The Detroit times., 1912-05-21
Boor Commissioner Hall Asks
methodist Pastors To Create
Sentiment For Scheme
RREsENT CHARITY PLAN
II HAS MANY DRAWBACKS
Means Separation of Aged
Couples, and Children Reared
Without Mothers Care

IL
lied couples VINO have met with
k8yerses In the declining years OF
heir lives had an enthusiastic and
forceful pleader In the person OF city
POOR Commissioner John S Hall, who
made an address, Monday morning. N
the Central Methodist church, before
the Methodist Preachers association.
nr. Hall earnestly argued in favor OF
tensions, which would do away with
the necessity of widowed mothers or
little children going out TO work by the
day and leaving their families 10 grow
10 haphazard, with the elder children
struggling to give proper care to the
babies.
with the noble example in mind or
Mrs. fsadore Strauss, who stoutly re-
fnsed to leave her aged husbands side
III the Titanic wreck, and preferred
to die rather than be separated FROM
him. DR.. Hall declared that wealth or
poverty makes no difference in the
feelings OF elderly couples who have
fought the battle of life side by side,
and he pleaded for change in the
poor relief system that would support
destitute old couples without separat-
ing them or sending them 10 an insti-
tuition.
Kansas City, he said. already has
established a widows pension system,
and SO has Denmark, while Switzer-
land and Australia have a thorough
system OF caring for dependent chill
dren.
The Detroit poor commission last
week unanimously Endorsed DR.. Halls
atneral ideas with respect TO depend
eht widows, children and old couples,
ana the commissioner told the clergy
men that what he wanted now was 20
arouse interest among the clergy. that
they may aid in awakening public
sentiment. ~ ...4..s
The poor commission" The said, lis
now caring for sol widows, With IFS
children, IA years old or under, and
we are able to give these women $40
or S12 per month, or in extreme cases,
SIC. II takes no argument TO prove,
that with several children and such a
rileaaer income. woman Is COMPEL
ed to 20 out TO work, usually to do.
washing by the day And the smaller
children are necessarily left In the
care OF the larger ones. s
NO. I believe that every child born
IN this republic has a right 20
square deal And 1t is not square
deal when lad OF 10 has the respon-
sibility thrust upon him of being a
little father. Every child should have
few toys and be free OF care ana
responsibility.
1"Girls who grow up under the dif:
foLlt conditions have described are
a5t to develop into bad girls. and the
h6ys are likelp to be criminals. OFTEN
the mother dies from overwork and
then we have to take--care OF these
children in institutions. This costs
S2.76 per week In the Home OF the
Friendless, and $4.c7 in the Cold
water state home. II is safe TO place
an average at SO per week.
"But IL We could give the mother
$50 per month IN the first place she
could stay at home and give the chill
dren that constant care and tender
ness that every child ought TO have.
I'VE do better by the dependents OF
criminals than by those OF good men
VINO die. To the dependents of Grim
iuals sent TO the House OF Correction
for more than 80 days we can give
from S. 10 IS per week out OF the
earnings of the prisoner"
According to DR.. Hall there are
at present six old couples in Elcise,
IL women whose husbands are being
cared for i'm various ways in Detroit,
and 46 men whose wives are being
cared for elsewhere.
-'It is a pathetic thing to separate
these old people" he said. And
when you come to consider that II
takes $3.50 per week to support
8ch person under present conditions.
Bw much better II would be to let
them have the $27 per month now
being spent for their maintenance
and let them rent room where they
could live together.
s'"If the care OF these old couples
were not already being paid, IL IL
were a nentirely new expense, IL
would be about only $4,000 per
wear. or about four cents per thou
sand on the city's tax assessments.
AZ the present time Detroit Is run
ming its poor commission on an ex-
pense OF about % cents per thou
sand OF the tax assessments. and this
amount ought to go up to a dollar"
DIR. Hall said that by basing the
widows pensions on length OF resi-
dence here, there would be no danger
were an entirely new expense, il
an influx Of widows from other sec
tion9