The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-16
BRITISH TROOPS GUARD UL STER BORDER
Unemployed Fund Cut Reacts On
 Charity Agency

Fifty appeals for aid came last week to one charity agency the Cath ollie Charitable Bureau, as a resul. of the fact that the Charities Depart ment has been obliged to cut down from five to three and two days a week of work for the unemployed Funds available for city relief work make it impossible to anot any work to men who haven't families to sup port. If a man has four more de- pendents he is entitled to three days of work and can earn $S.10 a week If he has fewer than four depend ents, he can be given only two days of work.
 Eighteen requests for aid in bridg- ing the gap between this income and the necessities of life for a family came to us in one day. Last week brought more appeals than almost any other week during the past year." said Miss Victoria A. Larmour, execu- tive secretary of the Catholic Charit- able Bureau, when asked what results had been observed by the bureau fol- lowing the reduction of assistance the city is in Q position to give to the un- employed.
 Many a child is going to school hungry" she said. '"There was
 
 to get money to pay for some medi- cine for a member of her family who was sick. Undernourishment is the cause of much illness and one diff culty we have is in getting these peo- pie to accept free medical treatment from the city,
 The Reverend John H. Landry of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, associate director of the Catholic Charitable Bureau, came into the bu- reau's office in the Meigs building at this moment and joined in the con- versation. There Is much suffer ing" he admitted. but in referring to numerous pathetic instances he re- trained from giving names and asked that the details should not be pub Iished, because of the confidential at titude necessary in relief work toward those assisted.
 Just as is the case with all the other relief agencies, the funds of this bu- reau have to be spread over such a large number now that no one fam ily can be given much aid.
 "Of course,' he went on. ''some of the appeals that seem very pitiful at first. prove on investigation to be un- worthy. On the other hand, we dis cover remarkable instances of patient endurance and hard work through endless difficulties. One man I have
  people will do in times of stress"
 He Is a man of about fifty-five, American born, a wtdower with two children. There were six eight children all told, but the others had grown up and married and had so many cares of their own. they could not assist their father. His wife was an invalid for some time before her death and he himself had suffered from continued III health. But through all those difficulties he had always been a hard working man and had managed to save a little and to buy bit of land, worth perhaps sso or so. He was ambitious but cir cumstances were against him."
 "one day there was no more work for him. He tramped up and down everywhere looking for other work. but 1t was not to be had. He took anything that turned up, beating rugs and the like. Finally he had a chance to get into road work for the city at S10.S0 week. He and his two chill dren boarded in the home of a widow, who had a child of her own- She could find nothing to do, so this man supported all five of them on his earnings, ekeing them out from his savings.
 Every week he turned over to his 7andlady s1o of the S1O.So he had
 
 for food and rent. The so cents left he kept for personal expenses of him self and children. With 1t he would buy leather and shoe findings and mend shoes for all of them"
 During the year 1921. 59 per cent of the 611 problems brought before the Family Welfare department of the Catholic Charitable Bureau were brought about by unem ploynent and Insufficient income. Child Welfare and Community Welfare cases are other departments in the constructive work of the bureau.
 While the number of families aided during 1921 was a third greater than the number of the year before and much in excess of what the bureau anticipated in estimating it's needs. it has been obliged to do with 20 per cent less than the amount asked for from the Community Chest to cover those estimates. All the other agen- sies supported from the Community Chest have been handicapped by the same cut in allotment. The funds pledged last April in the drive to fill the Chest are now nearly exhausted. just when the need is greatest.
 TOTTPTNC CAR