The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-27

as in every detail of its administration, the guiding principal is a declaration that the child coming within it's jurisdic- tion is not a criminal. This spirit per vades the whole of it. The court room
 should not be court room at all, just
 a room or two where a judge and the
 child, probation officer and the parents.
 as occasion arises, come into close con
 tact and whereby in a more or less in- formal way the whole story may be talked
 over There is no place for the curious
 or idle public Before any case is called
 for adjudication the probation officer or
 the court itself Is made thoroughly famil-
 far with the childs home surroundings,
 his school, or his work. After the de-
 cison he may be dismissed, placed on
 probation or committed to chldren's
 institution or family home. Placing in
 country homes has proven most success
 fu with our local work.
 'The keynote of 1t all is simplicity.
 The active judge and probation officer
 should be skilled in social work and de-
 voted and resourceful. It is contemplat-
 ed to have the work of detention car
 ried on by private societies as at pres
 ent Provision is made whereby ses-
 sion of the court could be held in any
 section of the county, where an urgent
 need demands 1t.
 During 1910 the superintendent was
 called to Bessemer to investigate several
 cases of child neglect and delinquency.
 day there was sufficient to clear up
 the trouble, without bringing the chil-
 dren and relatives and host of relatives
 into the city at an expense unWarranteu
 and unnecessary. Another similar instance
 happened in Warrior, another at Repuplc
 and still another three miles beyond wy lam
 '.From 1904 to 1907 the board of control of the Boys' Cub and Childrens Aid so- ciety raised and spent an average or s3ooo per year in caring for the.uelinquents or the community, the city of Birmingham giving 0 donation of 5000 per year. Tn 1907, 1908 and 1909 an additional of- ficer and better equipment were furnished the budget being raised. to $5ooo per year. Tn 1910 the Chi1dren's Aid feature, max ing a special effort in home-finding and placing, has proven the best solution of dealing with normal dependent boys. The cost of tlfe whole work was S450O, but was amply justified in seeing permanent results. The city furnished s1200 of this and the county $500.
 Now, in this stage of progress. 1t IS proposed to place the administration oi the juvenile court department where it logically belongs-upon the county, at>an approximate cost of $3500 per year, as follows: Judge of the court, $2O0O; chiei probation officer and clerk, $l2OO neces- sary expenses incidental, $500; total esti- mated cost of administration of court ! s350o
 Tt is proposed that the Boys club ana Children's Aid society furnish place or de- l tention Boys home, etc., only larger, pet- ter and properly equipped as good nome, with an appropriation from the county aad city as heretofore from the charity funds, for part cost of maintenance .They to aid the court in finding homes | for children, and to act as the right arm | of the court in all preventive measures
 They in the future, as in the past, to raise | the large half of the cost of maintenance of the home and work, the idea being to do the best work known among child workers at a minimum of cost. In this way the womanhood of the county, In every suburb and hamlet, can be in ac- tive touch and support of the court itself. 1 "With the case work administration taken over by the county, this organiza- ton can carry on more extensive work
 along strictly preventive lines, such as home and street visitation and work | among the boys.
 l We would call your attention, especial l ly, to one feature of the annual report
 which seems to be of vital importance