The Salvation Army’s Plan to Turn a Kitsap Farm Into a Lifeline for Seattle’s Unemployed

The Salvation Army contemplates following up the successful opening of the food and shelter depot in this city with a number of other equally important and necessary additions to its social department, known in England as the “Elevator.”

About two years ago a man named Munson made a will leaving 250 acres of land to the army. This land lies about two miles from Sidney and is said to be a valuable piece of property. One hundred acres is drained marsh land and the rest is timber. Mr. Munson shortly after this gift went to Honolulu, where he died. The deed to this property is clear, and the army contemplates following out the plan adopted by General Booth in England and in Australia. As soon as means will permit, it will start a co-operative farm in Kitsap County, where the cleared land can be used for a truck farm, while the timber on the rest will furnish material for the woodyard. The army will then build its own barges and thus be fully equipped to keep its woodyard in this city supplied throughout the year. This farm is intended to furnish steady work for several hundred men.

In England General Booth has 500 acres near London, called the “Home Farm.” Here the army has erected shops and works of almost every description, where everything is manufactured that has a market value. Besides these, a large part of the tract is devoted to gardening, where everything is raised for the needs of the army and its dependents, as well as for sale. The best men in the London “Elevator” are sent to this farm, where they are educated in the various branches of husbandry; and as the number of such men is already quite large, General Booth is arranging to colonize the tract of land owned by the army in Australia. This tract is eighty miles square and was given to General Booth by the government for his social work. This colonization will be another step upward in the “Elevator” process, and only the most trusty and worthy soldiers and their families will be detailed to form part of this proposed colony. Once arrived in Australia, each family will be given a certain tract of land, a house will be built for them, and they will be fully started on their journey through life on property that will be their own as the reward of their redemption from sin and evil, and as an inducement for their continuing the good work in Australia.

General Booth further proposes to make a “round-up” of the slums of London and Liverpool and gather in 1,000 street children of the outcast classes and send them out to the colony to be reared in industrial schools.

The Kitsap County property is to be developed in accordance with the plans of General Booth, and more land is to be acquired as soon as practicable.

To Reform the Prisoners.

In this city the army is also arranging to form a “Prison Gate Brigade.” The duty of these men and women will be to attend at the jail every day and meet every prisoner who is discharged after serving his time. They will offer him or her food and shelter, and if they mean to reform they will be given every opportunity for so doing. This is in conformity with General Booth’s plan in England, where his prison-gate brigade is represented by “Red Maria,” which is the opposite of the “Black Maria,” in that the latter conveys criminals to jail, whereas the “Red Maria” conveys them from the jail to a safe retreat, where, after a piping hot meal, good clothes are offered them and a way is at once opened to spend a better life. The statistics on the work of the “Red Maria,” called so from its being painted red, show that 60 per cent of all prisoners so received have been redeemed beyond question and returned into useful avocations of industry.

Business Needed in Seattle.

The food and shelter department at Weller and South Third streets has been taxed to the utmost since the opening day last week to furnish food and shelter to the many out of work who are willing to do anything even for a mere living. Special H. F. Fraser has every department in good working order; good discipline is maintained, and if the charitably inclined will only appreciate the results already accomplished and come to the assistance of the army the labors of the relief charities will be greatly diminished.

The army has been so far, on an average, feeding about 200 men a day, but they have no money; all want to work for their meals. The result has been that the work has almost all given out. The hunger of these men, however, does not diminish, and evincing a willingness to do anything and everything, the officers have found it necessary to feed them free since the receipt of consignments of wood. The woodyard is a complete success, and the officers have promptly responded to the call for orders, but the trouble is that the army cannot get wood enough to supply the demand for kindling. In other words, the army needs the ready money necessary to pay for wood. If it would get this it could be employing every man for two or four hours each, so that every man would be earning his food and at the same time be relieved from starving.

A visit paid to the place showed that there were more orders in the books than the woodyard could fill. The thrift and order were commended. It is hoped that every restaurant will be supplied.

The basket department is also run on a plan that will furnish a large number of men a half hour’s work each, and thus applicants can at least earn their meals, while the results of the collection are always encouraging.