Poor is required to remove non-resident paupers whose proper residential localities can be determined, but to accomplish this removal with due consideration for the needs of the unfortunate poor person.

METHOD.

The Superintendent of State and Alien Poor, by a systematic inquiry into the merit of all applicants, endeavors to determine which are properly chargeable to the State. Many facts are developed through these investigations which prove that were it not for the operations of the law the charitable institutions. of the State of New York would be filled with the undesirable dependents of other States and countries.

The steamship lines which land large numbers of immigrants in New York bring many alien paupers who, in a brief period of time, make application for public or private relief. Steamship lines landing their passengers at other ports in the United States or Canada bring over a similar undesirable class of immigrants who ultimately find their way to the State of New York. The railroad lines which thread the United States also serve for the transportation of the unfortunates who look to the State or city of New York as a final haven.

At the two main gates of the State, New York and Buffalo, the Department of State and Alien Poor has established offices wherein applications for relief, based upon the ground that they are proper charges upon the State, and not upon counties, are at once investigated. From these offices the meritorious applicants are promptly returned to where they belong, and those which are not chargeable to the State are dismissed or referred to the proper relieving officer. In addition to the work of these offices, each State almshouse is visited once in three months and all of its inmates examined. Whenever the county almshouses are inspected, due attention is given to all inmates whose settlement is doubtful. In this way, by constant examination, the number of paupers is kept from increasing. For a number of years past, in spite of the yearly increase of applications, the

total number permanently supported has remained practically the same from year to year.

This check upon the growth of pauperism is largely due to the promptness with which investigations are made. It has been found that if any great length of time elapses between the admission of a pauper to an almshouse and investigation of his claim, it becomes exceedingly difficult to arrive at the truth, but if the case be examined into at the time of commitment, facts are developed upon which a safe conclusion may be based.

ADMISSIONS AND REMOVALS.

One reason why the number of paupers in State almshouses, chargeable to the State, has remained practically the same for several years is that the list is made up mainly of men and women who have been inmates of these State almshouses for many years. Since the present Superintendent of State and Alien Poor entered upon the duties of his office, June 1, 1899, 4,230 persons have been committed to State almshouses as State poor persons. On the 1st of July, 1899, there were 103 State poor persons in institutions supported at the expense of the State. At the close of the fiscal year, September 30, 1901, only 87 persons were maintained in almshouses at the expense of the State, and these, with ten children, represented the total number of dependents for whom the State must provide. Thus it will be seen that 4,236 persons, committed by county superintendents or commissioners of charity to the custody of State almshouses as State poor persons, have been disposed of by the Department of State and Alien Poor. All of these have been either sent to their homes in the United States or foreign lands, discharged as able to support themselves, or removed by friends upon notification of their condition and whereabouts by the Department of State and Alien Poor.

Before the present law went into effect the burden of support imposed upon the State by these non-resident dependents was very great. The average period of life of inmates of public institutions who fall within the provisions of this act has been

carefully estimated at not less than fifteen years, and as the annual per capita cost for maintenance alone is $104, it will be readily understood that the tax upon the Commonwealth would become unbearable were it not for the present law. In fact, some of the 87 persons who are now inmates of State almshouses have been there over this period of fifteen years, so that the estimate of ultimate expense is borne out by the experi ence of this Department. While the fundamental principle of the State Poor Act is economical, as has been said, it is also humane in its results. If it on the one hand protects the taxpayers of the State of New York, on the other hand it relieves those in distress, returns wanderers to their homes, and at the same time prevents an increase of our pauper population.

PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION.

One year ago it was anticipated that the opening of the PanAmerican Exposition in the year 1901 would greatly increase the number of applications for public relief. It was also supposed that in the city of New York there would be an increase of applications for relief under the State Poor Law. Experience heretofore has shown that enterprises of this character have attracted multitudes of people many of whom become impoverished. The Pan-American Exposition has proven no exception to the general rule. The number of applications for State relief in the city of Buffalo and in the counties immediately adjoining has increased over 70 per cent., even though Buffalo has been compelled to relieve 90 per cent. of all appli cations, owing to the fact that the majority of applicants resided more than sixty days in Buffalo. Were it not for the fact that an unusual degree of prosperity has prevailed in the manufac turing towns and in the city of New York, which has caused a decrease in the number of applications at that point, the appro priation for the maintenance and removal of State poor would have been insufficient. The decrease in applications in the city of New York has been so great, however, that in spite of the

increase elsewhere the Department has been enabled to conduct its operations within the appropriation made for its work.

It may be said, however, that the end of the Pan-American is not yet, so far as its influence upon public charity is concerned. As long as work of any kind continues upon the Exposition grounds many persons who would otherwise become dependent can find employment. As the construction of the buildings gave opportunity for self-support, so their demolition gives labor to very many persons. It is hoped, however, that by the opening of spring the applications for relief which are directly due to the Pan-American Exposition will have ceased.

IMMIGRATION.

As has been said, many undesirable alien immigrants become dependent shortly after arrival in the State of New York. The laws of the United States are supposed to prevent the landing of paupers. The immigrants are landed at Ellis Island, where the United States Government, through its Department of Immigration, makes its examinations. All immigrants are required to declare the amount of money they possess and exhibit the money itself. If the sum is considered sufficient, or if they have friends who will become their sponsors, and if there be no charges against their character of a kind to debar them from landing, they are permitted to land, otherwise they are detained for a time pending further investigation or are at once returned to Europe. But experience has proven that the money in possession of immigrants is usually very small in amount, and if there be no friends to assist the immigrant the prospects are that application for charity will soon be necessary. Thus, recently, the landing of 800 immigrants was observed. The money in possession of many of these was noted, and it was found that the largest sum in the possession of any one of the number was only 250 marks. There were very many whose money did not exceed $2.50-a very small amount with which to begin life in a foreign land.

The United States Commissioner of Immigration has promptly responded to applications of this department for the deportation of alien paupers who have been committed to State almshouses by local authorities. There is no doubt, if the local authorities were more active in causing the commitment of aliens who are applicants for charity, that many more would be returned to their native land, to the ultimate relief of the State of New York. The Department of State and Alien Poor can only return such persons to their homes as are properly committed to State or county almshouses by local officers. If there is an increase of beggary due to pauper immigration local authorities are more or less responsible.

FOREIGN-BORN POOR.

In a recent public address the Commissioner of Charities of the city of New York, whose duties are directly associated with the enforcement of the Poor Law, has declared that one of the greatest problems of almshouse administration is how to dispose of the foreign-born poor. He gave a table showing the nativity of persons admitted to the almshouse under his management during the year 1900, and this table shows that out of a total of 2,936 persons admitted to the almshouse only 554 were born in the United States. Of the 2,382 foreign born 1,617 were born in Ireland alone. He says: "There is a law prohibiting the immigration of paupers to the United States. It would appear from this table that that law is evaded." He continues: "If so many immigrants actually in pauperism or verging upon pauperism were not admitted to the United States we should have a smaller census in the almshouses." While Commissioner Keller's statement as to the evasion of the law forbidding the immigration of paupers into the United States is true, it is not justified by the tables in his address. Every foreign-born person is not an alien, for the laws of the United States provide for the naturalization of foreign-born persons. Hence the statement that 2,382 foreign-born persons were admitted to the almshouse on Blackwell's Island in 1900 does not