1914-10-20ps

“The members engaged at the headquarters of the local relief office are having their hands full these days.”

Hamilton Herald.   October 20, 1914.

For decades relief assistance to Hamiltonians in deed had been provided from various sources. Organizations such as The Irish Protestant Benevolent Society and the Salvation Army distributed food at Christmas and cash payments to deserving individual occasionally throughout the year. At Hamilton City Hall, people desperate would line up outside the mayor’s office in hope that he would be able to give them a portion of the meager amount he was allowed to use for such purpose.

There was also concerns that there was duplication in some of the relief provided.

In 1914, the city of Hamilton was into a second year of a severe business slowdown which had caused a significant increase in unemployment and the need for relief on the part of many families.

The United Relief Association formed in 1914 was intended to help address the needs for relief in Hamilton in an organized systematic manner. It would receive some funding from the government, it would supplement the efforts of the benevolent societies and it would fundraise on a large scale.

As the end of October, 1914 was nearing, and the onslaught of winter anticipated, volunteers at the United Relief Association office in the city core were overwhelmed with requests for assistance :

“The members engaged at the headquarters of the local relief office are having their hands full these days.

“On average there are one hundred applications every day, and these are being handled in a systematic manner. Once a week, the needy are given supplies.

“The appeal for cast-ff clothing has not been answered readily enough , and it the special request  of the committee that anyone having clothes, especially children’s, which they can spare, will not hesitate to make them up into a bundle and phone the office to send for them”¹

¹ “Clothes Needed : Relief Association Has Need for Children’s Cast-Offs”

Hamilton Herald. October 20, 1914.

Most days it was just small amounts of cash that was distributed to relief applicants, but the available funds were getting low:

“At the rate that applications are coming in, the funds already subscribed will not be nearly adequate, and a second appeal will have to be made.

“The average person who is not directly connected with this work cannot realize the enormous cost of carrying it on.”¹

It was announced that the Rotary club was making arrangements to give two concerts in November to raise money for the relief fund, and that the Hamilton Scottish Choir had already arranged to hold a concert at the I.O.O.F. temple early in November.

On October 21, 1914, the Hamilton Herald carried an article which was designed to help increase donations to the relief fund by describing two incidents at the relief office:

“The people engaged at the headquarters of the local relief fund are daily witnesses of very pathetic sights.

“This morning a ragged little urchin, accompanied by his sister, stepped into the office and asked for clothing.

“The boy, who is only 10 years old, had no stockings and his feet and legs were blue with cold. The girl, who is 8 years of age, was fortunate enough to have a pair of stockings, but her shoes were out at the soles, and provided no protection from the cold.

“Both these children were provided with new shoes and stockings and they left the office as proud as princes.

“The management receives cases similar to this every day and they would appreciate donations of clothing from citizens to help along this branch of the relief work.”²

² “Pathetic Case : Poor Children Provided With Shoes by Relief Committee.”

Hamilton Herald. October 21, 1914.

Sometimes the volunteers at the relief office received welcome surprises:

“A very pleasant subscription was received this morning by the treasurer. It was a gift of the local postal staff and came entirely unsolicited. It amounted to $86.15.

“If other firms would take the example shown by the postal staff, the funds would be augmented considerably.

“Without the slightest doubt the present funds will not be sufficient to carry along the work all winter, and unless a large number of these voluntary donations are received, a second appeal will have to be made.”²