Evening journal., 1915-01-20
Charities makes
ANSWER TO CRITICS
Says All Needy Cases Have
Been Given Immediate
Help
MUCH WORK
ACCOMPLISHED

At meeting of the board of di-
rectors of the Associated Charities
held yesterday afternoon a formal
statement concerning the work of that
organization was ordered made public
The organization has met with more
or less criticism within the last month
and the statement issued also con-
tains an answer TO the criticisms.
II was stated that at present the
organization has under its care six
hundred families and there have been
no actual cases where a family has
suffered while waiting to finish in
yestigating. Whenever the need seem
ed imperative an order for groceries
and fuel was given at once A family
was reported to be begging.
Investigation showed that the moth
or and one of the children we're i'll.
having had no medical care, and that
the other children had been sent out
to beg for several weeks. The assO-
citation gave the necessary relief and
medical care and secured temporary
work for the husband. The statement
says that the best thing the assOcia-
tion does is to stop children from 60
ing from door to door with a pitiful
story of want
In answer to some of the criticisms
the statement calls attention to ono
where q so cent order was given a
large family" and explains that in
this instance the man of the family
called at the office one evening about
o o'clock and stated that he had been
working for the Street and Sewer De-
partment but that he could not do sc
any longer. as he was unable TO take
a lunch with him. The man was given
an order for so cents at a grocery
store and told to use this for his din
ner every day that week A call was
made on the family the following da.
and a 50 order for groceries was Civ
en- and the two older boys were told
TO come 10 tho Office to see about EN-
ployment They did not come. anC
one more 81 order was given the fam
/ ily and then further aid was refused
until the bows should come TO the Of
| fec. The statement adds that th'
| family does not need assistance "A
! this time.
Another family that applied for ali
was given an emergency order AM
visited the next day. The husband wa
found suffering from tuberculosis an,
the family living in filthy condition
/ in one room. The husband will b
sent to Hope Farm and the wife b.
given work. Another family who ap
piled for aid was a woman whose hus
band had been drowned three month
previous. There were two small chill
dren and a baby was born on Decem
her n. The three-year-Old child q
the family had never walked. The chill
was taken to the Dispensary and nov
shows much improvement, and wi
eventually be cured. The widow ha
been helped in such a way that sh
expects to do her share as soon a
she is able.
As an instance Of how necessary
is to make Investigations before
great deal of aid is given. the follow
ing account was given of two me
who applied to the organization fC
help: Their work references wei
not satisfactory and they we're tol
that their families would be visite
the next day They left the ofi'
complaining of the lack of help the
had received and threatened TO repo
the society to the man who had r.
ferred them to the Charities. Inve
tigation proved one of them to ha'
given false address and the 9TH
to the address Of a low-type roomir
house and in neither instance was
starving family in evidence.