treatment gratis at the dispensaries which are to be found in most of our larger cities.

TEXT QUESTIONS

1. What are the chief features of the charity problem? 2. When is private charity to be preferred to public charity? 3. To what different classes of dependents is help now given? 4. What is done for dependents in public institutions ?

5. What is done for them at their homes or at dispensaries ? 6. Explain the following terms: "social parasite" (§ 86), "outdoor relief" (§ 91), "dispensaries" (§ 92).

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS

1. What is meant by the "defective" classes?

2. What institutions are maintained by this state for the care of dependents?

3. Do our city, town, or county governments support a hospital, a poorhouse, or a poor farm? If there is a poor farm, is it selfsupporting?

4. Cannot unscrupulous persons obtain help from several private charitable organizations at the same time? How can this difficulty be most easily overcome?

5. The playgrounds established for the poor of New York are described in Riis's, "Battle with the Slum," pp. 279-309.

6. On outdoor relief consult Warner's "American Charities," Chapter VII.

Business interests to be controlled.

Means of communication.

Prohibition and local option.

CHAPTER VIII

THE GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS

93. Business Interests controlled or managed by the Government. Among the most important duties performed by our state and local governments are those of making public improvements and of managing or controlling business in which the public has an interest. Certain industries are dangerous without being useful, or are very objectionable; these may be prohibited by the government. Others, quite necessary, like gas works, are something of a nuisance, and may be permitted only within a certain territory and under definite conditions. Still others, like waterworks, are so essential to the public good that they must be managed or carefully supervised by the public. Finally, there are the means of communication which are essential to the prosperity of any community and which must be constructed by the government or be subject at all times to government control.

94. The Liquor Question. One of the most conspicuous of the occupations subject to special government control is that of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors. Many people are opposed to the sale of liquor as a beverage, and wish to prohibit its manufacture and sale within the limits of an entire

state. Three states have prohibition of the liquor traffic at present, and many others favor the prohibition of the saloons in local districts. About one half of the states in the Union allow their cities, towns, and counties to prohibit the sale of liquor within their boundaries. This is called "local option."

under which licenses are

Where saloons are not prohibited, they are per- The license mitted to sell liquor upon obtaining from local system. authorities a license or permit. For this they pay a fee of from fifty to twenty-five hundred dollars a year. If the fee is small, we have a "low license" system; if large, one of "high license." These licenses may, moreover, be granted on certain conditions only. Saloons must not be located near churches or school- Conditions houses. Possibly also liquor may not be sold after midnight or on Sunday, nor to minors at any time. A granted. saloon keeper who violates these rules may even lose his license, as that may be revoked by the board by which it was granted. In regard to this whole subject of liquor control, it may be said, experience proves that no law for the regulation of the liquor business is likely to be enforced which does not receive the hearty support of the people.

tions. Why they should

by govern

95. The Control of Corporations. Most of our Corporabusiness to-day is done not by separate business men, but by corporations. A corporation is formed by a be controlled set of individuals who are organized under state laws, for the purpose of conducting some business. Since corporations are created by state laws and receive privileges which will enable them to do this work

ment.

The control of "trusts."

Protection of employees engaged in dangerous occupations.

more perfectly, it is just that they should be subject to government control. Otherwise a corporation which was intended to be a public benefit may become a public curse, unrestrained and unrestrainable by the authorities which are responsible for its existence. Within recent years government supervision of corporations has become more necessary because many of those engaged in the same industry have united in order to avoid the expenses of competition. These combinations, ordinarily called "trusts," have sometimes gained control of all the factories manufacturing a certain line of goods, and by thus destroying competition have been able to raise prices to ruinous rates. Such a proceeding is, of course, very harmful to the public, and interferes with business, but the trust cannot easily be forced to lower its rates. This "trust problem" is one of the most difficult with which our governments have to deal.

Nearly one

96. The Protection of Employees. fourth of the people living in the United States are employed by others. Many of these are engaged in occupations exposing them to great dangers, as is the case with engineers or quarrymen. To protect the lives and insure the safety of these workers, the government requires the employers to take all possible precautions. For example, the use of automatic coupling pins in place of the old hand link pin, has been made compulsory on all interstate railways and in many of the states, with the result that many thousands of accidents have been prevented each year.

Several million persons are employed in large factories, where there may be insufficient fresh air and light, unless the government inspects the factories and protects the employees from the greed of the employers. Fire escapes must be provided for these factories and for other large buildings where many persons are at work. All boilers and elevators must be inspected and managed by competent individuals. Women and children must not be employed more than a certain number of hours per week, and the employment in factories of children under the age of twelve or fourteen is usually forbidden by the laws of the states. Although some of the men engaged in these occupations form unions which endeavor to raise wages and gain other advantages, the real protector of most of the wage-earners is the government. This protection is nevertheless much less. perfect than is often desirable.

97. Waterworks.

People who live in the country or in small villages can obtain water for their own use from separate wells or springs, but this is clearly impossible in cities. As the supply must be adequate, and pure as well if it is to be used for drinking, it is necessary for the city government to see that the water comes from good sources, and that there shall be a sufficient number of storage reservoirs where a supply may be kept in case of accident. It may be necessary in addition to filter the water in large quantities in order to remove impurities. The streets must be piped and each house properly sup

Protection of employees in factories.

What must provide a water supply.

be done to