Unemployment Situation in America: Number of Jewish Families Receiving Aid Increased 62.8 Per Cent.

Relief funds disbursed by thirty Jewish Agencies in the United States of America in the first nine months of 1931 show an increase of 41.5 per cent. over the expenditure in 1930, according to figures compiled by the Bureau of Jewish Social Research which it has just made public.

The number of Jewish families receiving aid has increased by 42.8 per cent. since the corresponding period in 1930, the report states.

Of the relief funds expended by seventeen Jewish Agencies in as many cities, it proceeds, 46.5 per cent. went to administer aid to Jewish families suffering from unemployment, a sum of 568,282 dollars being expended by them for unemployment relief. The proportion of relief expenditures for unemployment to the total relief expenditures ranged from7.1 per cent. to 71.5 per cent., while the ratio of unemployment cases to the total of relief cases varied from 3.8 per cent. to 68.4 per cent.

Mr. Julius Rosenwald, the famous Jewish philanthropist of Chicago, has revised the gift of 250,000 dollars he made to the Chicago Joint Relief Committee, it was announced to-day. The gift was dependent upon the donation of a similar sum by five other Chicagoans. Since no one has matched Dr. Rosenwald’s gift, he has notified the committee that he will give it 100,000 dollars outright and will also give the last 50,000 dollars necessary to make up the 10,000,000 dollars goal of the drive. In all, if the campaign is successful, so that is contingent gift comes into effect, Mr. Rosenwald’s donation will amount to 150,000 dollars.

The London press reports to-day from New York that Mr. Samuel Goldsmith, Director of Jewish Charities of Chicago, has estimated in his report to the Senate Committee on the unemployment problem that 1,000,000 persons are workless in Illinois, the majority being in Chicago, and 97,000 families who were being cared for by charity received 25 per cent. less than the theoretical minimum requirement of 10s. Od. weekly for an adult and 7s. Od. for a child. Sickness and insanity are increasing, Mr. Goldsmith declared, and health work in the schools is threatened with elimination by the deplorable condition of our finances. The Board of Public Welfare has not paid its milk bill in two years and is far behind on its clothing and coal bills. By February 15th. Chicago will have exhausted all its relief funds.

Mr. William Hodgson, Director of the New York Social Welfare Council, is quoted as saying that in New York the unemployed are five times the normal number, and that the spectre of starvation faces millions of the people.