Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-20
CHANGES SUGGESTED
Board of Charities Statement
to Commissioners.
GIRLS REFORM SCHOOL
MATTERS IN A MUCH DISORDER
ED CONDITION.
Methods of Management Severely Crit
icised-Altogether an Unusual
Paper-Its Contents.

! VeStlgatlOn, the board OF Cnarlt'eS
today made somewhat sensational
report to the District Commission
ers concerning the conduct and man
agement of the girls reform school,.
| 1t is even intimated that employees
of the institution have been DIS
charged for no other reason than
testifying before the investigating
| committee to the detrlment OF the
officials in charge. The report also
! declares that the recommendations
of the fire department have not been
complied with; that the engineer
knows nothing concerning the avail
ability of the fire hose, and that the
hose connection on the outside OF
the building is broken and has been
useless for a long time. The engl-
| neer testified that he had appealed
| to the trustees, and it appears
further along in the report that the
trustees "considered' the matter,
! but took no action. The methods OF
school management are criticised,
and in many other respects the &c
port is unusual, judging from others
which have emanated from the board
of charities.
Commissioner Macfarland was the first
! of the trumvirate to read the report ana
when he had acquainted himself with ltS
contents his features assumed decidedly
serious expression. He will recommend
| that copy of the report be sent 1mme-
6iately to the trustees OF the REFORM
| school, and while believing the trustees Will
| make satisfactory answer, he said that II
such answer is not satisfactory a copy of
! the report will be sent to the President anu
| to Congress, who have jurisdiction over the
institution. The Commissioners are power
less to act The members of the board of
trustees are appointed by the President and
| confirmed by Congress. The only jurisdic-
ton given the Commissioners is the ap-
proval of appointments.
Discharge of Employees.
A part of the report which will attract
During the progress of the Inquiry sew
| eral employees of the school, who testified to
| the existence of unfavorable conditions,
| were requested to resign. On this account
| the committee was somewhat embarrassed.
| Whatever the reasons were that governed
| the trustees in the discharge of these teach
ers, in the testimony of the president of
the board of trustees and of the former SUI
perintendent they stated that two who
were asked to resign had been connected
| with the school for four and nine
years. respectively, and that they were
considered most efficient and acceptable to
| the authorities in charge, and that they
| were fitted for and devoted to the work.
| That these teachers should have been re-
uuested to resign under these circumstances
| seemed to be most inopportune and it like
| ly influenced other witnesses from giving
| their testimony freely as they otherwise
\ would have done. 1t is of vital Importance
| that witnesses, at such an inquiry, should
| feel assured that their positions were not
l in any wise endangered by the testimony
given under OATH.
| When a representative of The Star asked
| Commissioner Macfarland what he thought
| of the preceding paragraph. the Commits
| sioner replied that he had held up his ap-
proval of the appointments made by the
| board of trustees until the trustees should
| give good and sufhcient reasons Tor the
| discharge of the employees which caused the
vacancies. Mr.. Macfarland stated that the
| trustees had never explained this matter to
! him to his satisfaction, and that in conse-
| quence he has not yet approved the ap-
pointments of successors to the discharged
! employees, and that he will not do So SO
| If the new appointees are working, they
are working without pay and without au-
| thority, according to the president of the
| board Of District Commissioners. If no ap-
pointees are working. then the force is
much too small to cope with the conditions
which exist is another deduction made
| from the report of the board of charities.
Fire Protection.
With regard to fire protection. the report
says:
''The conditions at the institution, with
respect to fire protection are not what
| they should be, and in some respects are
not In accordance with the advice and
suggestion Of the fire department, made
by letter sent to the reform school October
%, 1904 The equipment is not always in
working order and at the time of the in
quiry was not in proper condition. The
engineer did not know as to the avail
ability of the hose There is but one out
side connection for hose. and that had
been broken and useless for long time.
| The engineer said that he had reported The
same to the proper authorities, but nothing
had been done to replace or repair the de-
feet 1t is shown by the testimony that
| in order that the inmates may escape in
case of fire at night 1t is necessary for
a teacher to be awakened, who must first
unlock her own door. then an iron grating
separating the teachers departments from
the girls corridor, then unlock a door isad-
ing to the window where the fire escape Is
| located and there unlock am iron grating.
and then unlock the doors to the girls
rooms one after another. In the. case of
fire in the Basement or first floor, with
dense smoke-and conditions are favorable
| for such in the new building-the only way
of escape for teachers inmates would be
| by the fire escape. for all doors at the
| bottom of the stairways at the ends of the
corridors are kept locked Your committee
| is of the opinion that more careful atten-
tion should be given to the fre depart
ment's advice. The watchman is supposed
! to make complete circuit of his beat once
an hour. The clock upon which he regis
ters his rounds in one of the two buildings
is out of order. so he registers only in the
other building. The president of the ooard
Continued on Sixth Page.l