5 | Plan of the Executive Commission [286] Submitted to the Finance Committee, Relief and Red Cross Funds, June 26, 1906
[286] See Part I, p. 20.
The work to be undertaken will naturally fall into eight main departments.
I. Management and Sanitation of Camps. The camps are of four classes:
1. Military Camps on military reservations. These will continue under the supervision of the military authorities and our only relation to them will be to furnish any necessary food, clothing or other relief, and to arrange for the eventual removal of any who are not able to make their own arrangements.
2. Military camps in public parks and squares. The problem in these camps is to provide superintendence, sanitation, policing and labor, which are now supplied by the Army. The present organization should be continued, the pay-roll being transferred but the personnel so far as possible being retained from the commanding officer of camps down. Estimates for the expense of conducting these camps for the month of July have been supplied to the Finance Committee by General Greely and appropriations in accordance therewith are recommended.
3. Camps in public squares or on other city property not under military control. These camps should be immediately incorporated into the system which now prevails in the military camps. The co-operation of the Park Department, the Health Department, and the Police Department will be essential, but we are informed by the Mayor that the expense of sanitation and policing which has heretofore been borne by the Army will have to be met from the Relief Fund and probably the same is true of the non-military camps which will become a part of the same system.
4. Camps and straggling shacks and tents on private property. The Commission will have no authority to interfere with persons living either in tents or in temporary dwellings on private ground, but the giving of any relief to such persons may be made subject to any conditions which are considered necessary, and the intervention of the Health Board may be asked whenever there are insanitary conditions.
II. Warehouses. After July 1st, there will be only two warehouses, one in the Moulder School, for provisions and the other, now in the Crocker School, and about to be removed to the new warehouse, Geary and Gough Sts., construction of which has been authorized by the Finance Committee, for clothing and other relief supplies. It is expected that the present management of these two warehouses can be continued, the military officers now in charge being given leave for this purpose and engaged by the Commission. In this event the officers, as superintendents of the warehouses, will probably be made purchasing agents of the Commission for the kind of goods of which they respectively have charge.
III. Hot Meal Restaurants. There are now some 27 hot meal restaurants, on which 10 cent and 15 cent tickets are issued by the Red Cross in the several sections, to be redeemed by the Finance Committee. As these restaurants are located in camps any necessary supervision of their management and sanitation so long as they are continued may safely be entrusted to the superintendent of camps and to those who are in charge of the several camps under his direction. The Commission should assume responsibility for the issuing of tickets and certifying the bills of the contractors to the Finance Committee.
IV. Section Organization. The civilian chairmen of the seven sections, in addition to their duties in the distribution of food and clothing in the relief stations have succeeded to the duties of the military chiefs of sections, and they should be responsible to the Commission until relieved, which cannot probably be earlier than the end of July. These chairmen have given their entire time to this work since May 1st and they should be paid for their services. They should be held responsible in the immediate future for the distribution of clothing, meal tickets and other relief and for the second registration which is now in progress and which will bring to the Commission a large number of cases in which gifts of money or its equivalent are required.
V. Hospitals. The care of the indigent sick has thus far been in part in emergency hospitals maintained as a part of the camp system, and in part in private hospitals on a per capita basis—payment being made to the hospitals for each patient who is accepted as a proper charge on the relief fund. It is desirable that the present plan be continued, under the supervision of the Commission, the medical executor who has been engaged by the Hospital Committee remaining in charge and supervising the emergency hospitals in camps as well as the care in private hospitals, of which the expense is met from the Relief Fund.
VI. Special Relief. This is now one of the most important parts of the work to be done by the Commission. It includes all aid given to individuals or families other than food or ordinary clothing. Its key-note is rehabilitation. Its object is to enable those who are now dependent on the relief stations, or whose means of livelihood have been destroyed, to become self-supporting. The means employed are the furnishing of tools, furniture, sewing machines or other things, transportation to other places, or loan, as may be indicated by the investigation in each instance. The Finance Committee has thus far advanced $15,000.00 for experimental work in this direction. About 500 applications have been passed upon, and checks have already been drawn and await signature, for over $3,000.00 in excess of the amount appropriated. It is recommended that an additional appropriation for this purpose be made at once. An advisory committee of 5 or 7 members will be appointed in connection with this work.
VII. Loans. The Commission has under consideration the advisability of opening a department of loans on
1. Pledges, such as are ordinarily deposited in pawn-shops.
2. Real estate mortgage for the erection of homes.
3. Chattel mortgage on furniture, etc., and
4. Personal endorsement.
Such a department or departments would be of great service to persons who do not wish to accept charity and who are still not in position unaided to build, furnish their homes or get started in business. Especially is this true on account of the delay and uncertainty in the payment of insurance claims. The Commission is not yet prepared to make a definite recommendation on this subject, and it is named only as one of the departments of work which it may be desirable to undertake in the near future.
VIII. Housing. The question of shelter appears to the Commission to be the one of paramount importance—so important indeed as to require not only further consideration by the Commission itself and by the Finance Committee, but also the co-operation of a strong board of consulting architects and builders who would doubtless be willing to assist the Commission in this capacity without compensation. Estimates are before the Commission for the construction of temporary dwellings of from $200.00 to $400.00 each. His Honor, Mayor Schmitz, has expressed the opinion to the Commission that instead of constructing such temporary buildings efforts should be made to provide before the winter season a sufficient number of permanent homes of an attractive character for all who need to be housed. The Commission is inclined to accept this view although it is admitted that some additional temporary barracks may be found necessary if by September 1st, it appears that there will be a shortage of permanent housing accommodations.
If the Finance Committee decides that it will be advisable that $1,000,000.00 or some such amount be invested in acquiring land and erecting homes to be rented and sold on reasonable terms of monthly payment, it is probable that this sum can be greatly augmented by investment from private parties, if for any reason the Government deposits are not found to be available for this purpose. The business can be so conducted as to pay a reasonable return on such investment and still make the dwellings of moderate cost to the renter and purchaser.
Finances. It is understood by the Commission that complete financial control remains with the Finance Committee as was suggested by General Greely in his letter of June 15 to the Finance Committee. All work undertaken by the Commission will be on estimates and plans submitted in advance to the Finance Committee. All bills will be audited and paid by the Finance Committee. The Commission will make only such purchases and contracts and engage such employees as have been authorized by the Finance Committee, and the certificate of the duly authorized officers and agents of the Commission would become a warrant for payment when found to be in accordance with the action of the Finance Committee. Certified copies of resolutions authorizing given lines of work should be supplied by the Finance Committee to the Commission. On the other hand, to fix responsibility and prevent confusion, all executive work, both for relief and for rehabilitation, should devolve upon the Commission, which should be held responsible for initiating relief measures, presenting them to the Finance Committee and subsequently carrying them into effect.