Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1909 — Outdoor Poor Relief In 1908. [ARTICLE]

Outdoor Poor Relief In 1908.

Why was the total expenditure for official outdoor poor relief in Indiana over $65,000 greater last year than in 1907? The Board of State Charities has received detailed reports of poor relief for last year from every one of the 1,016 township overseers of the poor. These have beeil compiled and show the total expenditures for the year amounted to $292,496.19 —greater by $65,491.48 than in 1907, and $48,594.82 more than the average annual expenditure of the eight years immediately preceding. The conditions during the winter of 1907-8 were extremely hard on the poor and it is known the demand for aid was very heavy particularly in certain parts of the state. It was expected that there would be a considerable increase in the amount of relief given by the township trustees. In all but fourteen of the ninety-two counties in the state more relief was given last year than in 1907. This varied from $13.30 in Lagrange county to $7,608.87 in Lake county. Center township, Marion county, containing the city of Indianapolis, gave aid to the amount of $9,577.79, and North township, Lake county, containing the city of Hammond, gave $9,724.26, the highest amount of any county in the state. Fifty-nine townships gave no aid, 395 gave less than SIOO, 449 be-' tween SIOO and SSOO, 61 between SSOO and SI,OOO, and 49 SI,OOO and over. The overseers report that 56,200 persons, 26,875 males and 29,395 females, shared in the relief in 1908. This is an increase of 18,476 over 1907, and the highest number reported since 1899. Of the number of aided last year there were 26,539 children under 16 years of age. The white persons aided numbered 51,806, and the colored 4,394. The leading cause of relief was sickness and burial, 9,482; lack of employment next, 2,263. The greatest number of persons aided were laborers. The families aided numbered 12,531 with 49,215 members. The average number of persons in each family was 3.9. The Tamflles consisting of two members each numbered 3,592 or 28.6 per cent, and those of three members each numbered 2,564 or 20.4 per cent. There were 2,266 families, or 18 per cent of four members each and 1,664 of 13 per cent had five members each. The remaining 2,445 families or 19 per cent had six or more members. The increase in the amount of poor relief had an effect upon the amount of the tax levy to reimburse the counties for money advanced to the township. The highest levy reporter is 14 cents in Polk township, Monroe county, and the next highest, 12 cents in Rutherford township, Marion county. Ten cent levies were made in the following townships: Boone and Whiskey Run in Crawford county; Franklin in Jordan county; Calumet in Lake county; Monroe in Madison and Peru in Miami county. Alto gether there were 88 levies of five cents or more. It is interesting to observe that while the men outnumber the women two to one in the county poor asylums more women than men were aided by the township overseers of the poor.