The Washington times., 1906-02-24
An Awakened Board.

Every business man in Washington
ought 10 be gratified at the new life
lisplay.i at last uights meeting OF
the Board OF Trade The attend
ance was the largest in years, with
the possible exception of an occa-
sional annual meeting. The reports
all pointed to practical action-all
but that of the committee on insur-
ance. which by setting forth in plain
English the failure Of its members
to attend called meetings emphasized
one of the worst forms of indiffer-
ence with which this body has been
afflicted.
More notable than both attendance
and reports was the spirit Of the dis
cussions. For, while they led to
postponed action on the two most
important matters proposed and thus
did not produce immediate results,
they manifested an interest so keen
and active as to warrant the hope
that after a while it may be possible
TO have the meetings Of the board
largely attended and proftably pro-
ductive without the allurement of
luncheons and the diversion OF music.
ThS two matters indicated were:
First-A proposal from the COM
mittee on charities and corrections
that such institutions as the Boys
Reform School and the Girls Reform
School should be placed under the
control of the District Commission
ers.''
Second-A double report from the
committee on commerce and manu-
features, the majority standing for
the encouragement of manufactures
of every class to come to the Dis
trict, and the minority for the lOca-
ton of light" manufactures in the
city and others in specified zones. %
The question of manufactures de-
serves consideration by itself. The
proposal TO transfer the control OF
the reform schools is merely a fea-
ture of a general system of admins
tration which the District has al
ready accomplished to a very large
deg:fa The Jail is not charity and
is hardly a corrective institution. The
reform schools are both And the
reform schools are the only public
charitable and corrective institutions
in the District which are now not
under the practical control of the
District authorities.
AT present both these schools are
administered by boards of trustees
appointed by the President aud super
vised by the Attorney General. At
the boys school cases are received
from both Federal and District courts,
and the corrective work OF the insIi-
tuition has been seriously hampered,
according to District authorities, by
the introduction among the younger
boys from this community of older
boys who have offended against the
laws of the United States. Further
more, the present administration of
this institution is a break in the Dis
trict's system of finances. Were it
a District school the cost for the
care of District cases would be di-
vided evenly between the revenues
of the District and those of the Ma
tional Government At present the
District is paying a fixed charge for
each of its cases, and the National
Government is paying a fixed charge
for each of its cases.
These two considerations, or others,
we're said, last night, TO have had
such weight with the Attorney Gen
eral as to move him to express in
writing his entire approval OF the
proposed transfer.
Last nights discussion of this mat
ter unfortunately involved all, or
nearly all the side issues of District
control or District affairs and the
unihcation of District charities. The
real question proposed by the com
mite was simple enough. 1t was
merely whether or not it would be
wise to transfer the control of the
two reform schooIs to the District
In the judgment of The Times. the
awakened Board of Trade will do
we'll to answer that question af-
tirmatively.