Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-06

the ABBEY EHerVeSCent Sdlt OO1n-
pany, Ltd, 9 Murray St., New York
city; IA Queen Victoria ST., London,
Eng; 7I2 Craig ST., Montreal, Can.
departments alike. The increase in the es-
innate for each year Is to be arrived at by
able increase in population as a whole.
How intelligent such a basis is may be seen
when 1t is pointed out, as said above, that
the cost of maintenance Of the inmates of
Is the rate of increase in each department
proportional from year to year."
Lack Of Discipline.
In the matter Of lack of discipline the re-
port says: mo one, from the assistant SUI
perintendent down. seems to know of the
existence Of any fixed rules and regulations
governing the authority and the duties Of
the various employees of the institution. A
set of rules for the Washington Asylum
was formulated and approved by the Com
missioners August 20. 1890, and was print
ed, and one OF said rules provided that
printed copies Of the rules shall be furnish
ed to each officer.
''Of the fourteen officers and employees
who testified before your committee, sew
eral Of whom have been in the institution
since 1890, not one could distinctly recollect
ever having seen q copy OF these rules, OF
any others governing their duties in de-
partments Of the institution, other than the
hospital. They appear simply to have been
ignored. and no others have been promul-
gated or observed in place Of them"
Commenting upon the lack of understand
ing as to authority that existed between
the various employees Of the institution,
from the matron and overseers down, and
the fact that unseemly disputes as to au-
thority are still going on before the pris-
oners. the report says:
From the fact that the superintendent
was present during the testimony of these
witnesses Gas of all other Witnesses with
the privilege of questioning them. and did
not by questions or otherwise, attempt to
show that either OF these witnesses had
misunderstood him, your committee be-
lieves that 1t is fair to conclude that he was
responsible for leaving these subordinates
with such directly contradictory under
standing as to their duties and jurisdic-
tons, and that it has been his practice not
only not to define in the beginning the
scope of the authority of the officials in the
institution. but that even when clashes Of
authority occur. and which are brought be-
fore him for settlement, he leaves the mat
ter in as chaotic a state as 1t was before.
1T may be said in general that not one
or the fourteen officers and employees ap-
pearing before the committee as witnesses
had ever had defined to him the exact
scope of his duties or Of his authority, and
hardly one OF them seemed to know pre-
cisely who were his or her superiors or
subordinates. Even the assistant superin-
tendent admits that he does not know
clearly what Is the scope Of his own au-
thortty nor what are the respective duties
and the authority of the various officers
and employees who are under him. Never
theless he Is the officer who would be
called upon to settle any differences or dis
putes that might arise in the absence of
the superintendent.
Outside the hospital there does not seem
to be any restriction placed upon the asso-
citation of the men and women of the in
stitutton. 1t Is in evidence that one Of the
men employees Of one department has for
several years been caller every other
night in the week. until a late hour, upon
one Of the women attendants. This fact
seems to your committee to show seri-
GUS lack Of those restrictive regulations
concerning the association Of men and wo-
men employees which experience has shown
to be necessary for the maintenance Of
proper discipline in all public institutions
where both male and female employees re-
SIDE"
The Food Supplies.
On the subject of food supplies the report
says:
"Your committee finds that the food sup
ply OF the institution Is frequently made
Quate: that part Of 1t is unsuitable, and
that even spoiled food has sometimes been
sent to the table. The reading of the testi-
mony OF the property clerk. who has charge
OF the Issuing of supplies to the main
kitchen Of the institution. and who in a
measure, acts as steward OF the institution,
will reveal a practice in the matter Of is
suing foodstuffs that can only be termed
amazing. There seems to be no idea what
ever of ration, no Ineligible basis for
the issuance OF foodstuffs of any kind, and
the whole matter Of regulating the food
supply to the number Of inmates seems to
be more or less a matter of chance or at
best a piece of guesswork.
1.-THE impression of haphazardness con-
veyed by this testimony is borne out by
the actual record of supplies issued to the
main Kitchen
Illustrations are given from the records.
One of these shows that when the popula-
ton Of the institution was 565 inmates the
number of pounds Of meat supplied was
44S. Three weeks later the population had
increased from b65 to $50, while the amount
Of meat supplied was reduced from AS
pounds to 800 pounds. Here Is q dimin-
ution Of the meat supply amounting to So
pounds corresponding to an increase of
seventeen in the population. On another
OCCASION the board shows there was an in
meat. corresponding to a decrease of four
teen In the population. Then again there
was an increase Of 100 pounds Of meat cor
responding to an increase of only eleven
fifteenth of one month there was an in
crease Of 146 pounds in the issue Of meats,
with a difference Of only three in the pop
ulation. Still again the meat supply was
ulation increased thirty-six. Several pages
Of the report are given over to the citing
Of instances of this character.
Taking the record Of the almshouse
alone" says the report 1T is found that
the issue per capita, on the same day of
the week. varies from 126 pounds for 233
people to 21O pounds for 227 people, and
this within thirty days making per
capita ration OF Sc ounces in one case
and 1873 ounces in the other. The records
show equally unacountable variations in
the bread supply issued to the almshouse.
In the face of these variations, 1t may
be interesting to note, as evidence of the
difficulty experienced by your committee
in getting at the facts, that the particular
employe who cuts and weighs the meat is
sued each morning testifes that the issue
varied only a pound or two from day to
day.
Testimony Of the Cook.
Attention is invited to the testimony OF
the cook. showing the unique method OF
regulating the coffee supply to the numoes
of inmates Previous to the beginning OF
this investigation ten pounds of coffee was
issued day In and day out, irrespective OF
any variations in population. This ten
pounds of coffee was used first to make
sixty gallons of coffee. From this amount
twenty-four gallons are drawn OF for use
at the almshouse. Enough water is then
added to what is left to furnish q quart OF