Evening star., 1898-07-26

which will relieve them of the annoyance
caused by the presence of the hospital; and
nave therefore concluded to present foi
your consideration a plan which | believe
furnishes practical solution of the diff.
Guilty, and will result in saving the lives OF
considerable number of infan Is now in tbs
tns titution, as well as those herea fter to be
received.
superintendent Plan.
MY plan is. in short, to board out, with
selected nurses, as many infants taken from
the hospital as may be provided for in that
way. and properly supervised, from the an
nual appropriation made for the support OF
the hospital, which is, for the present year
$1,000.
This sum might be divided In this way:
Board and clothing for thirty chill
dren at S12 per month. 81 800 0l
Salary of a medical graduate, as
placing and supervising agent w 1 $50 ot
Contingencies and incidentals........ GO0.o,
Totals sc. 600 OC
This allows for an expenditure of 500
per child per annum.
During the fiscal year 1897 the asylum
maintained an average of thirty children
at an expenditure of S223 per child For
the year 1888 1T maintained an average of
SO, at an expenditure of s19i per child
and added s4,776 to its endowment fund
It's total income being s11 ,J05.6S.
The Averages
Under the board of chldren's guardians
the expense of children in boarding homes
has been from s214 in 1894 when the av-
erage number boarded out was oO.e4. to
s127.45 in 1897, when an average of 20 20
was cared for in this way.
FOR the hscal year 1892 the death rate
in the Colored Founding Home was SIS :
Per cent, based on the whole number care
Tor In November, 1893 the institution
was closed, and all its children under three
years or age were committed to the board
or chlldrens S guardians, and the board has
ever since taken many of the class pre-
Ntously dealt with by the founding home
as were entitled to be taken.
Ihe highest death rate which has been
shown among the babes in the care of the
board was in 1897 amounting to 2S 81 Der
cent. based on the whole number cared
fer, as against SIS per cent for the last
year of the Colored Founding Home
AT the Washington Hospital for Found
ings the death rate, based as in the above
instances en- the whole number cared for
during one year has never been less than
36.S3 per cent.
These facts were emphasized by the fact
mat hve-stxths of the infants dealt with
by the board of children's guardians were
colored, and that many more colored than
white children die from prenatal abuse
another emphasizing circumstance is that
In the figures given for the board of chill
dren's guardians only children under two
years of age are counted, while in the asy-
lums those up to five years of age are
counted and 1t is well known that child 5
chances of life are enormously enlarged
after the age of two years.
Examples of the Plan,
"Other conspicuous examples of the sue
cess of the boarding-out plan will be found
in the State Children's Council of South
Australia, where the death rate computed
by the method used herein has never been
over 20 per cent, and in the Massachusetts $
state Board of Lunacy and Charity, one of
whose recent reports gives zoos per cent.
L believe, therefore, that You will he
Justified in concluding that the boarding
out OF these infants will save the lives of
some of them; that 1t will remove all re-
sponsibility Of the Commissioners for the
annoyance in the neighborhood of the asy-
lum with the attendant loss TO those re-
siding near and that the expense per child
VIII not be increased and may be materially
reduced.
But all this will be to no purpose IL the
Commissioners have not authority to en-
force compliance with their plan In case IL
should be adopted by them and rejected by
the hospital.
THE Office of superintendent of charities
was created by proviso to the District of
Columbia appropriation act. approved Au-
gust q, 1890, and the purpose of the crea-
ton OF the office is declared by the act TO
be to secure a more equitable and efficient
expenditure of the several sums appro-
priated for charities.'
The superintendent is required to devise
pidNS lor tneSe expenditures which will
avoid misapplic alton of effort or cxpendi-
ture, and all appropriations for charities
shall be expended under the general direc-
ton of said superin endent, and in con-
formfty, as near as may be, with such sys-
tenn or plan, subject to the approval of the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia
as will more fully appear upon a careful
reading of the act.
The Proposed UItimatum.
'It appears. therefore, that il the Com
missioners notify the hospital officers that
this is a plan agreed upon between them
selves and the superintendent OF charities
for the purpose of preventing 'misapplica-
tion of effort or expenditure and their
expressed wish be disregarded, they viii
then be justified in declining to comply
with the next request of the disburssng
officer of the institution, that they request
the Secretary of the Treasury 10 cause a
warrant to be issued I'm favor of the tress-
urer OF the United States, to be deposited
to the credit of the dsbursing officer
Certainly the Secretary of the Treasury
Will permit no such warrant TO be issued
except upon your request and [ am conf
dent that by such means the Comm 'ssion-
ers can enforce such rules as may be agreed
upon concerning the expenditure of all
moneys appropriated for the support of
charitable institutions IN the District OF
Columbia, just as the Secretary of the In
terror has just put into operation salutary
rules for the government of Free6men's
HoSDiia1