Digital Arkansas City

Arkansas City, Kansas

Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 37 - May/June

Title

Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 37 - May/June

Subject

Great Depression, 1929-1939

American Red Cross

Food relief--Kansas

Unemployment

Description

A page from the 1934 scrapbook of newspaper clippings from the Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, dated from May 17th, 1934 and June 5th, 1934. The scrapbooks were created by local Red Cross volunteers. Articles during the Depression years covered food and other relief efforts, and documented unemployment issues.

Creator

Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler

Source

Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas

Publisher

Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas

Date

1934-05-17

1934-06-05

Contributor

Red Cross volunteers

Rights

Used with permission of copyright holder. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

In Copyright In Copyright

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Type

Clippings

Identifier

RC34033

Coverage

Cowley County, Kansas



Citation
Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, “Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 37 - May/June,” Digital Arkansas City, accessed November 21, 2024, https://arkcity.digitalsckls.info/item/92.
Text

UNEMPLOYED VISIT BOARD. Discuss Relief
CIS
ministered And Planned 5-17-34
Program as Ad
An orderly and reasonable group of 12 men representing the Unemployed Council of Arkansas City met Monday afternoon at the court house to discuss with the (board of county commissioners, Poor Commissioner L. L. Petticord and Mrs. Jessie Miller, county case supervisor, certain phases of the relief program in Cowley county.
George O. Mott, spokesman of the group, presented the case of the unemployed quietly, logically and reasonably and during the meeting there were many facts brought out tending to clear up some misunderstandings which have existed for some time in Arkansas City relative to relief work.
Mr. Mott read to the commissioners a petition from the Arkansas City unemployed in which certain requests made several weeks ago relative to increased budgets, a more adequate system of handling grocery orders, and the resignation of L. J. Bennett, assistant poor commissioner.
It was pointed out to the men that in view of the present financial condition of the county, it will be impossible to increase the number of hours for unemployed and the rate of pay received. The petition presented asks for “a single man, one day, eight hours per week at a schedule fixed by the government of 45 cents per hour. Two-three in family, two days, 16 hours per week at the schedule wage. Four-six in family, three days, eight hours per day at schedule price. Seven and upward
in family, four days at schedule wage.”
The men were informed that the county poor fund already is overdrawn more than $50,000 and that bonds for $75,000 for the poor fund recently Were issued.
One of the principal complaints voiced by the committee was that they have not received cash Work cards. That is, they have not received part cash and part grocery orders for their work, but many of them have received only commodity orders. They were informed that they should have received part payment in cash and that this matter would be investigated and corrected immediately.
As for the demanded resignation of Mr. Bennett the commissioners suggested that the unemployed take a poll of the majority of persons receiving poor relief in Arkansas City and see how many are complaining about Mr. Bennett and what the specific complaints are. These complaints are to be presented to the county commissioners for final action. _













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After the financial condition of the county was explained to them and after they were told how the taxpayers are being burdened with the task of raising money to pay taxes, much of which goes for the support of the needy families, the unemployed committee reacted in a commendable manner. Everyone who took an opportunity to express himself seemed to be willing and ready to work, and only asked justice and fair dealing for himself and his family .—Winfield Courier.





Deficit in Poor Fund Rises to $57,000 in May 6-3-34
With county relief disbursements reaching a record total during May, the deficit in the county poor fund mounted to $57,000 at the end of the month, County Poor Commissioner L. L. Petticord’s monthly report to the board of county commissioners shows.
The total relief bill in Cowley county for May, including the county’s direct relief, FERA expenses, the operation of the county poor farm and the federal transient service, amounted to $29,381.46, an increase of $2,878.50 or 10.8 per cent over April’s total of $26,502.89.
Direct relief for the month cost the county $17,962.52, an increase of $2,638.88, or 17.2 per cent over the $15,323.64 spent in April.
Emergency Fund Depleted
The expansion of the overdraft In the poor fund to approximately $57,000 leaves a balance of about $18,000 in the emergency fund established recently through the sale of a $75,000 bond issue. Should the relief bill for June equal that of May, the fund will again be depleted shortly after July 1.
The cost of direct relief in the Winfield district in May soared 42 per cent over the expenses for April, rising from $4,972.13 to $7,062.84.
In the Arkansas City district, the increase was 5.3 per cent, from $10,351.51 to $10,899.68.
For the three months’ period from Mar. 1 to June 1, the net cost of relief in the county aggregated $44,795.40.
U. S. Spent $10,674
Federal funds spent in the county during May totaled $10,674.70. Expenses at the county farm amounted to $527.56, and transient expenses to $216.68. The county has a balance of $1,001.08 due from the state for transient service.
Expenses of handling the relief program during the month totaled $3,758.37.
All of the direct relief disbursements made by the county during May were in communities, no cash being paid except by the federal government. Grocery orders were by far the largest item, amounting to $8,714.72 in Arkansas City and $5,082.48 in Winfield.

Original Format

Newspaper clippings on scrapbook paper.