Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-07
Report Of President Clay Of the Board
Of Trustees.
SUPf. SHALLENBERGER'S ACCOUNT
Need Of Inspection After Discharge
of Prisoners.
SEES OF TON

torney General McKenna for the fiscal year
1897. At the beginning of the last fiscal
year there were in the school us boys;
there were received during the year 126. a
total of 344, as against 32S for the previous
year. Seventy-six OF those received were
committed by the Police Court and q by the
Supreme Court Of the District of Column
bia; 81 by United States courts outside of
the District and Ii by the president OF the
board of trustees.
There were discharged during the year 81
by order of the trustees. - by expiration Of
sentence Omitted States courts), ) by order
OF court and d escaped and are still absent
leaving in the school June 30, 1897, .2i
There were no deaths during the year, and
the general health I the inmates was ana
is good.
The amount appropriated for salaries for
the present fiscal year was $l6,242. The
amount of the present estimate for salaries
Is $1I,112. The estimates for the construc-
ton of an assembly hail at a cost of
-, 100 and for the construction and equip
ment of dairy to cost 1850, including
stock and appliances, are the same as those
submitted for the present fiscal year, and
the same reasons which were given for
them then hold good now.
There has been turned into the treasury
to the credit of the United States ana the
District of Columbia, Jointly, tine sum of
s., 435, derived as follows: From the paper
box factory, & $50; sales from green houses,
$3S.S3; sales of surplus farm products.
$3.50. and from miscellaneous sources,
$24SO1.
In last years report 1t was stated that
1.-The board has always been Of the opinion
that such part of the boys time as is given
to work other than in the school room
should be devoted as far as possible, to re-
ceiving instruction in such handicrafts and
manual training would go to make them
sef-supporting after leaving the school
rather than the performance of such labor
on the farm or in the shops as would re-
suit merely in the production of small
amount of money to be turned into the
governments treasury without giving them
any useful knowledge" Acting upon this
idea, the second floor of the bakery build
ing has been equipped with the necessary
benches, tools and appliances for instruct
ing limited number of boys in the Sloyd
system of manual training, the result of
which instruction has been SO satisfactory
as to encourage the board to still further
extend 1t.
Ticket of Leave System.
The board repeats what was said III the
last report that discharges from the school
should be limited and not absolute: that
Congress should be asked to provide by leg
islation for such control by the board of
trustees of the boys after discharge as will
enable it to reclaim and return to the
school any boy who, by his bad conduct,
shows himself amenable to recommitment.
AS long ago as the first session of the Fiji
tieth Congress, in 1883, Congress was ask
ed to legislate in this direction, and a bill
was favorably reported in the House at
that session, but not passed. The board
thinks that Congress should, at its next
session, be asked to pass q bill giving the
board authority over the boys after dis
charge -- .H
A great deal has been done during the
year in the way Of permanent improve
md hol- oh h..
building of which was reported last year.
has been entirely completed and equipped
with modern improvements. The entire
system of steam heating has been remod
eled, and new pipes from the boiler house
to the different buildings have been laid in
brick trenches. which give protection as
well as afford ready access for repair.
Many repairs and improvements have been
made in the main building, including new
concrete floors and steel ceilings in the
kitchens, a new auxiliary cooking range,
and new water-supply pipes to replace the
old ones and to give better service in differ
ent parts of the build ng; school rooms. dor
mitories, and the boys dining room, in
Guiding the floors have been painted.
Necessary repairs have been made to the
barn, boiler house, workshops, greenhouses,
etc A large amount Of new fencing has
been erected and the old repaired Some
sewers have been enlarged and extended:
the roadways have been resurfaced. rolled
and drained. In all of this work the boys
nave DeeH oHplOyGu Wherever their SER
vices could be made available.
The report Of the treasurer of the school,
submitted as an exhibit to this report,
shows in detail the receipts and expendi-
lures during the year. There are also SUBJ
mitted as exhibits the reports of the super
lntendent and of the attending, physician.
The board suggests, in view of the rela-
ton which the Department of Justice bears
to the governments system Of caring for
United States prisoners and the similar
positions to the department and the Dis
trict of Columbia occupied by the United
States jail, District of Columbia and the
reform school. District of Columbia, that
IN appropriating for the latter the words
all under the direction Of the ATTORNEY
General be substituted for "all under the
control of the Commissioners" as was done
in the case of the former. the Commission
ers having expressed themselves as favora-
bic to this change.
Report of Superintendent Shallenber-
The annual report of G. A. Shallenberger.
superintendent, follows that of Colonel
Clay. He says that the total number of
boys received since the opening of the
school is 2.262 The total number of deaths
has been twelve, the rate Of mortality be-
ing fve-eighths Of 1 per cent OF the 12G
boys committed during the past year, sew
enty-six were sent by the Police Court of
the District; six by the District Supreme
Court; thirty-one by United States district
courts, and thirteen by the president of the
board of trustees
The average age of boys received during
the year was thirteen years and nine
months. The average time served by how,
discharged during the year was two years
and one month.
or the 126 boys received in the school.
slxty-six had kept bad company and used
tobacco, ffty-three had bad or doubtful
records and seven had fairly good home
records; eighty had not been EMPLOYED.
thirty-six had worked some and ten had
attended school regularly.
Inc causes Of commitment of the 100
boys were as follows: Assault, 4; burglary.
3; breaking into post office. 1: carrying con
eealed weapons. 1; depreciation Of private
property. 2; embezzlement United States
mail. 4: false pretense 1: horse theft. !:
housebreaking. 8; incorrigibility, Al; indie
cent assault. 2; larceny, 40: larceny from
the person, 1; robbery, 2; violation of
United States postal laws, g; violation Of
United States revenue laws, 2: vaerancy r
The superintendent says:
we have received and discharged a
larger number of boys than ever before
IN single year. small number of these
mad come back to US the second time and
a still smaller number under a third conf
H;1tment. There Is nothing however. dis
couraging In the facts as stated as the
rev thus received were young in wears
when first committed. A long experiences
hot orv,