The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-11-13

ne lMIlo NtSeldDlt tOllctilOn LOT
the needs of the unfortunate of Twin
Falls this winter is growing, the spud
department is getting along very nice
" The amount collected at this time
however is relatively small compared
with what it might have been had the
condition surrounding the gathering
been less strenuous. Only sound veg
etables that, on account of size are un-
saleable, have been asked and the
TIMES guarantees that these will be
distributed through the county COM
missioners and the Associated Chart
ties, where they are needed and only
where they are needed. In this con-
nectiOn it is deemed advisable to lay
before TIMES readers certain facts
with which some of them are perhaps
not familiar.
In the first place it is not true and
never has been true TO any appreciable
extent that the present board of cOun-
~ commissioners are easy" and are
habitually worked by a class of lOafers
that lie around pool halls all summer
and then sponge on the community
during the winter months. Anyone
who gets any money from the county
board really needs it. Similarly any
one who gets assistance from the AS
ISOLATED Charities needs it and gets It
only after a careful investigation of
the case. LOafers are frOwned down
upon systematically. The work of the
board and the Associated Charities are
the latter taking care
of cases around the city not easily
handled by the board. In some in
stances this work consists of extend
ing aid to children of unfortunate
families who through misfortune are
IN real need and are unable to secure
enough proper food and clothing to
enable them to go to school. In other
cases, whole families come into town,
from dry claims, or from other towns
looking for work and get stranded
and some of them fall sick. These are
tided over, where the investigation re-
veals the fact that the case is a
worthy one. Sometimes these are not
in a position to ask aid from the coun-
~. They are "bOrderland' cases,
which fall in a twilight zone" into
which the commissioners have found
it inexpedient to extend relief activi-
ties. and which are, nevertheless,
meritOriOus cases, deserving temper
airy alienation. Still another class
consists OF young girls without means
OF support. who are helped in secur-
ing good positions while going to
school and have clothing enough furn-
shed to them to appear respectable
and pass through without their en-
Dl0yers knowing that they are assist
ed; The obvious advantage Of this
method. so far as character building
for impressiOnable youth is concerned,
need not be enlarged upon Some
times clothing donated to the AssOciat-
ed Charities is mended and sold sec
Ond hand to poor people of limited
means and the proceeds used to buy
necessities for others who cannot buy
il themselves.
Others who are suffering from real
want through sickness or misfortune,
and who refuse to ask aid of any kind
are helped without their knowledge.
The number who receive even a mo-
dicum of undeserved aid is negligible
though in rare instances possible.
A TIMES reporter last week visited
the home OF the president of the AS
sociated Charities in this city in order
10 personally investigate the method
of handling cases. The most perfect
system is in operation. Card indexes
are kept for every year, showing who
received aid, the conditions found to
exist in each case, what became of
the person assisted thereafter and a
number of details of Importance bear
ng on the matter There was moth
ang loose The cards tell tales of sor-
row. of wives deserted. of families
Jeff adrift by hayward husbands, OF
left without a head by the call OF
death. A number of instances were
copied. but there were so many OF
them and the details were so pathetic,
that it was determined to refrain from
publishing any. It might be added
that in the cases where aid is extend
ed to unfortunate families who refuse
TO ask. to young girls struggling
through school against adverse cir
cumstances. or to people OF real mer-
it whose future might be marred by
the publication of the fact that they
were unfortunate enough to need as
sistance, ths ssmes inscribed on the