The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-22

Middletown is said to maintain its rep utation as one of the best institutions or | its kind in the country. The usual number of girls has been present dur i ing the year, averaging 262, and the ! work of all departments has been con ducted most successfully.
 County jails are reported as present. | ing much the same conditions noted in recent years, decent comfort and good order in most instances, but the system ! is again condemned as extravagant and 1 tending to the increase, rather than the l reduction, of the criminal class. Re- commendation is again made for state control of county jails under central t, board of prison commissioners, thus. permitting the consolidation of several | of the smaller jails and a rational clas- ! sification of the inmates among the sev- l eral institutions.
 Mention is made of the completion of the congregate dining-room building and other Improvements at the hospital for
 the insane in Middletown. The in- | creased accommodations thus provided
 are fully present during the year 2,299. | In spite of the crowded condition of the ! hospital, the inmates have been well cared for. Since the establishment of | the new Hospital for the Insane at Nor | wich, it is probable that the Middletown | institution has reached very nearly its limit of growth. A brief description of 1 the Norwich hospital, now in process of
 construction, is included in the report 1 and 1t is stated that it will probably be | dxy of te ;,, ] the summer of 1904. In addition to the
 retreat for the insane at Hartford, twelve private sanitaria for mental and
 nervous diseases which hold licenses l from the state are visited by the board and an effort is made to see that the | statutory privileges of the inmates are | observed. Improvements are noted at ' the School for Imbeciles at Lakeville,
 and it is said that the institution is de-
 serving of liberal support from the | state
 The American School at Hartford for 1 the deaf is reported as having comple- ted another year of successful work in all departments, but hope is expressed I that tht old main building may be re- 1 placed by more modern structures. The l Oral School for the Deaf at Mystic has
 been conducted with the usual number
 of pupils, and the suggestion is repeated | that it might be well to reorganize the
 school under 8 special charter from the ! state.
 ! The unsuccessful efforts in the legis- lature of the Connecticut Institute for the Blind to be exempt from the visits ! of the State Board of Charities are no-
 ted in the report When last visited the institute was found in a fair condition l of comfort and activity, and hope is ex- l pressed that with the special appropri- ation made by the last legislature it's l finances may be satisfactorily adjusted. 1 The past year is reported as one of
 unusual activity among the hospitals of
 the statae in the way of building opera
 tions, and additions or new buildings l are noted in New Britain, Meriden, l Bridgeport and Stamford. Mention is
 made of the establishment of new hos pitals in Middletown and Bridgeport, the latter under the auspices of the Ro- man Catholic church, of the New Haven County Sanitarium for Consumptives at | Wallingford, and of plans for new | hospital in Greenwich. The completion l of the three new hospitals will make a total of eighteen public hospitals in the | state. The Waterbury and Danbury l hospitals are said to be greatly in need of more adequate equipment. All of ] the hospitals as a rule, are excellently
 managed. The Soldiers Home at Noro- ton has been occupied to it's full capaci-
 ty, the average number of veteran sol-
 diers on the rolls being 522. The hospi-
 tai department is being enlarged under
 an appropriation of $12,500 from the I state, and more adequate water sup ply is being provided. The institution
 gives evidences of careful management.
 The records of the eight county tenn porary homes for dependent and neg l lected children show a total of only 251
 children committed to their care as l compared with 348 so committed in 1902, | and it is difficult to assign any definite cause for this decrease. The number of
 children placed in family homes was 315, and the total on support of the
 county institutions was 722 at the close
 of the fiscal year. Only two deaths oc-
 cured among total of LISA children
 cared for during the year. There is
 reason to believe that some unnecessary
 commitments might be avoided if care-
 full investigation were made in advance
 of the childs home surroundings It is
 said that little criticism can reasonably
 be made in regard to the general condi-
 .tion of the county homes or the treat
 ment afforded the children The sad
 death of Mrs. E. s, Talbot, matron of
 the Holland County Home, is mentioned
 as great loss to the home
 The eighty eight alnshouses in the
 state are reported as presenting a great
 variety of conditions, About one-haf
 are said to be excellent, about one-third
 very fair, while the remaining one-sixth
 are absolutely poor and unfit for use. Common defects noticed are a lack of classification of the inmates, inadequate
 heating arrangements and water sup Oly. Better rasl1ltS woll1d hn ohtoi,,ad