was immoral and in another there was a tendency for an older girl to be wild and careless.

Four of the mothers of the families investigated were born in Illinois and had lived in Kankakee County from 16 to 33 years. Three of the mothers were foreign born, one from Scotland, one from Germany and the third from Austria and all had been in the United States over 19 years, in Illinois over 15 years and in the county over 11 years. In all cases the mother had been in the State and in the county for over 8 years before the pension was granted. Every mother was a citizen of the United States and not affected by the last change in the law. In eight of the cases there were others in the family besides the mother and the children for whom the pension was granted. In six of these families the additional members were older children of the mother. In one case the children's grandmother lived in the family and in another the mother kept a boarder. In four cases the additional members contributed to the support of the family. In no case was there any relative of sufficient ability to contribute to the support of the family.

In St. Clair County on March 15, 1916, there were 126 families receiving pensions under the funds to parents act. In all cases the pensions were paid to the mother. In these 126 families there were 343 children for whom the pensions were granted. That is an average of between two and three children to each family. There are often some children in the family who are over 14 years of age and consequently are not considered when the pension is granted.

In St. Clair County during the past year 30 mothers who applied for pensions were refused because they could not come within the provisions of the law. A few pensions were discontinued because the mother was married or in some other way became disqualified, or the children passed the age limit. For this study 8 families were investigated in St. Clair County. In these 8 families there were 24 children for whom pensions were given. This gave an average of 3 children to the family.

Four of these families lived in East St. Louis, three in Belleville and one in Lebanon. The population of East St. Louis is about 70,000, Belleville about 25,000 and Lebanon about 2,200." In East St. Louis metal working and other manufacturing is the main industry. Especially the three large packing houses there also furnish employment for a great number of people. Both in Belleville and Lebanon some manufacturing is carried on but the main industry is mining.

The original investigation in five cases of the eight studied was conducted by the probation officer. There was no investigation made for the other three cases. St. Clair County employs two probation officers who give only a small amount of their time to the work. The county pays each of these officials $150 per year. One probation officer has supervision of the pensions granted to mothers living in East St. Louis and the other covers the remainder of the county. Charles Carroll, the probation officer for East St. Louis, is by profession a lawyer. When a family applies for a pension he asks the mother to come to his office and questions her there. If he thinks she is worthy he recommends that the court grant her a pension. In this we recognize the old failing of outdoor relief; that is, the granting of the relief by an official who does not have time to properly oversee his work. It is certain that such a method of investigation is inefficient and it allows many unworthy families to draw pensions. In one of the cases studied the mother applied twice to the probation officers but wasn't given a hearing so she went to the county judge and he granted the pension without the recommendation of the probation officer. In East St. Louis the only families that have been investigated for pensions are those that have moved there from other parts of the county. The other families in that place have merely been asked a few questions. Charles Hertel, the probation officer for St. Clair County other than East St. Louis, is a schoolteacher by profession. He investigates every family that applies for a pension to the best of his ability. Like Mr. Carroll, Mr. Hertel can not afford to put much time into his work, because the salary of the office is not large enough to compensate him for doing so. Both of these men are

11No enumeration in Illinois since 1910.

very busy with their professions and could not be expected to devote much time to this kind of work. Mr. Hertel stated that he had accepted the office because he thought he could do some good. There is no authorized visitation in St. Clair County, although the State law provides that after the granting of relief to any mother for the support of her children it shall be the duty of the probation officer to visit and supervise the families to which such relief has been granted and to advise with the court in regard to them. In a few cases there has been a second investigation which has shown the mother and family in their true condition. These second investigations are made only when some complaint is made to the court and not of its own initiative. In most cases the reinvestigation has shown that the family was not much in need of the pension. One mother was found to use pension money to pay her bill with the saloon keeper each month. Another case was found where the mother had bought a sideboard for $45 and was paying for it on the installment plan with her pension money. In a third case the mother was found to use very poor judgment in regard to her pension. When the probation officer went to her home for a reinvestigation she informed him that she was getting along nicely and it was because she always hunted bargains. To prove her statement she showed the probation officer a hat for which she paid $7 and stated that the original price of it was $16. Then she asked the probation officer if he did not think she was clever in selecting bargains. A number of cases were found where the total earnings of the family were very high and still they were drawing pensions. One mother1 of the eight investigated for this study, stated that she was informed about the pension law by a woman who was receiving one. This woman agreed to "put her next" to how to get the pension if she would promise not to give her away. She stated that the widow and the one child for which she drew a pension lived with her parents. Her father was a railroad engineer who received a salary of $125 a month and kept the child and its mother. The mother worked as a telephone operator and received $35 per month. It is evident that in such cases a pension is not needed. In cases where these conditions are discovered the pension is discontinued, but the trouble with the present system is that without visitation it is only by accident that such cases are brought to light. It would be far more economical for the county to hire a competent social worker for probation officer. When this was discussed with one of the probation officers he stated that there was no need for an officer to give his full time to mothers' pensions. He said that it took very little time to make the necessary original investigation and there was no need of home visitation. These statements illustrate how little conception public officials engaged in charitable service may have of the nature and importance of the personal element in noninstitutional charity.

