Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-05-12
Old Age Pension News
Over the Hill to the Poorhouse

and contributed to it's greatness is
made clear in certain Investigations
of this hoary institution made by the
Ohio and Pennsylvania commissions
on old age pensions. 1t appears that
in Pennsylvania there have been no
revision Of the poor laws since 1886
and the conditions found in many of
the State pauper institutions of both
Ohio and Pennsylvania cry aloud for
the nen of Dickens.
"Thirty county infirmaries caring
for sickness as we'll as communicable
diseases had practically no hospital
facilities" reports the Ohio commits
sion. "Not one of them employed a
trained nurse, and at least half did
not have practical nurse. In many
cases the sick were housed in an old
outside building with iron doors,
formerly used for the insane. The
sanitary conditions in these buildings
were simply revolving. Those
who were unable to care for their
physical needs demanding constant
attention had to depend on other in
mates for the most urpent wants."
The Pennsylvania investigators
IOuIlu IIldC lie ilcduo VI tIlc COuIiCy
almshouses are, as a rule, political
appointees. The great majority of
them had no experience of the nature
of their duties, previous to their ap-
pointment. Many of the men con-
nected with the management of the
almshouses are prejudiced against
the inmates and often without the
rudiments of an education. When the
superintendents are highly educated
men and trained-of whom there are
only few-they are as rule power
less to make improvements without
the consent of the poor board or the
county commissioners"
The condition in the almshouses
visited by the Pennsylvania investiga-
tors, while not so bad as in the Ohio
county infrmaries, were not good.
"The big meal usually consisted of
one dish made up Of a medley of
edible foods, bread, and coffee, with
an additional vegetable on occasions.
Most of the inmates looked sullen and
wore depressed and downcast mien.
Practically all were eager to get out
Of the place. Even in the best equip
ped institutions, there were no recre-
ational facilities provided for the in
mates. Except for a pack Of cards,
a game of checkers, and a few old
magazines. there was nothing these
aged could do to keep their minds oc-
cupied and to prevent their nursing
of grievances and discomfort. In many
places they are compelled to eat at
the same tables and sleep in the same
dormitories with the feeble-minded
and partially insane. The inmates in
most almshouses are a very hetero-
geneous collection. They comprise
insane, feeble minded, and epileptics;
blind, and deaf-mutes; sufferers from
chronic diseases, persons with crimi-
nal records; prostitutes; mothers of
illegitimate children, orphans, and de-
serted children"
1t is, of course, natural that the
average citizen when the question of
a statewide pension system is brought
up should inquire as to how much
more in taxes it will mean for him.
at is astonishing, however" says the
Pennsylvania commission in its able
report, "that the same citizen never
takes the time to INQUIRE either as to
how much he is spending on the poor
at the present time, or as to the
quality of services rendered for the
expenditures. The commission invites
the taxpayers attention to a COM
parison of the table set for the stew
ards of the poor and the table set for
unfortunate victims of poverty as
made in one average example of the
Pennsylvania almshouses. The cost
per capita of the inmates of this in
stitution in taxpayers money was
$25.14 monthly. The yearly rations
provided by this per capita for the
313 inmates and the 80 persons at the
stewards table are as follows:
71a lbs. butter per inmate and 30%
lbs. per steward.
28 eggs per inmate and 200 per
steward.
227a lbs. sugar per inmate and 33h
lbs. per steward.
20 qts. of milk per inmate and 1O1
qts. per steward.
l or. chicken per inmate and 10 lbs.
per steward.
The same striking contrast holds
for other food stuffs. Let the tax
payer consider this division of the
HIoHoy appropriated Tor Cne support
of the poor between the political ap-
pointee who has charge of his welfare
and the unfortunate pauper, and say
whether pension of $25 monthly
paid directly to the aged dependent
might not be of more benefit to him.
The situation resolves into utter alb
surdity in the further finding of the
commission that "the percentage of
overhead expense to that spent on
direct maintenance runs in the ma
jority of cases to 100 ner cent; in a
number of instances it amounts to
from 100 to 400 per cent, while in at
least one case it exceeds 1000 per
cent"
The outstanding conclusion of all
the Investigations is that the poor
house system is not only harsh and
merciless in it's abuses; but actually
on authoritative statements costs
more, from an administrative stand
point, than would be just system of
State pensions for the aged, worn out
veteran in the industrial army.