The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-06
CHARACTER INVESTMENT
WAS HELP GIVEN 1,473
Associated Charities In Annual Session
Hears Reports of President and
Of Secretary Buchanan.
FIVE NEW DIRECTORS NAMED
Will Meet With Others OF Board In
Few Days to Elect Understanding
Of Prohibition Relieves One Conn
pick Situation Organization Faced.

That aid given by the Associated
Charities in Richmond during 1915 to
1,473 families was an investment in
character Is the opinion voiced by DR..
James Buchanan. executive secretary.
in his annual report to the Associated
Charities at Its meeting at the Jeffer
son Hotel yesterday afternoon. The
Associated Charities. in annual ses-
sion, heard the reports of President
0. A. Hawkins, Of DR., Buchanan, and
of Mrs. c. f. Boiling. chairman of
the ice mission, and elected five di-
rectors who. with others of the board.
will assemble within the next few
days to elect officers for the coming
year.
Directors named yesterday are Mrs.
8. II. Bemiss S. II. Bowman, j. p.
Jones. c. ]. Billups and J. B. Tinsley.
Sixteen of the directors hold over.
Officers whose terms expire this year
are: o. A Hawkins. President; III. f.
Baskerville. first vice-president and
C. c. Chaplin, treasurer. These will be
reelected or their successors named at
the full meeting of the board, to be
held on call.
Rcgaincd Standing After Aid.
Statistical features of DIR. Buchan-
ans report set forth the facts that the
year 1915 was one in which particu-
larry heavy demands were made on
the Associated Charities. there having
been disbursed for relief sl5.355.52.
while in 1914 the amount was S..
3e3.29. and in the year just closed,
ss,342.30. The fiscal year of the
organization ends November 30
THE work during 1915" says DR..
Buchanan's report. brought us into
touch with 1852 families Nine hum
dred and seventy-nine of these families
had never been previously aided by
the Associated Charities and owing TO
ployment and financial depres-
sion, many were obliged to go into
debt In the beginning of 1916. when
conditions were improving, old debts
had to be pail and the work of re-
ha utilization gas gradual.
When We consider the fact and see
that OF the 1852 families helped during
1918, only 3S9 families continued to ask
for aid when industrial conditions i'm
proved. it clearly shows that the cause
of the large increase In dependency was
due to economic conditions
The aid during 1915 given to the
1.473 families was an investment in
character and shows that immediate
~ when economic conditions improved
self-respect asserted itself. and they
became self-supporting. This Is cause
for the congratulation of our constit-
uency and ought to encourage us In
coming TO the aid OF such families when
financial embarrassment overtakes
them.
During 1915 new families making
application for aid were 1866, as COM
pared with sT9. These ngures are
eloquent in portraying the conditions
under which We labored during the
past year
Meeting the Drink Problem.
The most complex situation the AS
sociated Charities has had to deal with,
the report states. is that in which the
husband earned enough to support the
family. but through drink and indo-
lence the part of the man or i'm
providence on the part OF the woman"
was unable to meet the needs Of chill
dren and maintain an adequate stand
ard of living. In this connection the
report adds:
During the last month prohibition
has been in operation and has Nodi-
fed the existing conditions The time
is opportune for a thorough policy
which recognizes the evil growing out
or drinking.
President Hawkins report reviewed
the work OF the Associated Charities
and the assistance given by the fCitl-
zens' Relief Association. which. during
the stringeney of 1915, went TO the
bank and borrowed $4,000. which is
yet unpaid, and appealed for continued
and more liberal response to the calls
made by the Associated Charities for
funds. His report closed with an APP
peal for the widows and for the devils
ing of plan for keeping together such
families as need aid
Mrs. Bolling's ice mission report
shows that 5SS.400 pounds of ice were
distributed and that total receipts for
the ice fund were s2,451.33.