The times., 1898-09-16
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
The Years Work of the In
dustrial Home School.
THE SALE OF PRODUCTS
By Unanimous Vote the Board De-
Who Objected to Enforced Conn
petition With the Greenhouses
of the Institution.


]. Ormond Wilson, president of the
board of trustees of the Industrial Home
School, transmitted yesterday TO Herbert
w. Lewis. superintendent of charities,
the annual report of the institution for
the fiscal year ending June 80 last.
e. E. McCaslin, principal of the school,
says: "A different arrangement of the
school. rooms is imperative in order to do
the best work, and a separate building is
necessary. This should contain no fewer
than four rooms, and should be con-
structed according to modern ideas.
There are four reasons why the present
rooms are undesirable for school pur-
poses The child is deeply influenced by
its surroundings, and this is especially
true during school work. A light, airy
comfortable room surely cultivates good
humor and a cheerful disposition, while
a dark. stuffy, crowded room engenders
fault finding. morose dispositions"
DIR. ]. F. R. Appleby, physician to the
school, reports that there were no deaths
and little serious sickness among the
children during the year. He congratu-
lates the institution upon the acquisition
of ample hospital accommodations in the
addition now being built
The Report.
The report of the trustees then treats
of the industries of the institution in
part as follows:
THE principal work done in the car
penter's shop besides repairs needed on
the premises, has been the manufacture
OF tables. There are four greenhouses,
and another would be benefit, as this is
a profitable industry and useful TO the
boys who receive practical instruction
from the florist In this connection at
tention is called to the protest made by
certain florists of Washington against
the practice OF selling the products OF
this industry and the effort made TO
pass a bill forbiddiag their sale
After full discussion the board, by
unanimous vote, very emphatically neg
atived the proposition submitted by the
florists. The children of the home are not
criminals. They are not allowed 10 sell
the products of their industry below the
market rates. and thus enter into unfair
competition with the florists of the Dis
trict. That these children, through no
fault of their own, are unable to support
themselves does not appear to be a good
reason for preventing them from doing
what they can in that line. 1t would also
appear unjust to the Taxpayers OF the
District to burden them beyond the ac-
tual necessities in the support of depend
ent children"
The estimated value of the products of
the gardens of the institution during the
year are stated in the report: Fruits,
SlS6.10; vegetables, $541.20, and other prod
ucts, sos, making a total of $3.50
Need of a New Building.
1.-THE main h1IiiHfno of no nd ~ al
Home School was originally constructed
in 1880 for a Georgetown almshouse. 1t
was not at all adapted 10 the uses OF an
industrial school, and, by age, had be-
come thoroughly dilapidated. Congress
appropriated, in 1897, $780, 600 to replace the
old almshouse building with a more suit
able structure. AS we suggested in our
last report, eventually this property
should be sold or applied to some other
use. a tract of at least 100 acres of land,
more remote from the center of the city
should be purchased, and a proper sys-
tenn of buildings should be designed and
constructed especially for the use of the
school.
1.-The work on the new building now
under course of construction has pro-
gressed, and will apparently be finished
within the contract time October 16, 1898.
The new building will be three stories
and basement, and the general character
of the design viii conform TO the present
building, with tendency TO the colonial
in details. The basement will contain a
gymnasium, a playroom, and swimming
pool.
"a small balance of the appropriation
was left after the contracts for the main
building was made and plans were pre-
pared by the inspector of buildings for
improvements in the steam heating ap-
paratus. The improvements necesSitated
the rebuilding of the boiler-house. A con-
tract was made with the same contract
ors to build the boiler-hOuse and make
changes in the heating apparatus for
81, ,640 the work TO be completed within
the same time as the main building.
1.-The inspector of plumbing took excep-
tion to the system of drainage at the time
the plans We're prepared but the appro-
priation was not sufficient to cover the
changes contemplated by him. so the work
on the building was permitted TO proceed
pending an additional appropriation for
sewerage system, which ives subsequently
made to the amount of 81, ,610.50, and these
improvements are now under way
Matters of Finance.
Admissions to the school for the year
numbers 80 boys and q girls. A total of
Al boys were discharged and only 20 girls.
Number remaining in the school in June,
1885, &C boys and 26 girls.
Receipts and expenditures for the year
were as follows: Appropriation by Con-
gress, S11, 900; receipts from other sources,
s4,5S9.28. Total, $15539.44.
Expenditures were S13, 700.23. The re-
ceipts in detail, other than the congress
| ional appropriation, We're as follows:
From greenhouses, 81, 595.42; from carpen-
ter shops, s537.56; from Board of Childrens s
| Guardians, s2, 296.67, and from miscelane-
| Gus sources, $l09.79.
There are sixteen employees in the in
| stitution at a total salary of So, 129 The
employees have in addition to their salary
! their board, room, and washing
AN estimate for the expenses of the
fiscal year ending June 80 1895, is as fol-
| lows: For maintenance, $4,000; for re-
pairs to buildings and grounds, $1,000; for
enlargement of plant, $1,000. Total,
| $4,000.
| Unfortunately, too much of the So
called industrial training introduced into
the public of late years has not produced
the practical results expected from 1t
after the close of school life The rea-
son for this is not far to seek 1t has
been too theoretical, fragmentary, and
superficial
I'm the Industrial Home School, al