Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/653

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THE RELIEF AND CARE OF DEPENDENTS 639

not be known. A number of states make it a mere matter of convenience to care for those who are residents of another state or to remove them to their residence, the implication of the law being that, if they have no residence, or if they have one and are not removed to it, they are to be cared for. In this group we find Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Pennsyl- vania, West Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, and Iowa. 1 In Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Kansas it is made discretion- ary with the poor authorities to care for those whose settle- ment cannot be established. 2 This discretion, however, does not extend to the sick, who must be cared for. In the seven states of Maine, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wis- consin, and Oregon all non-residents of this class are to be cared for. In New York and Michigan their removal is explic- itly prohibited. 3

When this class of non-residents is cared for, it is in most cases done at the expense of the town or county in which they may be. There are a number of exceptions to this, however. In Maine, Connecticut, and Oregon such expense is recovered from the state.* Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York have made state provision for their care. Massachusetts has a state almshouse in which all such as can be removed are cared for under the direction of the state board of lunacy and char- ity. Such as cannot be removed are cared for by the town over- seers and the expense recovered from the state. 5 Rhode Island also has a state almshouse, in which state paupers (also, by spe- cial contract, some town paupers) are cared tor under the direc- tion of the state board of charities and corrections. 6 Those

1 38, ch. 84; 32*2; 19, ch. 85 ; 58, p. 1706; 10, ch. 46 ; 13, ch. 48; 969; 2141. In every case, except in Connecticut, the statutes authorize the removal of paupers to their settlements only. In Connecticut, howrver, tin -v authorize the removal of a pau- per to his settlement in some other state or to the boundary of the state through which the pauper entered the state of Connecticut.

3655; 1484; 2151; 4038. s 13-43, ch. 33. I26, ch. 79.

3 Act of 1887, and 38 Me., 472 ; 90, 91, ch. 225 ; Acts of 1896 ; 1769 ; 6077; 16, ch. 107; 1517; 3950.

430, ch. 24, and Act of 1887 ; 3311; 3950. Non-residents are a state charge ii Connecticut for six months, after which period they become local charges.