Evening star., 1896-12-09
Annual Report Of the President Of
the Trustees.
OPERATIONS DURING TEE PAST YEAR
System Of Manual Training for the
Boys Advocated.
M NEY AS K f D FO r

\
marizes the operations of the institution
during the past fiscal year and its condi-
ton at present follows:
AT the beginning of the last fiscal year
there were in the school 221 boys; there
were received during the year 107-a total
Of 32S, against 313 for the previous year.
Sixty-seven of those received were COM
mitted by the Police Court and by the
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia,
Is by United States courts outside Of the
District and IA by the president of the
board of trustees.
There were discharged during the year
50 by order Of the trustees, II by expiration
of sentence Omitted States courts). :. by
order of court (change of sentence). ] by
pardon, and escaped and still absent,
leaving in the school June 30, 1885, 21S.
There were no deaths during the year, and
the general health of the inmates was and
is good.
Estimates for Next Year.
AN accompanying table shows the csti-
mates of appropriations for the next fiscal
year ending June 30, 1898. which, under the
law. have been forwarded to the Commits
siolers of the District of Columbia for in
Sertion In the act making apDropria tons
for the District. The amount appropriated
for salaries for the present fiscal year was
Sl6,242 The amount of the present esti-
mate for salaries Is $16152. The amount
estimated as necessary for the support CT
inmates is the same as was appr oDriated
FOR the present fiscal year. and l may add
the same has been appropriated for num-
ber of years past.
The erection of a chapel building for
which an estimate of sg.150 is submitted is
not urged as necessity. but as being ad-
visable. Religious 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
nave the Same effect that they would have
III
cial use, because of the boys familiarity
with the surroundings through constant
weekday association; an additional reason
being found in the insufficiency of the
school room to accommodate, in addition
to the boys, the other persons-employes of
the school. of course, and citiZe ns-who at
tend, the former regularly, and the latter
frequently in large numbers Such a build
ing would undoubtedly be of very great
service in carrying out the real object of
the school.
1T said in the last report that the
only object the board of trustees has in
view in its management of the school is
the proper care and reformation of the
boys committed to its charge, and that
while doing everything 1t 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 board has always been of the opin-
ion that such part of the boys time is
given to work other than in the school
room should be devoted, as far as possible.
to receiving instruction in such handicrafts
and manual training would go to make
them self supporting after leaving the
school rather than the performance of such
labor on the farm in the shops.
would result merely in the production of
small amount of money to be turned into
| the governments treasury without giving
them any useful knowledge For the rca-
sons above stated the board has asked for
an appropriation of $1,000 for the purpose
of extending the schools system of in
CT n 10 M pa
ing.
An appropriation for a dairy building. in
Guiding stable, necessary appliances and
| cows, has been asked for, amounting in all
to $3.50.
| There has been turned into the treasury
| to the credit of the United States and the
! District of Columbia Jointly the sum of
| $i5s2..O, derived follows: From the pa
per box factory. $2.7oO: sales from green
houses. s51o.49: sales Of surplus farm prod
| ucts s9337, and from miscellaneous
! sources. s22S64.
Work by the Boys.
During the year much work has been
done by the boys, under the direction of
the superintendent and his assistants, in
the way of repairs and permanent improve
| ments. Under the direction OF the board a
! new bakery has been built, and the work.
shops have been connected with the main
boiler house so as to receive steam for
working and heating purposes without the
use of a separate boiler.
Under the present law governing the re-
| form school it is provided:
Section .. That every boy sent to the
| reform school shall remain until he is twen-
| ty-one years of age, unless sooner dis
| charged or bound as an apprentice; but no
| boy shall be retained after tie superinten-
| dent shall have reported him fully re-
! formed.
Under the system of instruction and of
honor badges and promotions adopted by
| the board, 1t is possible for boy to earn
IL
! he be, SO far as the superintendent is able
| to judge, sufficiently reformed to come
| within the meaning of the section quoted.
When discharged, the board mas no fur
| ther control over him. The board has for
years been of the opinion that the dis
charge from the school should be limited,
not absolute, one: that Congress should
| be asked to provide by legislation for such
control by the board of trustees of the boys
after discharge will enable it to reclaim
and return to the school any boy who, by
his bad conduct, shows himself amenable to
recommitment.
This control is given to institutions of
| like character in many of the states, and is
| found to work very satisfactorily. AS long
| ego as the first session of the Fiftieth
| Congress, in 1883. Congress was asked 10
| leSislate in this direction, and a bill was
| fsvorably reported in the House at that
| session, but not passed. The board thinks
| that Congress should. at its next session.
| be asked to pass a bill giving the board
authority over the boys after discharge
| ana VIII De SidQ 10 nave your approval OF
the matter and some mention of it in your
annual report to Congress.
The board announces with great regret
| that Stree the last report it has lost the
| services of one of its most active and eff
| cent members, Mr.. Alexander ]. Falls, who
| was appointed a trustee on February II,
1873. During all the period of over twenty
years that Mr.. Falls served member
of the board, a good part of 1t being as
president, he displayed the greatest interest
| in the school and everything belonging to
| it, and devoted his time and energy to its
service without stint His administration
| of its affairs gave the utmost satisfaction,
ard the board feels that the least it can
do is to direct your attention to the long,
| honorable and excellent service rendered by
| this faithful public officer whose heart
was in his work and who did not spare
| himself in doing it. Mr.. Falls resigned he
cat Sc of his removal to Louisiana to live"
| Praise From Paris.
The Paris Temps says that President