Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-07
CARE OF THE CHILDREN
Delinquents and DEPENDENTS
in District of Columbia.
REPORT SUBMITTED
CONGRESS ADVISED OF RESULTS
OF INVESTIGATION.
Concentration Of Authority and Re-
sponsibility Recommended by
the Commissioners.

at this session of Congress a comprehensive
plan for the future care of delinquent and
dependent children in the District of Co
lumbia. Commissioner mcfarland. who
has supervision Of public charities, has pre-
pared a report. which has been approved by
the Commissioners and was today sent to
Congress. embodying a plan as requested
Besides utilizing the results of his own long
experience and observation in connection
with public charities. and the reports OF
what is being done in the United States and
Canada, as well as abroad Commissioner
Macfarland. in drafting the report. awaited
himself of the advice of a number Of Off
cials and private citizens interested In the
child-caring problem
After spending several months In gather
ing material he made rough draft Of the
report, which was thoroughly discussed by
the Commissioners and formally adopted by
them. If adopted by Congress 1t win. the
Commissioners believe. work marked i'm
provement in the treatment of delinquent
and dependent children promoting at once
efficiency and economy, and better govern
mental control. 1t is in line with the rec
concentrations Of the Commissioners to Sc
cure a concentration Of authority and re-
sponsto.iity.
The Commissioners Report.
The report on the matter follows. in part:
Congress should provide for Juvenile
tribunal before which all children delin-
quent or dependent, who are to become a
charge upon the public funds. should be
brought This tribunal should be entirely
separate from all existing courts II should
be accommodated in a separate building,
which should also contain the house of de-
tention. The District government should
own the building, to be thus used for a
house OF detention and Juvenile tribunal.
No child should be placed in any institu-
ton at public expense, until the fact of de-
iinQuency or dependency has been first as
certained and declared by the juvenile tri-
bunal All children Of the class now COM
mitted to the reform school for boys and
the reform school for girls should be COM
mitted by the Juvenile tribunal to those
schools. All other children delinquent or
dependent, with the exception of class
noted later, should be placed by the tri-
bunal in the care of the board of children's
guardians, which board should be appointed
by the Commissioners OF the District of
Columbia. The Juvenile tribunal should
place upon probation under the care of the
board of children's guardians and its pro-
baton officers, who should be as numerous
as may be necessary, such children as are
row placed by the Police Court. All other
children committed to the care Of the board
of children's guardians should be made it's
wards until maturity. as is now done. with
provision for the REIMBURSEMENT of the
guardianship In individual cases by the
cSdiu VI SudIQldES, Win the aD-
prevail of the juvenile tribunal. Most cases
where parents or parents desire to have
child temporarily cared for in some De-
riod Of family distress can. and would. be
handled by private charitable institutions
without public aid.
Should Be Given Needed Authority.
THE board of children's guardians. the
official agency created by Congress for the
public child-caring work. which has sue
INV =
scribed by Congress from time to time, for
ten years, should be given whatever addi-
tional authority and enlargement of it's adj
illustrative force as is necessary. 1t should
be left free to exercise it's discretion as to
the disposition to be made of its wards
within certain broad lines of policy and
with certain facilities for dealing with par.
ticular clasSes.
1t should be given an adequate number
OF employees to properly supervise the care
or ITS wards In families and to see that they
receive educational and other ADVANTAGES
1t should be provided with ample institu-
tional facilities. though not under it's con-
troll, but, rather. under the control of the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia
to care for all the children who could not
Immediately be placed in families Insti-
tutions entirely supported by public funds
should be directly co-ordina ted to this end
and the board should be authorized to make
contracts for such an II may require from
private institutions supported by private
funds.
Industrial Home School
1.-THE Industrial Home School. now a pub
lie institution under the control of the Com
missioners. and supported entirely by pub
lie funds. should be the principal receiving
and training home for white wards of the
board OF childrens guardians. who should
be placed there by the authority Of the
board of children's guardians. No other
children should be placed in that institu-
ton. When the larger part of the property
now occupied by 1t Is sold to the United
States, as Congress win probably direct in
the near future. for the convenience of the
United States naval observatory, the rest
should be sold to private purchasers. and
the institution should be removed to q
larger site in the country. If the new site
be large enough provision could be made
for the care in cottages of feeble minded
white children, now sent to the institution
at Elwyn. Pa. and for epileptic children,
for whom there IS no place but the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane.
Those colored wards of the board of
chldren's guardians who for any reason
should not be placed in families would
probably require two institutions. The Ma
tional Association for Relief of Destitute
Colored Women and Children, now prac-
| tically maintained entirely at public ex-
pense. should either be made public In
stitution. directly under the authority of
the Commissioners of the District of CO.
lumbia and then used an institution for
| the care of wards of the board of chill
| der Its present private management. 1t
| should receive public money as compensd-
| ton through contract with the board of
| ehildren's guardians for the care of ts
| wards. In either event provision should be
| made in addition for furnishing temporary
| care at this institution for colored children
\ in cases where It seemed probable that the
! children would within short time be re-
| turned to their parents. inasmuch as such
| care is not provided for eolored children
| as 1t is for white children by private insti-
tutions supported by private charity. This
| Is the exceptional class noted But this
| should be done under public authority and
! for specific compensation.
Supervised by Board.
"The board of children's guardians might
/ supervise this feature of the work under
the direction of the Commissioners of the
| District of Columbia. The other institu-
| lions that would be required for colored
| wards of the board of chiidren's guardians
| would be an industrial home school directly
| under the supervision of the Commission
| ers corresponding to the present Industrial
home school for white children. 1t should