housing companies which
are operating in this city have only a
few more than three hundred small.
cheap houses available for tenants. and,
so far as the other alley homes or rows
OF dwellings, of moderate price are con-
cerned statistics will show that the de-
inand far exceeds the supply. In the con-
of the Union station irnnrov~-
inent hundreds of small houses were de-
sfroyed and they have never been re-
placed by others of the same class in
other locations. Consequently the mere
operation of the law of supply and de-
Inand sent prices soaring, and owners or
TINS class of property are receiving high
er returns upon their investments TODAY
than ever before.
One-Fourth for Rent.
Economists hax.