Intemperance and Imprisonment Causes of Poverty.—Just at the time when a board of inebriety has been appointed in New York, the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, one of the largest and oldest relief societies of this country, announces the results of a statistical study, commented upon thus in the New York World:
“Only two families in every hundred of the 1,573 which have been in the care of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor this summer were brought to poverty through intemperance. The percentage goes against preconceived notions and is indeed surprisingly small. It should disturb that prosperous complacency which sees in poverty only or mainly the penalty of wanton misdeed. The association’s report for 1909 showed that intemperance, imprisonment, desertion, ‘shiftlessness and inefficiency,’ all told, accounted for not 12 per cent of those brought to want.
“The figures for that year showed that 65 per cent of the poverty was due to two causes—sickness and unemployment. This summer the two causes account for 68 per cent of the poverty noted, and 43 per cent, or nearly half, was due to sickness alone. Here are causes of misery which society can abate or largely remove and the economic evils of which it can provide against through some form of insurance.”
Prison Labor in District of Columbia.—The establishment of an industrial plant in connection with the new district workhouse and reformatory is being considered by the commissioners.
The plan under consideration is to have school furniture, garbage cans and a variety of articles which the district annually is forced to buy manufactured at the plant.
With the object of determining the feasibility of the scheme, Commissioner Judson recently visited the Hampton Industrial Agricultural Institute, at Hampton, Va., where he observed the manufacturing methods that are employed as a part of the course taught in the school.
It is the opinion of Commissioner Judson that the establishment of an industrial plant by the District, the labor to be supplied by the reformatory prisoners, will prove both practicable and economical.
In the event of the plan materializing, the District, it is said, may sell the articles manufactured at the plant to the different departments of the local government, but may not dispose of them to outside buyers. It was stated today that the commissioners will soon endeavor to secure a new reformatory site.