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REPORT

OF

VISITATION OF THE ALMSHOUSES IN THE SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.

REPORT

OF

VISITATION OF THE ALMSHOUSES IN THE SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.

To the State Board of Charities:

I have the honor to submit herewith a brief report upon the almshouses in the Sixth Judicial District. During the fiscal year ending September 30, 1909, the almshouses of the district were visited by me, and in addition, were inspected twice by the Board's inspectors. Besides the almshouses, the poor of the county of Schuyler boarded out in various private family homes were also visited by Inspector Hall, and a full report thereon presented to the Board. The district is one of those in the central part of the State, where conditions have been improving during recent years. The old system, which to some extent lacked carefulness in its administration, has given place to a better plan whereby the superintendents and keepers give closer attention, not only to the outside work which pertains to their official position, but to the personal comfort of the inmates of the almshouses. This is especially true in the care of the sick. Many of the persons committed to almshouses are not sent to them until after they have become so enfeebled in mind or body that they must be thereafter absolutely dependent upon others for even personal cleanliness. It is pleasant to report that the care of the sick in the district has greatly improved; that attention to the general hygiene and the sanitation of the institutions has resulted in a betterment of conditions, and that now the administration is usually classified as of the highest grade.

A number of improvements have been made in the institutions, as, for example, at the Tompkins County Almshouse where the stable, which was for many years a source of annoyance to the patients in the hospital wards, has been removed, and as a consequence the annoying and disease-carrying flies have disappeared.

A general freshening of the same institution also has increased comfort and changed the atmosphere for the better.

In Chemung county an effort has been made to provide a hospital building to be devoted solely to the care of the sick, and it is anticipated that such building will be erected in a short time. In the meanwhile, the authorities have changed wards and dormitories to provide better accommodations for the inmates.

Chenango, Cortland, Madison and Tioga counties remain substantially as heretofore with high grade as to efficiency of administration. The chief problem in this district is the care of the poor in Schuyler county where the unsatisfactory plan of boarding out still remains. The State Board of Charities has urged the establishment of a county almshouse upon the supervisors, and it is hoped the people will realize that such an institution will provide a much more satisfactory method of caring for public dependents than is possible where the poor are boarded out in private homes. The influence of the boarded-out poor in family homes is usually more or less demoralizing. There is no possibility of controlling their movements; they are liable to abuse and neglect in health, and, when sick, frequently may remain for a long period without receiving the medical attention they require. Without reflection upon the willingness of the authorities to provide medical attention and sufficient clothing and other necessaries, the fact that the poor are widely scattered makes it extremely probable that their necessities will be overlooked, and especially in case of sickness, delays will prevent the prompt medical attendance they should receive.

The cost of maintenance of a county almshouse need not be high. In fact, counties maintaining a no larger number of poor than is now boarded out in Schuyler county are able to do it at a less annual cost to the taxpayers than is incurred in Schuyler county at the present time. Looked at from the standpoint of humanity, and from the side of economy, there can be no question that it will be to the advantage of Schuyler county to maintain its poor in a central county almshouse.

Respectfully submitted,

RALPH W. THOMAS,

Commissioner Sixth Judicial District.

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