Evening star., 1898-11-05
DISTRICT CHARITIES
Annual Report Of Superintendent
Herbert W. Lewis.
FUND FOR THE RELIEF OF The POOR
Suggestions Respecting the Man
agement Of Sundry Institutions.
CITIZENS ASSOC1ATION
FUND FOR THE RELIEF OF The POOR
CITIZENS ASSOCIATION

The annual report of Herbert W. Lewis
the superintendent of charities, for the year
ended June 30 1898. was filed with the Dis
trict Commissioners today, and is in part
follows:
The following partial allotment of the
fund for the relief of the poor for the year
1s!S was made upon my recommenda ton ::
For twenty-five physicians to the poor. at
$3.50 per annum each, $500; for medicines
and printing prescriptions for physicians to
the poor, S2,9So; for the Woman's Dispen-
sary, $500; for the Aged Woman's Home
$500: coffins, to be furnished upon order OF
health department. $500: total $4,000
An additional recommenda ton was made
and subsequently an order was issued by
the Commissioners, dated January II, 1898
directing that the unallotted balance Cs1,UOD)
of the current appropriation for the relief
OF the poor be placed at the disposal of the
central relief committee, to be distributed
in accordance with such plans of work as
said committee may adopt.
Toward the close of the year it was
found that there would be Il surplus IF
Sl4.3I from the amount allotted for medi-
cal relief, and thereupon the following re
allotment of the surplus made: To the
6 6eIl sait AR Home SOD; to the Children's
Country Home, s20o; to the Womans Union
Christian Association. S314.37 total, $714.33I.
What Has Been Accomplished.
The result of much active attention to
the charities of the District has been good
in many ways. 1t has promoted care in
management, thoughtfulness as to special
obligations and desire to fully accomplish
the purpose of their existence.
'As specially worthy of notice 1 take
pleasure in directing attention to the fact
that all of the free dispensaries which are
served by physicians who are members of
the medical association have put into prac-
tce the plans of the association, begun
two years ago for the correction of the
abuse of medical charity. This plan is
simply that all those who apply for free
treatment shall be relieved if suffering at
the time of application, and shall be given
d blank application which may be filled
out and signed by some responsible per-
sOr known to the dispensary physician, and
which then becomes evidence of the in
ability of the patient to pay for services
sought and that no second treatment shall
he given a person who does not return a
certificate properly filled out and signed.
The result of the plan has been a marked
falling off in number of new cases treated
at the dispensaries.
This plan is not in use at the Freed
mems or the National Homeopathic hos
pitals at both of which there is room for
great Improvement in the matter of dis
elimination as to who should or should not
be treated free of charge.
Reference is here made by the superin-
tendent to the new building provided for
the Industrial Home School.
The reform school for girls the SUI
perintendent says has passed a year
comparatively free from the spirit of
characterization which prompted riots in
former years. The housekeeping appears
to he managed with especial efficiency ana
with the view of making the best use of
the internal resources of the institution,
such as the garden dairy, poultry yards
ana piggery. The expense per inmate is
still very high and will remain so until the
institution begins to fulfill its real mis-
sion by furnishing refOrmatOry treatment
for all girls, both white and colored, who
Ia IN, ~ rlnh .
in the District.
AT the Temporary Home for ex-Union
Soldiers and Sailors there has been an i'm
prOvement amounting to transformation
The home was inspected April ~. lS.'S-
AT Columbia Hospital the privilege of
attending patients occupying private rooms
has been granted to physicians not on the
hospital staff
Considerable space is given to the work
of the board of childrrens guardians, al
ready detailed in The Star.
Other Institutions.
THE Florence Crittenton Hope and Help
Mission has taken uD seriously most i'm
POrtant new branch of work, that of Sc
curing country homes for destitute moth
ers with infants. 1t has also established
school of domestic science and has repaired
and greatly improved the property which
it occupies.
"A valuable piece of property adjoining
the Emergency Hospital has been given to
that institution to be used d home for
nurses. Improvement in the nursing at
the Washington Asylum Hospital has been
brought about through the partial displace-
ment of ignorant and inefficient nurses by
ca pable young wCmen trained in that work.
An arrangement has been made by which
pupil nurses, after receiving two years in
struction at the Asylum Hospital, will fin
ish their course at the Emergency Hos
pital, ard will receive their certificates
\, i'm &c for
Nurses.
The superintendent next reviews the
withdrawal of the police from active relief
work. and the transfer of the funds to the
central relief committee appointed by the
Commissioners.
Speaking of the Citizens Relief Associa-
ton. Mr.. Lewis says
The organization of this association was
gone about with a thorOughness and earn
eStneSS which is a prophecy of success. 1t
was deferred until after the meeting of
the National Conference of Charities,
which met in New York in May. in order
that the fourteen delegates from Washing
ton who attended that conference might
bring to bear upon its organization the eX
perienCc and Judgment of the entire coun-
try impaired to them at the conference.
II the people of the city make it the dis
tributer of their charity they may feel sure
that their gifts will reach those in need,
that no person will be unnecessarily hu-
inflated and that impostors and dead
beats will find Washington a most uninvit-
ing field.
Accounts and Reports.
In addition to making the inspection of
institutions necessary to a proper under
standing of the character of their admin
istration and the condition, sufficiency and
needs of their buildings, L have given at
tentiou to their accounts submitted at
the close of each quarter.
There were some practices in vogue
which We're in violation of laws governing
such accounts, as We'll as recent regula-
tionS OF the Treasury Depssr tment. 1t was
found that accounts. wholly irregular
TO form. had been accepted at the treasury
without question because of direction given
by former officers of that department that
no Questions were to be raised regarding
such accounts; the appropriations for char
liable institutions being considered as gra-
tuities not subject to the ordinary rules
of the department, and in regard to which
the precautions thrown about the eXpen-
diture of other appropriations would be
unnecessary.
After consultation with the auditor for
the State and other departments circular
was issued calling attention to the pro-
visions of the law and the treasury regu-
lations. and saying that from and after