Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-03
THE DISTRICT CHARITIES
Work ofInvestigation by the Subcommittee
of the Senate.
Three Circulars to BE Sent Out, Each
Calling for Certain Specific
Information.

The subcommittee Of the Senate District
committee appointed to investigate the
charities of the District under resolutions
of the Senate adopted in July and August
last will probably hold meeting some
time in week after next to start to work on
the actual investigation. By this time the
replies will have been received to the cir
culars the committee authorized to be sent
out to the ten government-aided institu-
tions in the District having the care of
children. There has been a delay at the
government printing Office in printing these
circulars, and this will postpone somewhat
the first meeting of the committee. The
circulers are of three kinds. The first re-
lates to the population and maintenance of
the institutions, the second to the recep-
ton and disposal of children, and the third
to the mortality among the inmates.
The First Series of Questions.
The first circular asks the following
questions: The number of children on hand
July 1, 1898; the number Of children re-
ceived during the fiscal year 1894; the
humber placed out in free homes during
the year; the number restored to parents
and relatives; the number who died; the
number remaining June 80, 1924; the
amount of public appropriation for main
tenance and support received AID used
during the ye1r; the amounts received
from the board of children'S guardians;
the amounts received from all private
sources; the total expended for all items
Of maintenance, exclusive of new real es-
tate acquired and extraordinary repairs
and improvements: surplus or deficit June
80, 1894; actual annual per capita cost of
maintenance of child at the institution,
based on the daily ave, age number of in
mates.
The Other Circulars.
The second circular calls for the names
of all children in the institution during the
year ending June 80, 1894 and also for the
following information in regard to each:
Date of reception, age, when received,
length of time in the District prior to re-
oeption, nativity, whether father or mother
were living at time of reception, the pre-
vailing causes of reception, at whose rec
commentator received, whether sent to
free homes or provided with situations,
and the date of such disposition, whether
restored to parents or relatives, and the
date Of that act, whether visited during
the year by a representative of the institu-
ton after having left the home, the num-
Der remaining placed up to the time of
making the return, and the number and
dates of those who have died.
This second circular contains a note
specifying the following causes for the re-
ception of children into the institutions:
From Humane Society, destitute, with no
suitable home, drunken and unfit parents
abandoned by parents, vicious and immoral
associations, and truant or uncontrolled or
incorrigable
The third circular calls for the names of
children who died at the institution or
while under its control during the year
ending June 80, 1894, and for each child the
following information: Date when received,
age of child when received, it's physical
condition at that time, whether it was
boarded out with the family or whether it
was kept at the asylum, and date and cause
of death.
Comprehensive Survey of the Field.
A complete return to all Of these ques-
tions from all of the institutions will prob
ably give the committee more comprehen-
sive survey of the charity field than has
ever before been made possible. 1t is
thought that this information has never yet
been completely collected. Until it is all
received, the committee can, of course, do
nothing in the way of properly investigat-
ing the question of the best disposal of
public funds to the most satisfactory soiu-
ton of this important matter. The circu-
lars are marked to be returned by the I'd
of January, but this has been changed to
the 18th on account of the delay in the
printing.