It might be suggested that the truant officers be appointed as probation officers, because they are more likely to have some knowledge of the families receiving pensions and could more easily detect fraud. Another advantage

of this combination would be that the two positions are somewhat analogous. In St. Clair County the mother is not required to make regular reports to the court. The mother goes to the county judge's office and draws her check on the county the first of each month, but she is not required to answer any questions. It is evident that the officials do not seek the cooperation of the mothers. The loose, ineffectual methods in use by the county can also be illustrated by the record of the addresses that is kept. In three of the eight cases the family had moved and the county officials had received no notice of it. One family had moved twice since the address had been given to the court. In East St. Louis it was very difficult to locate such families. The writer tried to locate two other families who were drawing pensions, but they could not be found. They were both traced from the address they had given to the court to two places where they had lived since, but the families living in the house at the present knew nothing of their whereabouts. In both cases the neighbors were questioned but

12Case 12, Appendix.

they did not know where they had gone. In both of these cases the city directory failed to give their present addresses.

In two of the eight cases the mothers thought that they could support their families without a pension if they were not required to remain at home. One of these mothers said she could do housework and the other stated that she "could get along somehow." There was no case where it would be possible without taking the mother away from home for her to earn more than she now does. In none of the families were members found who had unused earning power. In two families there were boys who could do some work after school hours, such as passing papers, but in neither case did they have regular work. One of these boys called for and delivered washings for his mother and the other was troubled with asthma. There was no tendency to a pauper attitude of mind in any of the families investigated. Every member in every family, who was able, worked and in cases where the pension was not needed it was accepted because it enlarged the income. In St. Clair as in Kankakee County, the amount of the pension depends upon the number of children under the age limit. The mother is granted $8 a month for the first child and $1.50 a month for each additional child under the age limit. This ruling was decided upon by the court and is always followed unless there is a shortage of funds. It is apparent that such an apportionment is unjust. If a mother has one child she receives $8 a month and if she has four children she receives only $12.50. Under the present arrangement she has only $4.50 with which to keep three children a month. But there is a more serious objection to the system in Vogue. When there is a shortage of funds the pensions are cut down or discontinued. On May 1, 1915, all but six of the pensions were discontinued. Most of these were restored on December 1, 1915. The allowances for the pensions are provided for by a special tax according to the State law and the county officials are not allowed to overdraw. From December 1, 1915, to March 1, 1916, the county paid the full amount of the pensions. On March 1, 1916, part of the pensions were reduced. The county judge stated that he allowed the full allowance to the families that appeared to be the most needy. Only two of the eight families investigated received a full pension on March 1. Two families were reduced from $11 to $8, one from $14 to $10, one from $9.50 to $7, one from $9.50 to $6, and one from $8 to $5 per month. The county judge stated that all but a few pensions would be discontinued after the next month (April). The idea of granting the pension through the winter months originated with the county judge, who thought that this was a good way to help more families than could be reached if the pension were granted for the whole year. It appears that the system of rating as well as the discontinuance of a large proportion of the pensions every summer are both open to serious objection.

In all of the eight cases studied the family contributes to its own support. In one case the mother had two older children who contributed $17.50 per week and in another case the family contributed $13 per week to its own support. The other family contributed about $5 each per week to its own support. In one case the mother earned only $2.50 per week by washing. She also drew a pension of $14. With this amount she had to provide for five children and their father who was totally disabled with locomotor ataxia. One mother who has charge of a branch store for a bakery and receives a commission on sales refused to state how much she contributed to the family income. The family lives in the back of the store and there is nothing to indicate that the family is in poverty or in need of a pension. In the eight cases studied all but one of the mothers contributed to the support of the family. In three of these cases the money was earned by taking in washing. When the mothers were asked if they thought the pension adequate, two replied in the affirmative and six in the negative. It appears that in three cases the pension is adequate when the full allowance is given and when supplemented by the family earnings. In one case the family was in debt $230, and in three other cases there were debts of about $60. Three families owed doctor bills, two owed store bills and one

owed an undertaker. In six of the cases the dependency of the family was due to the death of the father. In one case the father was insane and in another he was totally disabled. The length of time from the date of dependency until the granting of the pension varies from 15 days to 2 years and 3 months. In no case is the mother required to keep itemized accounts of the money received and expended. She draws her pension from the county and has the privilege of spending it as she wishes. The county officials do not exercise any authority over such matters. In St. Clair County three of the eight families studied carried life insurance, while only one in nine in Kankakee County was insured.

