Socialists in French Municipalities/Ivry

When the officers chosen by the Parti Ouvrier came to the Hotel de Ville they found an empty treasury and a debt of more than $8,000 contracted by their bourgeois predecessors. It had to be paid. In spite of this they carried out the reforms expressed in the party program and at the expiration of their term they leave an available balance of more than $28,665. The municipality of Ivry, in short, and it has a right to be proud of the fact, has fulfilled all the promises it made to the workers who in 1896 gave it their confidence.

It has instituted the school kitchens, creches, municipal dispensaries, gratuitous legal advice and free administrative consultations, municipal employment bureaus, distribution of clothing and shoes to the school children, lodging houses, etc.

As to the eight hour day and the minimum wage of $360, these things were accomplished the first year.

The expenditures for public relief which in 1895 were $4,400 have been steadily increased to $10,782 in 1899. The funds at the disposal of the schools, which amounted to $1,200 under the bourgeois administration, have been increased by the socialists to $4,400. Creches have been constructed in the laborers quarters at a cost of $24,000. Assistance in the form of medicines, (by reason of the refusal of the ​government to allow the establishment of municipal pharmacies furnishing goods at cost), has been furnished by the municipal dispensary to the amount of $1,500. The families of the soldiers, who before their entrance into the city roll of the Parti Ouvyrier had been reduced to one poor france a day, receive today 1 fr. 50 centimes for the wife and 75 centimes for each child. The $1,000 devoted to the purpose in 1895 have been increased to $2,511 in 1899.

The school kitchens have furnished 64,649 free meals to the children and also supplied them with clothing and shoes at an expense of $3,240. Under the name of "maternity" from $6 to $18 are given to each woman upon the birth of her third or fourth child.

The municipality has given a pension of 1 fr. per day to 48 aged or sick laborers and has added to its expense account the sum of $600 to be used in securing the release from the government pawnshops (mont de piete) of the clothing, beds or tools of the laborers.

The public library of the municipality has had since 1896 many socialist works added to its shelves. It has 700 more readers now than under the previous administration.

Finally, thanks to the work of the commissioner of hygiene the sanitary condition of Ivry has been much improved, epidemics have disappeared and the mortality from contagious diseases is almost nothing.