Relief Committee to Meet Friday
Conference to Discuss Increasing Need for Aid in County
Morning Olympian January 14, 1932
Members of the Thurston County Relief committee will meet Friday night at the central office at 7:30 o’clock to discuss the increasing need for relief work in the county.
The three county commissioners will attend the conference, and delegates from Yelm, Vale, Rochester, Tenino, Bucoda, and other county communities will be present.
Please for aid have come recently from a large number of families living in these communities and the committee hopes to work out some plan of relief. A recent tabulation showed 75 families needing relief in Yelm. Like conditions prevail at other points.
It was by no means a pleasing picture of economic and family conditions in Thurston county which was brought to the view of the members of the executive committee of the local Red Cross at its annual meeting Wednesday. The big question in the minds of all as they listened to the report was not how more efficiently the work of relieving distress could be done, but how with the limited resources available it was going to be continued during the duration of the winter and until revival of industry and warmer weather contributed to family relief.
Mrs. Fay Miller, executive secretary, reported having given charity aid during December to 149 families, comprising 594 people, at a cost of $1,137.51, an amount nearly $400 in excess of the amount budgeted for the month.
Added to this, was the relief extended through the unemployment division of which H. R. Watson as charge. Watson reported that since November 17 when this work was started, $6,736.27 had been expended in the form of day’s work at $2.50 per day and that if the present rate of expenditure was continued the amount available for unemployment relief would be exhausted before Marc 1.
Jesse Mills, recently elected chapter chairman and who presided for the first time, pointed out the absolute necessity of reserving from the funds raised from last fall a sufficient amount to carry on the charitable and civilian relief work of the chapter through the coming spring, summer, and fall. George Draham, chairman of the general committee directing unemployment relief voiced the opinion that it might be necessary to call on the employed and employees to make additional donations.
Nearly 600 heads of families in the county have applied for unemployment relief and Mrs. Miller estimates no fewer than 100 families, without a breadwinner, will have to have constant assistance during the winter and probably longer.
Aid extended by Mrs. Miller during December included furnishing of food, clothing, fuel, drugs and medicines, bedding, lumber and building paper for the repair of homes, payment of rentals, hospitalization, light and water bills and furnishing bedding and household necessities. Se reported a total of 520 office interviews during the month and an unnumbered list of visits to families asking for aid.
Mr. Draham said it appeared to him absolutely necessary that through investigation of family conditions quite a number of cases should be eliminated, but that on the other hand more assistance than is being given at present must be given to large families. He inquired how many of those present would undertake to support a family of five on $15 per month?
Mrs. Miller reported receipt of large additions to the clothing supply from the ingle Club auxiliary and also receipt of 25 comforter and 15 pairs of pillow slips by the circles of the United Churches.