Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-08-30

| NOC1 now HtISALOlly arc VIC NNOA
gians? This question Is raised by
the first annual report of the State
Board of Public Welfare recently
made to the legislature. The board
has discovered that approximately a
half million dollars is expended an
nually in poor relief by the coun-
ties of Georgia and it does not at
tempt to estimate the larger sum
which is distributed by private or
carnations, churches, lodges, etc, to
helm stricken families tide over the
financial difficulties.
Yet, with the expenditure of this
enormous sum, the state board re-
port raises the question, care we
truly practising neighborliness? Are
we making the best use of this mon
ey to speedily return unfortunate
families to normal independence? Is
there a business-like cooperative su-
pervision of these funds which as
sures business-like return on the
investment involYed.?"
The state board has discovered
! that there are only twenty trained
full time family workers in all the
1856 counties. Two of them are paid
| bv the county commissioners.-the
others by private agencies,-Red
| Cross secretaries, and secretaries of
! Associated Charities.
The report of the board insists that
| if this large sum of several million
dollars of public relief is to be prop
erly administered, to secure effective
neighborliness. it should be done by
people trained to the work. "The
necessity of public charity and insti-
tutional care might frequently be
avoided by intelligently assisting
parent to rebuild the home, tempo
rarily endanged by want and dis
tress."
The state board offers to assist
communities in planning to raise
their standards of effective neigh
borliness. 1t is ready to bring the
latest plans of organization, and f.
nances, and to help discover the
trained worker to any group which
may be interested in developing, bet
ter family work. While only a few
months old, this board is fast be-
coming the headquarters of commu-
mites seeking aid along this line, and
has been invited into several cities
for consultation.
Study of the Pauper Relief.
The report of the board also has
plan to recommend for the i'm
provement of the methods of distri-
button of the county pauper funds.
1t has made careful study of the
methods employed in The care of pau
pers by half the counties III Georgia,
! 70 counties, with population of
that thousands of dollars are being
wasted by distributing monthly
grants of as low as 81 per month,
that the expense of caring for in
digent people in almSh"uses is much
greater than it would be should the
county provide them adequa e re
lief in their homes, and suggests that
the greatest need today is for the
distribution of these county funds
to be placed in the hands of train
ed full time social worker.
The plan suggested is that in force
in the counties of a good many ether
southern states where the one county
worker acts as commissioner of the
poor. probation officer for the Juve-
nile court and truant officer for the
education authorities.
Dental Expenditures.
The report goes into the conduct
of county almshouses, which will be
reported in another article. Enough
to state that only twenty-six of the
seventy-nine counties studied MAIN
tain an almshouse.
Number inmates of the 26 aims
houses in 1919, 757.
| Total expenditures for the poor in
these almshouses. S96179.99.
The report show that seventy of
the seventy-uine counties studied are
giving monthly grants to families
in their homes.
Number of persons receiving pc
riodical grants in these 70 counties
during 1919 ------------.,-,-.-. 2,O67
Total expended in monthly
grants --.--------------.-- SSb, lS3.oo
Total expended through
organizations -------..-.-.--. 81 ,245.l2
Total expedited through
bureaus .....-...,.........,.. 4,1O1.3O
Total relief to families in
their homes .--...............$121 ,54O.08
Total expended for poor
both inside and outside
almhouses in 70 coun.
ties -----.------------------------- 1914 l9.Ii
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