New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-16
PENSIONS FOR WIDOWS
How the A. |. c. P. Is Administering
Private Benefactio
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In your issue Of February 10
there appears in the Peoples Column n
letter from Andrew Johnson, asking
for specific information with regard to
the expenditure of 100000 for widows
pensions by this association. The i'm
plication is that the gift had been kept
secret and mysterious until the Indus
trial Relations Commission dragged II
TO light. On the other hand, this gift,
when made, was reported promptly by
us to the press, and all OF the leading
dailies carried accounts of It. This
association is doing even better than
Mr.. Johnson would have it, The fact
is that S18,s00 of the $4,000 Is being
given in cash TO widows with depen-
dent children. The administration OF
this $4,000 is not even costing the 10
per cent which Mr.. Johnson would
have it.
He states further that "the $4,000
should have been distributed by this
time" saying that it would make a
large sized Christmas gift to many
deserving widows" What would Mr..
Johnson have these widows do for the
rest of this year and the other years
during which their children are in
school? We must admit that our char
ity has been little more "cslculat-
ing" than that. As a matter OF fact,
il is being spent in monthly cash al
lowanees TO forty widows, with 10 de-
pendent children, an average monthly
pension of $39 81 going to each widow.
This particular $4,000 will be COM
pletely expended in this way at the
end of twelve months, but, fortunately,
we shall be able to continue these pen
sions until the children arrive at work
ing age. The largest pension given 10
any one of these forty widows is
S6i % month They receive from
other sources an average monthly in
come of about SIS more a month, so
that their total average income is
$50 80 in reality, not so very much
less than their income when their hus-
bands were living.
Again, Mr.. Johnson asks, "as a jus
tification of the principle involved in
maintaining the system of private pen
sions, will Mr.. Cutting or his associa-
ton furnish for legislative commit
tee a list of the beneficiaries of that
sIS.0O0?" II will do so gladly, or TO
any other responsible agency in the
community.
In conclusion. should like to point
out that this association is not even
opposed to public pensions for wild
ows. As evidence of this, ] quote the
following resolution which was adopt
ed by the board Of managers on Janu-
airy 81, 1915:
Resolved. Tha. the New York As
ISOLATION for Improving the Condition
of the Poor is, by its relief policy for
the last two years, already committed
20 the principle of adequate relief for
widows with dependent children, pop
ularly known as widows pensions; that
it believes the standards and methods
of giving this relief are most impor-
tant, and II is now devoting its best
energies to perfecting these methods
and standards; and that IL is not OPP
posed TO such relief being given by
the City OF New York, provided the
relief be adequate and that il be sd.
ministered effectively and impartislly."
BAILEY r. BURRlTT,
General Director.
New York, Feb. 10, 1915.