Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-05

 the passage of an act providing mat tne right to visit, inspect and report upon the institute shall be vested eS ciusiyely in the state board of edica' tion of the blind. It is further pro yided that no member of the board or education of the blind shall be officiai ly connected with the institute. poihl that had long been urged by the board of charities.
 Two more hospitals have been add ed to the list of these institutions glV- en in the boards reports, St VincenHs hospital in Bridgeport and the Emer- gency hospital in Greenwich, making a total of twenty-three hospitals, pun lie and private, in the state. Import ant additions to the buildings are not ed in the case of St Francis hospital, Hartford, the Meriden hospital. snp the Middlesex hospital ill Middle town. and a special ward for ehildren has been fitted up at the Waterbury hospital. This last named hospital, as well as the one in Danbury, IS still sorely in need of an extensive enlarge ment of buildings and equipment. The Gaylord Farm sanatorium for tuDer' culosis at Wallingford is warmly com. mended for an encouraging first year of effort in behalf of sufferers from this dread disease, and mention is made of the re-opening of the depart menf for tuberculosis of the Hartford hospital situated on Cedar mountain. The Soldiers hospital at Noroton has been well filled as usual and the care of the states needy veterans is said to be in good hands.
 During the year under review three hundred and twentyfour dependent and neglected children were commit ted to the county temporary homes, a number that exceeds all records Of re- cent years. It is hoped, however, that the act of 1905, which provides for in vestigation by the county commission CTS of all applications for commit ment will result in the finding of rel atives or friends in many cases who will assume the support of the chil- dren. The total number of children cared for by the county homes during the year was 1,235, among whom only two deaths were reported. Two hun dred and eighty-fve family homes were secured for children placed out from the county institutions. and there is a total of about 1,40O children living out in family homes or with | relatives who are still under the Jurls- diction of the county homes. The number of children on support of the county homes at the close of the fiscal year was 7S5. of whom 5O4 were Ill | the county homes proper, 151 were | boarded in families. 116 were boarded | in a Catholic asylum, and IA were in | Protestant institution. Of the chil- dren boarded in families, by far the largest proportion, 125, were in New | Haven county, where the boarding-out system is purposely followed in order to prevent the development of a large institution in the county home. All Of l the county homes are said to give evl dence of good management and kiud- ly treatment of the children.
 | A majority of the almshouses in the state are said to satisfy all reasonable requirements in regard to comfortable surroundings and care of the inmates, but the same old defects are noted in many cases of insufficient facilities | for bathing and heat and a lack of de. sirable cleanliness. Insane persons and sufferers from tuberculosis are | found in the almshouses in consider able numbers and it is felt that many of them should be removed to institu, tions especially adapted for their care.
 All of the thirty-six private homes | for old people and children are said to be we'll managed. Mention is made of the large new building to accommo- date three hundred inmates, now be- ing erected at the House of the Good Shepherd in Hartford, which will put this institution in a position to receive | young women offenders between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years, as provided in a legislative act of 1905.
 | A brief report is given of the 32nd annual meeting of the national confer ence of charities and correction which was held in Portland. Oregon, in July, and was attended by three delegate from Connecticut. The conference of 1906 will be held at Philadelphia in May next and it is hoped that large number of representatives from the states charitable and correctional in- stitutions and societies will attend it During the year regular meetings of the state board have been held month. | ly at the office in the capitol. In addi. tion to the required quarterly visits to state institutions. other visits nave been made from time to time and the board endeavors to keep in touch with the work of the institutions that it su. pervises. The report is signed by the members and secretary of the board as follows: President. H. II. Bridg. man. Norfolk: Rebekah G. Bacon. New Haven: Mrs M. H. c. Mitchell, Nor. wich: Edwin A. Down. NJ. D.. Hart. ford: Thomas F. Kane. M. D.. Hart. ford: and Charles r. Kellogg. secre. tary. Waterbury.