The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-09
WARM STATEMENT
SENT TO TRUSTEES
Citizens Committee Reports
Most Deplorable Conditions
at Industrial School.
SUGGESTS SOME THINGS
WHICH SHOULD BE DONE
Lack of System, Neatness and
Cleanliness Found Through
out Institution.

Special to The Tribune.
OGDEN. July SIN compliance
with an invitation extended TO the
citizens committee to visit the state
industrial school and to submit sug-
oestions to the board of trustees as
to how to alleviate conditions at the
school as they were found by the com
mittee on the day of the inspection,
the committee which made the charges
of incompetency and unfitness against
Superintendent H. II. Thomas OF the
institution visited the reformatory "a
week ago. This committee, winch is
romnosed of Mrs. Elizabeth Bishop,
Mrs Kate S. Hilliard and Rev. n. ,.
EIdcrkin of the Congregational church,
made a thorough Investigation and pre-
pared the following Recommendations:
which were mailed to each member oil
the board of trustees today;
Ogden. Utah. July 3. 1909.
TO the Hon. Harry Joseph, President OF
Trustees State Industrial ochool VI
Sir-Iu accordance with your request,
the undersigned visited the school on thc
afternoon of June 80, and nereWl,n, e,,,,r
port said Visit, together Will SueS'"''i'>
us asked for. .,,,
neatness and cleanliness throughout cN
ccpting the printing office. library sIlu
Supcrintendent's apartments Inc in-
preston OF the whole Is OF badlS con
Quoted 15-ceu't lodging house. we men
ton specific Illustrations: me soneu, ue
faced and grmy walls and broken plas-
ter of dormitories in both buildings;
coat OF calcimne is needed Throughout
halls closets, pantry and kltchen' MANY
OF the beds in both buildings were in bad
condition, nearly all bedsteads In need OF
enamel. No beds properly made IN BOYS
dormitory The hospital or sick room IN
The main building is disgrace-enongh
10 drive to despair or suicide an inFalld
OF any refinement. II Is probable that
not many inmates come from homes OF
refinement, but it is the duty of the state
Ito teach the elements or essentials OF de-
cent living. To DO this requires that
those In charge shall know and care for
the real relinements of life. In this con
nection. we suggest that you inquire into
the standing OF Mrs. Colyln. the regularly
employed school nurse. we submit tha,t
and foul language. and who lives In the
surroundings in which a member OF this
committee found Mrs. Colvin. is nj TO
have charge OF the sick. All old residents
of ogden City know of Mrs. Colvin's alb
solute unfitness for the position
Defective Plumbing.
Throughout the main building defective
plumbing was noticed. a trail OF III
smelling suds from the laundry pipes was
noticed: water standing on floors in boys
toilet. and various other places; The
plunge room was too not for possible use,
even if steam bath were desired, prob
ably from the same reason that uhe
schoolroum during the investigation. was
kept as hot steam heat could make II.
because Of the inability 10 shut of heat
without removing radiators. Speaking OF
the plunge room, II was noticed the only
provision for shower bath is such as lets
the water from shower run directly back
into the plunge pool The reason for the
usual arrangement for shower outside the
pool and the mandatory requirement Of
shower bath before entering the plunge
is obvious We recommend a change.
The cook made excuse for filthy bins
shelves and drawers for the reason that
Il man from the outside was treating for
cockroaches: the innumerable dead
reaches were proof Of the good quality
OF the powder. but also strong evidence
Of the usual lack OF cleanliness. We do
not think the omission of one daily scrub
bing could account for the condition Of
the kitchen, and the fact that a number
of boys dirty hats reposed in the midst
OF cooking tins seemed to have no legi-
aimate excuse. Ollcloth for kitchen
shelves would be an improvement over
the bare, mice -gnawed and uncleap pine
boards. We also suggest that the cook
be sent 10 visit the kitchen OF the deaf
and blind school, or that OF the Weber
academy, or of any well-conducted lsitch-
en- We cannot understand why because
he cooks for reform school boys, the
kitchen should be less clean that the
above mentioned kitchens, particularly as
he has an ample detail OF boys to keep
blame here, as elsewhere, attaches to nhe
general supervision.
Appalled, at the Cells.
We visited the cells, and were appalled,
TO ind them but six feet by seven feet,
with one narrow wooden bunk. when we
recalled that four boys We're confined in
one cell. We We're glad to find that the
two new underground cells, begun while
DIT. Conroy was president OF the board,
had not been completed. but are used
as storerooms, But we condemn the stor-
ing of -four In damp basement. In the
girls cottage, the room where flour was
kept was decidedly muSty. Some water
the floor OF cells In girls cottage,
even at this season.
We heard good deal Of the Whittier
school. Miss Dale might have told that
the girls rooms at Whittier are things
of beauty. each with its little white table
and centerpiece, shining bedsteds. i'm
maculate curtains and walls, and wood
work in perfect condition We cannot
sufficiently condemn 'the appearance of
the girls rooms In our institution. nor
the fact that no repairs have been made
notice the filthy strings. the remnants of
Old lace curtains, at the windows. and
holes can be made. minus sticks at the
bottom? The cracks In between base
boards and rloldine, the walls where no
more nail holes could find room? The
kind of furniture. and the enameiess bed
steads? The contrast between this build
ing and the superntendents apartments
IS .po Str'hIHe' we suggest neat Scrim
sash curtains on rods for girls bedrooms,
same TO he laundered regularly Such
curtains would be less expensive at first
than the Nottingham lace. and would
screen the view Of rooms across the way
we urge the change, even for this one
summer,
Girls Should Have Matron.
These girls should be taught fitness. or
the idea Of beauty and utility combined
OF course, the crying need of the girls is
for matron. trained in the art OF char
acter building, and graduate OF do