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CHARITIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



isting State institutions to receive the approval 

 of the State Board of Charities. 



A bill authorizing cities of the first class to 

 establish hospitals for consumptives outside of 

 their corporate limits. 



None of these measures were opposed by any 

 of the prominent charitable societies or institu- 

 tions of the State; and all of them are therefore 

 presumably in line with the enlightened chari- 

 table sentiment of the community. 



A bill for the establishment of a State hos- 

 pital in the Adirondack mountains for the treat- 

 ment of incipient pulmonary tuberculosis, which 

 was championed by the medical societies of the 

 State and by the leading charitable organiza- 

 tions in New York city, failed to pass. 



Among the bills introduced which were opposed 

 either by the State Board of Charities or by the 

 leading charitable societies of New York city, or 

 both, and which failed of passage, were the fol- 

 lowing: 



A bill to re-establish the free distribution of 

 coal to the poor by the city of New York. The 

 defeat of this bill" in two successive years may 

 justly be regarded as a signal triumph for charity- 

 organization principles. 



A bill for the creation of a local board of pub- 

 lic charities in the borough of Queens, New York 

 city, and re-establishing a system of public out- 

 door relief in that borough. The purpose of this 

 bill was to restore the borough of Queens, so far 

 as the relief of the poor is concerned, to its posi- 

 tion prior to consolidation with New York city. 



The so-called destitute mothers' bill, authoriz- 

 ing the payment of public funds in New York 

 city to widows for the support of their children 

 instead of committing them to institutions. This 

 was the third year in which this project had come 

 before the Legislature, and on every occasion it 

 has been defeated by the united efforts of the 

 general charitable agencies of the city. 



In New York city the system of caring for 

 destitute children is through public support in 

 private institutions. In the revised Constitu- 

 tion, taking effect Jan. 1, 1895, the State Board 

 of Charities is directed to establish rules and 

 regulations concerning the reception and reten- 

 tion of such inmates, and public money is to be 



paid only for the support of inmates received and 

 retained under such rules. The rules established 

 by the State Board of Charities led to a decrease 

 in the number of juvenile dependents through- 

 out the State, but more particularly in New York 

 city, where the number decreased from 16,858, 

 Oct. 1, 1894, to 15,745, Oct. 1, 1897. During 1898, 

 however, there was a considerable increase in the 

 number of children who became public charges. 

 A special committee of the State Board of Chari- 

 ties is now investigating the cause of this in- 

 crease. 



Several advances have been made in the care 

 of destitute children. Perhaps the most impor- 

 tant of these is the establishment of a system 

 of co-operation between the Charity Organiza- 

 tion Society and the Department of Public Chari- 

 ties as to the commitment of destitute children 

 as public charges. An agent of the Charity Or- 

 ganization Society visits the office of the Chari- 

 ties Department twice daily, and considers all 

 applications for the commitment of destitute chil- 

 dren to institutions. Whenever it is found that 

 the parents are of good character and should be 

 enabled to keep their children at home, the Char- 

 ity Organization Society takes the case under its- 

 charge and provides such material relief gro- 

 ceries, rent, fuel, clothing, etc. as may be needed. 

 The Charity Organization Society is strongly 

 supported in this work by the Society of St. Vin- 

 cent de Paul and the United Hebrew Charities. 

 From July 1, 1898, to May 1, 1899, of 1,126 chil- 

 dren whose commitment had been applied for, 

 327 were taken under the charge of the Charity 

 Organization Society. 



In 156 cases the commitment had already been 

 decided upon, and was prevented by the direct 

 intervention and offer of assistance by the Char- 

 ity Organization Society. It is certain that most 

 of the remaining 171 cases would have been com- 

 mitted had it not been for the newly established 

 system of co-operation. A similar plan is being 

 put in operation in Brooklyn by the Brooklyn 

 Children's Aid Society and the Bureau of Chari- 

 ties. 



There has also been an increase in the efforts 

 to place out children in families. Most signifi- 

 cant is the establishment of the Catholic Home 



STATE INSTITUTIONS AND INSTITUTIONS UNDER STATE CONTROL. 



