Utilizing The Tramp

They have establiahed a good method in the interior of New York State for feeding the houseless poor, trampa, vagrants and the respettably destitute. They maki them work for what they recave as relief. The town board of audit, ünswering the purpose of a board of relief, have an arrangement with tho police, and to tliese the charge of the poor ia given. A tramp receives a ticket írom the board, which he presenta to the police, who give him a plank bed similar to tho.se iu the "Soup House." The terms of entertainment are that the applicant shall, in the morning, bcforc breakfast, break two bushels of stone. Ou these conditiona he romains o: leaves as the case may be. The arrangement has proved a suceesa. The trampa, vagrants, or whatever you choosc to cali them, werk for what they receive, and the theory of mendicant charity is to a great extent dispensad wiih. Women and children and disabled men are of course exempt from this rule, and are fed and lodged according to circumstancea. The tramps accommodated in these small towua numbered 744, the cost of which was 174.25; the amount of stone broken was 2,07(5 buahels, which, at live cents per bushei, is equal to $148.80, leaving a cost to tile board only of $25.46, which was more than paid by the proftt on tho breakage of the stoue. In years before this labor system was employee!, the coat of feeding and lodging tramps, etc., varied from $400 to $800. The labor test extnds to the resident applioants for relief, and they accept it readily. Every man wiio applies ii required to go to the stone-yard and bréale [ stone, for which he receives at the rute of ftve cents per bushel. iso money is ; paid, hut ui order is given for such supplies is hie family may need, at the labor i rates. The average day's work of these men has been twenly-five bushels, equal I to $1.25 per day. The result of this experiment is to ' (iiiuimsli the ïuunber of applieants and to teach the iille the practicíil lesson that i 1 1 .cv must work to hve. They ask for breud und are presented with a bushel ui' stone tu üiv(! them ui appetite.