Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-09
REPORT ON CHARITIES
Board Submits Annual State
ment to Commissioners
ON LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
Columbia Hospital for Women Omit
ted From Recommendations
REASONS GIVEN FOR THE ACTION
Pressing Need Of Accommodations for
General Chronic Cases and
Convalescent Patients.
REASONS GIVEN FOR THE ACTION

The District board of charities in it's
annual report submitted to the Commits
sioners yesterday by George S. Wilson,
secretary of the board, strongly urge better
accommodations for prisoners at the work
house and better hospital facilities for the
poor of Washington 1t also recommends
an appropriation of $4,000 for the cree
ton of an additional wing and admins
tration building for the workhouse; suit
able provisions for the care of sufferers
from alcoholic Indulgence and insane pris-
oners, the present method of combining
them in police stations and jails being
termed by them inhuman and unjustifiable;
call attention to the Importance and de-
STABILITY of a special maternity hospital
and the necessity for an increase of $10,-
600 in the annual appropriation for medi
cal charities in order to make the total
appropriation $4,000. This last recon-
mendation is intended to include emer
gency service as well as general hospital
service.
The board of charities of the District is
composed of John Joy Edison, chairman;
George M. Kober, Charles P. Neil. Simon
Wolf and George w. Cook, and the charity
work is reviewed by them in the form of
four divisions, namely, the reformatories
and correctional institutions, medical char
tiles, chld-caring charities and miscellan-
eouS institutions.
said it was pleased to announce that the
almshouSe department of this institution
has been discontinued, and the inmates
heretofore cared for in the workhouse are
now comfortably lodged in their new home
at Blue Plains, D. c. However, the hos
pital part of the workhouse is still in oper-
alton, because, the board claims, there is
no other provision for the chronic poor
of the city They deem 1t advisable to
have proper provisions made elsewhere
for the convalescent patients. The hospital
work at the workhouse, the board says,
will then be limited to it's legitimate func-
ton of caring for sick prisoners from the
workhouse and Jail.
Number of Commitments.
The number of commitments during the
year was 4,949, as compared with 4,3O7 dur
ing the preceding year, an increase of 642.
The daily average was 335, an increase of
II over the preceding year. The average
time each person was detained was 24.7
days compared with 27.5 during the pre-
cedng year.
ent at the Boys Reform School, according
to this report, was during the past year
26O, and of this number 1875 were natives
and inhabitants of the District. disas-
trous fire occurred at this building last De-
cember which destroyed the main building.
Since then temporary repairs have been
made and the work at the school was car
ried on with very little Interruption. An
appropriation was made by Congress for
new buildings.
At the Girls Reform School the daily
average number present was 50. Accord
ing TO the board this institution Is greatly
crowded and enlargement will probably be
necessary in the near future. All of the
inmates are from the District The reform
schools named are under the direction of
a separate board of trustees and the board
of charities is OF the opinion that they
should be managed under the immediate
direction of the government of the District
of Columbia. The schools should be made
an integral part of the reformatory and
correctional work of the District, it is de-
clared, and under such control the board
thinks the work could be much more read
lily and satisfactorily co-ordinated with
that of other local institutions.
Medical Charities.
In speaking of the District medical chari-
ties the board reported:
1.-The subject of medical charities in the
past year, in previous years, has occu-
pied much time, and has received the care
full consideration of the board. The aggre-
gate annual appropriations for medical
ch--rities for the current year amount to
$133, $50 The board has submitted esti-
mates for lump sum of SAB, $50, which is
$4,000 In excess over last years appro-
priation, as to provide for any contih-
gency which may arise in the way of in
creased sickness and the number of cases
to be cared for. This recommendation in
service as we'll as that for general hospital
service.
Under the present arrangement, which
specifies a definite sum for each institution
mentioned, the board is unable to give con-
sderation to the geographical location or
to the standard of service, and in the
event of any hospital being quarantined is
compelled to send patients to another hos
pital without being in a position to pay
such institution for any excess of patients.
1t is believed that the best interests of the
institutions and patients will be subserved
by the adoption of such a. policy, and the
authorities would be relieved from the con-
slant pressure eXerted by various hospital
boards for specific and increased appro-
priations. The District now pays an aver
age of over 81 a day for its dependent
sick treated in contract hospitals, and the
board considers existing rates fair and
reasonable.
Reasons for Omission.
"The board has not included the Column