Norwich bulletin., 1915-12-01
SUPPORT UNITED CHARITIES.
Town of Windham Votes to Continue
 Majority for Resolution Was Large.

About 1OU residents or W1lllmant1c attended the open meeting for the dis cuss;on of the subject of the United Charities at the Board of Trade rooms Tuesday evening.
 President Fred D. Jordan called the meeting to order shortly after 8 o'clock and turned the meeting over to Rev. William s. Beard, chairman of the entertainment committee.
 To bring the matter before the meet ing, William C.. Norris presented the following resolutions:
 Resolved, That it is the sentiment of this meeting that the town of Wind ham should continue its financial sup port of the United Charities.
 President Explains.
 M. Eugene Lincoln. president of the United Charities association, was the first speaker, outlining the objects of the association and detailing its work.
 He said that as organized here the United Charities association has en- deavored to work with the town offi- cials in the Investigating of every de- mand within the city limits, and ar ranging for the distribution of wearing apparel and food supplies from the Valley street office. The most frequent criticism of the plan as now being car ried out is that the first selectman is paid for this work, and should do it. That criticism is made by most peo- pie without giving the matter much consideration, or a meagre investiga- = ton of actual conditions. The work in that line which was within the scope of a selectman 25 years ago, or even 10 years ago. is a thing of the past In the last nine years the number of the outside poor assisted has mounted from 70 to 214. Over three times while the population is about one-fifth as great as the ratio of increase in the outside poor.
 Tn, ha fcil town S1,2S1, in 1914 it was s5,467. and in 1915, $5,705. Why has the cost ot our outside poor so increased, while the almShouse has remained stationary, as regards inmates at least, although the expense per capita necessarily in- nearly everything? Just how much am unable to determine, as permanent Improvements are of such magnitude ir the almshouse account. It seems tC me that there can be but one answer to the question of why there is such an increase in the outside poor ae- count, and that is the incomplete and unscientific way of handling the prob- lem. No selectman can do the work well, even should he devote all his time to it. It has become a duty which no ordinary man can do as ef- fectively as a trained person in that line.
 This part of the towns business  should eventually be done by a per- manent charity commission, taken out of politics. or an arrangement such as has been in effect since February, 1915 continued.
 If the per capita cost for 1915 had kept up to that of 1913-1914, it would have added over $2,400 to our outside poor account. I do not claim that all this saving is due to the investigation made by the charity organizatio but hn1f fC fofr fn losr hot was saved to the town than the S4SC which the town contributed to charity association during that period for ser vices rendered-trained services in so- cial settlement work.
 Returning to the question of the ad- visibility of the towns cooperating with the charity association, where the information regarding the assistance given by societies and individuals car be had, let me give you a few more