Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-25
Much Work Of Repair and In
provement by the Boys.
L EGG s l. ALTON - A S K ED

| Court of the District of Columbia. % by
| United States courts outside OF the District,
and p by the president of the board of
trustees.
There were discharged during the year
| IS by order of the trustees; 0 by expiration
of sentence United States COURTS, by
order of court change of sentence. l. by
| pardon. and escaped. and are still absent,
leaving in the school 221. There We're no
deaths during the year. and the general
health OF the inmates was and is good.
Estimates for Next Year.
The report is accompanied by the esti-
mates of appropriations for the next fiscal
year. The amount appropriated for sala
ries for the present fiscal year was S15,9o2.
The amount of the present estimate for
salaries is s1S.102. the difference being due
to readjustm ent of certain of the salaries
by the board of trustees, submitted to and
approved by the Attorney General and also
to the placing on the regular roll of GER
tain employees of the box factory, whose
salaries aggregating $f350 were hereto
fore paid from the receip pts of the factory.
The report says: Putting these employees
on the roll does not. however. increase the
expenses of the school, as the box factory,
| relieved of the payment of their salaries, will
have that amount additional to turn into the
treasury. The amount estimated as neces-
sary for the support of inmates is the same
past, although the number of boys has con-
stantly increased. In 1889, for instance,
there We're in the school at the beginning
of the year, 155 boys; 81 were received dur
ing the year, making total population of
229 81 discharged during the year.
leaving lSo remaining June 30. 1889. as COM
pared with 221 remaining in the school
June 30. 1890
New buildings Needed.
THE estimate of $1,000 for new bake
oven and suitable building to contain them,
which has been several times submitted
to Congress with the approval of the At
torney General and of the Commissioners
of the District, is again submitted as
necessary The present oven is worn out,
needing constant repair. its location is In
an old frame building, making it a source
of danger from fire. The erection of
chapel building, for which an estimate OF
$1,000 is submitted, is not urged as a
necessity, bat as being advisable. Re
ligious services are held at the school every
Sunday. which of necessity have to be held
in the school room of the main building,
where naturally they do not have the same
effect upon the boys because of the latter'S
familiarity with the surroundings through
constant week days association that they
would have if held i'll a building designed
for that special use; an additional reason
being found in the insufiiciency of the
school room to accommodate in addition
to the boys, the other persons--employes
| of the school, or course, ana Clt1ZenS-
who attend. the former regularly. and the
latter in frequently large numbers. Such
a building would undoubtedly be of very
great service in carrying out the real OBJ
ject of the school.
THAT the appropriations have sufficed
to meet the expenses of the in
creased population has been due to the
improved methods adopted by the board
in the management of the farm and gen
eral care and attention in the purchasing
of supplies and their USE and distribution,
in which direction the superintendent and
his assistants have given valuable service.
THE only object the board of trustees
has in view is the proper care and reforma-
ton of the boys committed to the school
in its charge, and while doing everything;
it can in the way of legitimate economy. it
would not hesitate to ask for more money
if, in its opinion. the governments duty
to the boys required it.
THE new family building, built and fur
nished in 1891, not opened for use
unti the spring of this year, Congress
having failed to make any appropriation
for it's necessary teachers and other EN-
pioyes until March 4. 1895. 1t has proved
to be thoroughly adapted to the purpose
fer which intended.
1.-The appropriation of $1,000 for new roofs
and repairs and $50 for painting :he new
family building, mule by the act of March |
2, 1895, have both been juaiciously ex-
pended.
Insufficient Water Supply.
1.-The insufllciency of the water supply at
the school, matter of much concern to the
board for some time past, has been over
come by the sinking of well 30 feet deep, |
which yields a practically ineXhausti5le |
supply of water of good quality. A proper |
pumping engine has been erected, and the |
distributing tanks at the summit of tower |
in the rear of the main building are kept con- |
stanty full These tanks have a capacity |
of 10000 gallons. and from their elevated |
situation can, through the system of pipes |
and fire plugs, for which proper hose and |
noZzieS are kept in constant readiness by |
the force of gravity alone throw efficient |
streams of water over almost any part of |
the various buildings throughout the |
grounds.
"A great deal of work in the way of i'm
provementS and repairs has been done dur
ing the year by the boys, under the direc- |
ton of the superintendent and his assista IT'S |
notably the laying of a water main, the ex- |
tension and Improvement of the gas supply |
pipes and changes in the steam service for |
heating the various buildings, repainting in
side and out where needed and repairing tin |
roofing on the older buildings.
There have been built also during the |
year, under the direction of the board, one adj
ditional hot house, a corn crib, slaughter
house and 4 p.SSery, with 4 present capacity |
of 80 Proper buildings have also been put |
up for the protection of the fire hose, reels |
ladders and other equipments all of which |
apparatus has been approved by the chief |
of the fire department and is fitted for serv-
ice with the District system.
There has been turned into the treas |
ury to the credit of the United States and
the District of Columbia Jointly the sum |
of S;.5l9.3S, derived follows: From the |
paper box factory, $1,000; sales from green
house, 80 sales of surplus of farm pro-
ducts, S11l.56, and miscellaneous sources, |
S245O2.
Control of Discharged Boys Asked.
Under the present laws governing the
reform school. 1t is provided, section o. |
That every boy sent to the reform school |
shall remain until he is twenty-one years |
of age, unless sooner discharged or bound |
apprentice; but no boy shall be re- |
tanned after the superintendent shall have |
reported him fully reformed Under the |
present system of instruction and of honor |
badges ana promotions adopted by the |
board, 1t is possible for boy, provided he |
be, so far as the superintendent is able to |
judge, sufficiently reformed to come within |
the meaning Of the section quoted, to earn |
his discharge inside of two years When |