The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-11-07
THE CARE OF THE POOR
STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES IN AN
NUAL SESSION.
Secretary BicknelFs Report Is Full
of Interesting Statistics-The De-
felt Reduced in Small DeGree-A
Movement for state school for De-
pendent Children.

The board of s.ate charities held its
annual meeting Tuesday at its rooms
in the state house. The fiscal year of the
board closes with today. The full MEM
bership, win the exception of Governor
Matthews, was present, and in the alb
sence Of the governor Mr.. Timothy Mich
olson of Richmond presided.
Secretary Bicknen read his quarterly
report and gave the board some sugges-
tons and figures, which will appear in
his annual report. The data and statis-
tics were of great interest and the re-
port covered many subjects. Mr.. Biolz-
nell said in part, in his report, that the
expenditures for the relief of the poor
in the various counties for the year end
ing May 81, 1894 amounted to about $780,
0O0 This, he said, was an increase of
about 100000 over the preceding year.
The cost Of maintaining the county poor
asylums the past year has been almost
the same as the preceding year, which
shows that the hard times did not fill up
the poor houses. The increase in the cost
of relief given by the township trustees,
and in the maintenance Of the county
orphan asylums has been very heavy.
The secretary reported that during the
lowing visits State Institutions Sc; coun-
ty jails, 49, county poor asylums. A;
orphan asylums. p; miscellaneous. 49: in
stitutions in other states. y; total, 2OS.
Further. Mr.. Bicknell reported the con-
struction of the following institutions
during the year; Monroe county poor
asylum, Dearborn, Upton and Pike coun-
ty jails. Daviess and Gibson county or
phan asyiums.
Governor Matthews sent in the follow-
ing list of standing committees fo- t:.e
new year. which are the same as in the
past:
on Penal and Retormatory Institutions
Timothy Nicholson, John r. Elder,
Mary A. Sphinx
on Hospitals for the Insane-John r.
Elder Timothy Nicholson, Margaret f.
Peelle.
ON Institutions for Detectives and Sol
diers and Sailors Orphans Home-De-
marchus c. Brown, Thomas NJ. Wiles.
Mary A. Sphinx.
On County NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NJ.
Wiles, Demarchus c. Brown. Margaret
On Statistics and Publications-Dem
chus c. Brown, John r. Elder
on Auditing-Joh0 r. Elder, Demar-
chuS c. Brown.
The board has lived within its financial
allowance Of $5,eo0 BY thc legislature with
the exception of a few dollars. Secre-
tary Bicl5nell began the year with a de-
fcit Of 1876 and closed the year With
deficit of 1898.
Mr.. Bicknell was instructed u corre-
spond with the commissioners Of Clay
county as soon as the new board is elect
ed ard urge the building of a new Jail
TIE one now occupied is in a thoroughly
unsanitary condition and unfit for the
confinement of prisoners
The most impTtan. action of the day
was the decision by the board TO make
recommendation to the legislature urg-
ing the establishment of a s-lte public
school for dependent children The pur-
pose is TO take the children out Of the
poor houses and overcrowded orphans
homes, and also to take them away from
The vicious and degrading surroundings
in cities and to keep them at the school
long enough TO break them OF their evil
habits. When they learn cleanliness and
the rudiments Of educa lion. Suca as read
ing and wrising. il is proposed To place
them in families over the state. This
plan has been adopted by Michigan. Min
neSJta. Wisconsin and Rhode Island. and
years OF operation have shown l. to be
remarkably successful. The number of
dependent children i'm the state public
school in Michigan is 200 and. with the
exception of a few children i'm sectarian
ypepden-' children in the state of Michi-
gan I'm Indiana there are $500 children
of'this class. The estimated cost of main
tainance Of a state public school in In
diana is not greater than $780, 900 annu-
ally. and by it The children are made self
supporting and are vastly benefited Tn
der the system in vogue i'm this sta .e now
600 Is spent annually for the care of
the children. and hey are not benefited
The board is confident thai the benefits
from such school will be- rem rl1a BILE.
and that it will cause a heavy decrease
in the number of children sent to The
reform schools. The state. it is es.i-
mated. will be saved fully 100000 in cash
by such an institution 1t will be en,hu-
siastically worked for.
The board also recommended the neces-
sity of a plan for the care Of insane con-
victs. The present system is a wretched
one. JUS what steps can be taken, how
ever, has not been definitely determined.