The Washington times., 1903-08-06
Committee of Investigation
Charges Him With Utter
InetfIcIency as an Admin
LSfSafiUe Officer.
LACK OF DISCIPLINE
OR BUSINESS METHODS
Defecfi0e Accounfing-kreg-
ULar Meal Hours, and Bad
Food Supplied 10 Inmates.
SfoutenburgR's Statement

The long delayed report of the COM
mittee appointed to examine into cond'-
tions at the Washington Asylum was
submitted 10 Commissioner West today.
Its arraignment of the administration
and affairs OF the institution is severe,
and it closes by declaring that the lax
management and want of system, the
lack CT discipline and business methods,
demonstrates executive ineficiency ON
the part of the intendant, W. H. Stouteu-
burgh
The report is signed by Charles p
Nein and Simon Wolf. as the commit
tee. and is approved by the Board Of
Charities
Handling Of Supplies.
The first item mentioned in the re-
port. is the handling of supplies.
Prior to the expression OF the criti-
cism giving rise to this investigation"
says the report, ''the method OF hand
ling the supplies OF the Washington
Asylum was lax and defective. It afford
ed no safeguard whatever against pos
siole dishonesty, and provided no satis-
factory system of records by which the
supply accounts could have been checked
and verified in such way as TO discover
dishonest practices, had such existed
The records OF the supplies received
given out were kept by the property
clerk only. and as no receipts were TAX
e7 TO show that supplies had actually
been furnished. as charged, there was
practically 40 check whatever against
possible dishonesty"
The report does not charge dishonesty.
but de2recates the method that would
permit y.
In the matter Of bread THE report
saws:
The supplies issued IN the main
kitchen are nominalIy receiuted for by
a cook who cannot read well enough TO
know what he is signing The bread
does not pass through the property
clerks hands at all, and the cook has
no more to do with 1T than he has with
the clothes issued. Yet the cook goes
on, day after day, giving a receipt to
tae property clerk for bread that neither
of them handle nor even see
Defective Accounting.
THE general system OF bookkeeping,
formerly in vogue at the institution,
vas equally crude and unsatisfactory.
The Washington Asylum comprises
three separate Institutions, an aims
house. workhouse. and a hospital. The
cost Of maintenance in these three diff
fers very considerably, and il is i'm
portant that the books OF the institu-
tion should show separately the cost in
each OF these departments.
"As a matter of fact, this was never
done. and such accounts as were kept
related, in most respects, to the institu-
zion as whole In the absence OF a
proper system Of bookkeeping showing
the respective cost of maintenance in
each department. it has not been possi-
ale. up to tie present time. for this
board to secure from the management OF
this institution the definite knowledge
necessary to make satisfactory or in
telligent estimates for appropriations"
In the matter of lack OF discipline, the
report says:
NO one. from the assistant superin-
tendant down. seems to know ot the
existence Of any fixed rules and regu-s .
lations governing the authority and the
duties OF the various employees OF the
institution. 4 set o. rules for the
Washington Asylum was formulated
and approved by the Commissioners
August 20, 1884, and was printed. and
one of said rules provided that printed
copies or the rules shall be furnished
to each officer.
Rules Ignored
"Of the fourteen oftcers and employees
who testified before your COMMITTEES,
several &C whom have been in the in
stitution since 1890. not one could dis
tinctly reeoIIect ever having seen copy
OF these rules. or any others governing
their duties in departments of the in
stitution, other than the hospital They
appear simply to have been ignored.
and none others have been promulgated
OF observed IN place OF them"
This ignorance OF duties appears 70
apply particularly TO the matTon. the
officer IN charge Of the female work
house, and the woman attendant IN
charge OF the clothes room. The report
refers to the condition as being an
| amazing lack of understanding as 10
their respective jurisdictions
On tie subject of food supply. the
report says:
Your committee finds that the food