New Britain herald., 1916-04-13
CHARITY INCREASE
 OVER ONE YEAR AGO
Monthly Report Of Organization
 Agent Shows Much Work

Miss Elsie E. Osborne presented her monthly report for March at the meet ing of the New Britain Charity Or ganization last evening as follows: Report for Month of March. Thirty nine new cases as against ] twenty-three for the same month of | a year ago is the surprising revela- ton of our statistics for March. 1916. We can only account for this in two ways. First, because the work of our society is keeping up a steady growth and second, because we find a sinister thread of illness running through the affairs of every family we touch Text books in civics state drily that the main causes of poverty are widow hood, old age, vagrancy, intemper- ance, immortality, non-support, and mental or physical handicap. Of course we find this statement true is our work, but there is always some underlylng cause that aggravates mat tefs. Last year that underlying cause was unemployment. This year when factories are forced to advertise for help, when housemaids are difficult to ma, and when common labor for men and women demands higher pay than usual, the underlying cause is illness. Tn practically every family we have visited this winter we have found sickness. Many a laborer on small wages or a man with a seasonal trade might have pulled his family safely and independently through the winter II It mad not been for illness among ms children. Many an elderly man or woman would have been carried through without the need of aid if |. It had not been for illness. Illness mas invaded all the homes of the WIDOWS whom we are helping who nave from one to seven children to bring up-making it impossible for them to leave the little invalids and go out doing days works and accord- lngly more has been necessary for them. Illness has complicated mat ters in more than one drunkard's nome 1t has made matters worse in cases of insufficient income, it has in creased our trouble in dealing with sHl1tlessness and immortality and it mas even effected our hobo friends. the hnlghts of the road" who are beginning to be-stir themselves with the coming of the first spring days. They come to us with all manner of
 
 for several months that illness this winter has many times broken down the line between independence and charity and has aggravated those troubles that would have brought families to us anyway
 We find this is true in other cities or the state as we'll as New Britain.
 During the month of March. 1916 there have been 225 requests for our services: Three from schools. sixteen from public officials, six from private societies nineteen from other cities. one from church, forty-one from interested individuals and 13e rom applicants themselves We have been of service to 1O6 1 families during the month: Thirtv- l nlne Of these were new cases and s1Xty-seven were continued from the previous month. No one applied to us directly for work but in carrying out our plans for families we did se- cure permanent jobs for six and tenn porary work for three. Transporta- ton was provided for three. There were 262 calls at our office, 123 from consultants and 139 from applicants. Nlnety-nine visits were made by the agents and six were made by friendly visitors. We were also aided bv 1 tWenty-one hours of volunteer office | work. 1t Is perfectly obvious that in such busy times and with such limited help we cannot visit some families and HesiecC others. That is the reason why we remain mere hours in the Of nee and make fewer calls the more rushed we are. In times of such stress the telephone is our mainstav- 453 telephone interviews this month bear witness to that
 With the splendid system of co. operation that is developing in this city 1t is wonderful how well we can catch the drift of things by telephone when circumstances force us to use this method.
 Aid was organized of course for the families applying, and our own funds used for emergency aid. Sixtv-five dollars and eighty cents was expended from the treasurers fund, $5698 from the agents fund, S23.75 from the special shoe fund for school children. and $65.90 worth of aid was organ ized by us and paid for by interested people, making a total of S21243 for emergency aid during the month
 Because the work of the charity or ganlzat1on has so many divisions it