Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-31
Wards in Free Homes.

| The number of wards in free homes both
| inside and outside the District of Columbia
June 80 1885, was 219. The number June
80, 1899, was 81. The number in free and
| boarding homes outside of the District
| June 30, 1899, was $50, net increase of
| thirty-seven over the previous year OF
| these. III were in free homes and nine In
| boarding homes. The average number of
| wards in free homes and boarding homes
| outside of institutions and therefore under
! the supervision of the visiting agent, dur
| ing the year 1S9S-1S99 was 1866
A second visiting agent is needed, It is
| stated, for the reason that one may be in
| capacitated for service at the very time
| when there Is urgent need to have visi-
| tation made. The lack of adequate super
| vision of children in homes gives occasion
| frequently for the development of such dis
satisfaction upon the part either of the
| ward or the foster parent that the ward
| decamps from the home or is returned to
| the board. and thus creates annoyance and
expense that might otherwise have been
avoided Even If the home relation be main
tanned Its character may suffer from want
of proper attention. To detail the home
agent for field work would stop entirely for
the time the indispensable work upon which
he fs now engaged. The board therefore
now asks for sufficient appropriation to
enable 1T to employ another person, who
may be q supervising and executive officer
to remain at the office and take charge of
It's work, SO that the two agents may be
may be desirable.
Cost Per Capita.
The per capita cost OF administration and
supervision based on the number of chill
dren subject to supervision during the past
three years having averaged S1425, and the
per capita cost Of maintaining a child in a.
boarding home during the same period hay
Ing averaged $112.94, 1t may be calculate ted
mat the saving In expense whenever a child
Is transferred from a boarding home to a.
free homo Is $3.50 per annum. In former
reports 1T has been assumed that this saw
ing was s75 per annum. Even upon that
basis the transfer of twenty children from
boarding homes to free homes would effect
saving of 1900 on the maintenance ac-
count. The suggested increase in the visit
Ing agency of the board will easily more
than cover that increase in the number of
children who can be kept without expense
to the board for maintenance.
The number Of children on expense for
maintenance June 80, 1899, was 264 distrib-
uted as follows: Infants and other children
| of tender years in boarding homes, 119; col
ored boys at Hart Farm School. ~; incor-
rigible colored girls in House of Good Shep-
herd, Baltimore ID; colored children in
Children's Temporary Home. "a: colored
children in National Colored Home, g.;
white children in Industrial Home School,
| 10; total not feeble minded. 219. At Penn
sylvania Training School for Feeble minded
Children, 80; at Virginia Training School
| for Predetermined Children, u; total feeble
minded, 40. Total on expense for mainte-
nance, 264.
Estimates Made.
The following estimates for the fiscal wear
! 19O0-19O1 are made, with the request that
| the appropriation for administrative ex-
penses and for maintenance of children be
| granted without distinction of purpose in
| one sum, in order that the board may be
| enabled to exercise its discretion in the ap-
| portionment of the expenditures; or if a di-
vision Of the appropriation be made. 1t 70
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