In seven of the families studied in St. Clair County the moral standard of the home was high. In the other case the moral standard was not satisfactory. In this case the mother had lived with her husband's people until after his death. Sometime afterward they moved her out because they claimed she was immoral. The mother claims that this was done merely to get rid of her. At present the mother and her two children live in a very questionable neighborhood and it was impossible to get any information on the matter from the neighbors. This case was not investigated by the probation officer either before or after the pension was granted. In only one case was the home found to be unsanitary. In this case the condition was due both to poor housekeeping and to the building. In all but one family the children were kept clean and presentable. In two other families an improvement in this line would be desirable. Of the 24 children for whom pensions were granted in these eight families, three were found to be unhealthy. One boy of 13 years was troubled with the asthma and another boy of 12 years was undersize and sickly. One baby of less than a year old had tuberculosis, which it had taken from its father, and in the same family an older child had a deformed head. In five cases it appeared that the children were far better off than they would be in an orphans' home. In two cases they were as well off as they would be in an orphans' home and in one case the children should be removed from the influence of the home and the mother.

In the eight families investigated there were fifteen children of school age for whom pensions were granted. All of these children attend school regularly. Eight of these fifteen children attend the Catholic parochial schools, but in these cases the church does not require tuition or fees. The other seven children attend the public schools. In two families neither the mother nor the children attend church. In the other six families the children that are old enough attend church or Sunday school regularly. Three of the mothers attend church regularly, two belong to the Roman Catholic Church and the other to the Presbyterian Church. In one family the mother can not attend church because of her husband, who is totally disabled. In this case the priest visits the home very often so that the family is closely connected with the church. Two of the mothers belong to the German Evangelical Church, but they do not attend regularly. In all cases where the family was connected with a church the pastor stated that the family was deserving and moral. Only one family was found where the children belonged to clubs or organizations. In this case the children were members of an organization in connection with the Catholic Church. No cases were found where the boys were members of rough gangs or subject to any other especially evil influence. There were no girls who were wild or careless among those for whom the pension was granted. In one family there was a tendency for an older girl to be wild and careless and in another an older girl had an illegitimate child.

Among the families investigated four of the mothers were born in Illinois. Three had lived in St. Clair County for 35 years and the other one for 27 years. Two of the mothers were foreign born, one coming from Scotland and the other from Germany. One had been in the United States 26 years and in the State and county for 18 years. The other had been in the United States 52 years and in the county 27 years. In both cases the mothers were citizens of the United States. Two of the mothers were

born in Missouri. One had been in the State and county for 19 years and the other for 8 years.

In five of the eight cases studied there were others in the family besides the mother and the children for whom the pension was granted. In one case the additional members were older children of the mother. In another case the grandmother and the mother's sister lived with the family. In one case the mother's uncle lived with the family, and in another the father lived at home but was unable to care for himself. In another case the mother's older daughter and her illegitimate child, a boy of 9 years, lived with the family. In four cases some of the additional members contributed to the support of the family. In two cases there were relatives of sufficient ability to contribute to the support of the family. In one of these cases the probation officers must have failed to get at the facts and in the other case the probation officer had never made an investigation.

In conclusion there are a number of considerations upon which special emphasis should be laid. There are certain conditions which are common to both Kankakee and St. Clair Counties, although the law is administered far better in the former. This difference in the administration of the law appears to be largely due to the position and ability of the probation officers. In one case the probation officer is an efficient social worker and receives a sufficient salary to permit careful investigation, visitation and proper supervision. In the other case the probation officers have had no training in social work, and receive salaries too small to permit a careful original investigation, not to speak of visitation and supervision. According to the law, the probation officers are appointed by the court and the amount of their salary is determined by the county board. Because of this last provision it is possible for the county board to handicap the court by not allowing the probation officer a sufficient salary. It might be advisable to amend the act so as to fix the minimum amount "per diem" for this office. This would have a tendency to increase the efficiency of the officers, and the court could be more exacting in its requirements. In counties like St. Clair the court does not require the probation officers to keep all of the provisions of the law because they would have to do so without compensation for their time and largely at their own expense. The lack of proper supervision and dependence upon gifts of money or goods without personal cooperation is the principal cause for the failure of public outdoor relief in England and in the United States, and only when this evil has been remedied will such relief be successful. It has been truly said that proper supervision is as essential to poor relief as clinical experience is to medical practice.

In

The idea of adequate relief, which is one of the principles of organized charity, has not, as yet, been established in public outdoor relief. Kankakee County as a general rule the pensions were adequate when supplemented by the earnings of the family. In some cases the pensions should be increased, but because of set rules it has not been done. In St. Clair County in half of the cases investigated the pension was not adequate and would not be even if it was continued throughout the year at the regular rate. Also in this county there is a set rule regulating the amount of relief to be given in each case, which is even more objectionable than that of Kankakee County. In both counties it would be advisable to abolish such rulings and allow the probation officer and court to decide on the amount granted for each case. The pension should be large enough when supplemented by the earnings of the family to enable the mother and children to live respectably.

In all the cases investigated, with one exception, the mothers seemed to consider that the pension was a reward for service instead of public relief. In one case, however, the mother was very much chagrined because she was forced to ask for a pension which she considered public charity. In quite a number of cases the application for a pension seemed to have been made simply because pensions were available rather than because of the families' need of this particular type of relief. This condition was not found in Kankakee County because of the cooperation between the associated charities and the county court. In St. Clair County is would be possible