Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-02
LEE e osoooD co. MorwIst


 necessary to stop ths machinery of the boat because this whistle required so much steam. think it is mighty i good thing to hold 2 mirror n front why we are.
 Emphasized Work of Individual. | Fred B. Johnson, general secretary l of the associated charities of Boston 1 Mass. was the next speaker and laid 1 strong emphasis on the work oK the 1n- 1 dividual. Since 1879, when the charts ties were organized, there has been a 1 tremendous progress shown through 1 out the United States, and in Connee- l ticut there has also been great prog ress In your big cities you nave soc 1 cieties, but in the small towns you | have not. We have come to the point and have reached the point where we need public relief. According to the last report Of the state board of chart- ties about $200,090 is spent every year for tn ere1ief of poor in their homes by cities and towns in Connecticut. One hundred and sixty towns are giving public relief in Connecticut, and
 it represents aid to great number or families.
 Two things I want to speak on is settlement laws and supervision. Set
 clement laws mean a certain right con- ferred on an individual to public re-
 lief in the state of Connecticut. The
 laws in Connecticut are dicult and
 complicated, making it quite hard to
 understand. These laws in Connech-
 cut are a resemblance or remnant et
 the dark ages. The law of settlement dates back into the 17th century dur ing the reign of Charles II in England,
 when the rule of communities retgned. l We believe where folks are striving
 and working along doing their best
 they should be given a longer time for settlement These laws are difficult 1, and complicated. The second point is supervision. Unfortunately because of : concentrating attention upon ques- tions as to legal settlement and be- : cause of the administration of the law ! relating to non-residents by the state 2 comptroller, sufficient attention is not , given to proper social provisions for those in receipt of poor relief. You , need central standardizing of author ity. We should prevent the stunning
 of folks from one town to another
 In closing I will say we need to tm-
 prove our public institutions and II
 you take interest in the aomin1stra- tion in your own town and lend help , to the se1ectmen you will familiarize , yourself with the difficulties. It will mean an improvement and become bet ? ter service to your community. Among other speakers in the discus 2 sion of the afternoons topics were < the following: Eugene Krener of 5 Waterbury, c. P. Kellogg, chairman , of the membership and finance com
 
 don, of Bridgeport.
 g Reception for Delegates and Visitors. 8 From 4.30 to o'clock there was a a l reception for the members of the con ference delegates and visitors at Old elrns, the handsome home of PreSi- a dent and Mrs. Leonard O. Smith on Washington street. MT. and Mrs r Smith received the guests The house
 was most beautifully decorated. 9 At the Morning Session. In the absence of Hon. Thomas L. e Reilly, chairman of the committee on S 1 legislation, Schuyler Merritt of Stam. t ford presided at the public hearing on
 proposed legislation which was held y in Elks' hall on Monday morning at n 9.3O o'clock.
 e MT. Merritt presented the several : matters that the committee on legis- lation had prepared and Mrs. Frank u A. Mitchell of this city stated that s while she. had not received a general t, report upon the matters from her t committee she felt that the majority r had looked them over and were in v favor of recommending them.
 r The first matter presented before f the meeting was that of amending
 section 2790 of the general statutes a that provision would be made for the Q appointment of SuperintendentS or e agents by the board, who would make s such rules, regulations and bylaws as
 
 |, the order and government of the tenn a porary home and it's officers and 1t f shall appoint a committee of one man h or woman in each town of the county, h or more than one, in accordance with
 the population and area of the town, f who shall serve without compensa- : 1 tion, and who shall have at all times :. the right to visit and inspect the home ? or homes of their county, and to sug- |. l gest to said board such provisions, 2 changes or additions as they may think desirable; and shall assist said
 board in the careful selection of fam l fly homes for the children in the ii temporary home or homes and in the T | visitation of children when placed in selected families.
 Eugene Van Why, superintendent of > the William Gilbert Home in Stam- . ford, expressed his views that the T amendment last mentioned might work E injury to the home in Litclifleld coun- ' ty all amendments were voted on fa- . vorably, the sense of the meeting be- 2 ing expressed as favoring them. With reference to inebriate farms a Judge Edgar M Warner of Putnam n moved that the conference recommend e that district and separate inebriate T farms be established He touched on e the matter of county jails. especially
 those in New Haven and Hartford
 counties and the fact that little inter
 est was paid in the religious end ol [, the life of prisoners there. Miss Par. ' ker of Bridgeport explained the situa- v tion with reference to the woman's re. Z, formatory and Charles H. Johnson oa
 Cheshire, superintendent of the re-