Norwich bulletin., 1911-01-04

Hartford, Jan. 3.-The preliminary report of the state board of charities for the two years ending September 30, 1910, has just been presented to the | governor. The complete, printed re- port will be a volume of about 225 pages and will be ready for presen- | tation to the general assembly and for distribution as early as possible in the new year. Mention is made of 1OS in- stitutions for the care of delinquents, defectives and dependents that are subject to visitation by the board. In addition to these institutions, many of the 16S towns of the state, of which 72 maintain almshouses, are visited by the board to examine the aims house or other provision made for the care of the poor
 The general condition of the charit- able and correctional institutions of the state is said to be satisfactory, but attention is called to certain deficien- cies in some of the existing establish ments and to certain needs of the state in this direction that as vet thrilled. Recommendation for legis- lative action are made as follows: l. That liberal provision be made for the adequate development of the new state colony for epileptics. ?. That women's reformatory be established for the care of young women offenders over Is years of age.
 3. That the present indeterminate sentence law for the state prison be amended so as to provide larger in tervals between the minimum and maximum sentences imposed, and thus furnish a fairer test of the law as a reformatory measure.
 A. That the state board of chari- ties he ntP6 sufficient annrODria- tion to provide for a more extensive placing out and supervision of children from the county temporary homes in family houses.
 ,. That the state board of chari- ties be granted larger mandatory power to enforce it's recommenda- tion.
 Qualification is expressed in the re- port at the establishment of the new state reformatory and the colony for epileptics. and it is believed that the. former institution, when opened, will relieve the state prison, the county jails and the boys school of a number of inmates who may be amenable to it's influences for rehabi- litation.
 The state prison is highly com mended for it's excellent management. The county jails in the eight counties of the state arc said to exhibit widely varying standards of management and equipment
 At the School for Boys at Meriden noted as feature of the school work to be commended. The Industrial School for Girls at Middletown has maintained it's customary high stand ard of excellence in all departments but it is believed that a women's re- formatory is necessary to relieve the school of a number of the older girls who need the discipline of an insti- tuition for adults.
 Mention is made of the extensive building operations at the Norwich State hospital and of those of lesser amount at the hospital at Middle town, and both institutions are ap- proved for good management.
 New buildings and improvements are noted at a number of the general hospitals and it is shown that the annual appropriations granted to them by the state increased from $S0,000 in 1907 in aid of Is hospitals to $114,500 in 1910 in aid of P hos pitals.
 The eight county temporary homes for dependent and neglected children are said to be we'll managed. but the homes in Fairfield and New London counties are much overcrowded. More of the children should be placed out in good family homes and the state board should have a sufficient appropriation to supplement the efforts of the homes in this important work. The number of children on support of the homes October 1, 1910, was 931, of whom 69S were in the homes proper 2 were boarded in families, 19S were boared in Catholic asylums, and IS in Protestant asylums. About 1,400 chill dren, still wards of the homes, are living out in family homes or with their relatives and a large number of them have been visited by representa- tives of the board.
 The town and city almshouses throughout the state vary greatly in their conditions, but it is felt that a accommodations and good treatment for the inmates. Complete statistical returns have not been received yet in regard to the cost of public poor relief, but it is estimated that the cost to the towns and cities for als- houses, outside poor, and persons aided in hospital and asylums is S800,000 for the year.
 Attention is called to the second annual state conference of charities and correction, which will be held in New Haven in April 1911, and to the thirty eighth annual meeting of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, which will be held in Bos- ton June TIA, 1911. Both confer ences are interesting and helpful, and it is urged that all persons concerned in the subjects considered make an effort to attend them.
 The cost to the state during the year ending September 30, 1910, for the support or assistance of such of the institutions mentioned in the re- port as receive state aid, and for other allied agencies, was S1,668,- 739.33, of which $1,118,25o39 was for maintenance and S550,48S.94 was for buildings, land, and permanent inn provements. As compared with the expenditures for similar purposes in recent years, the amounts devoted to maintenance show steady increase which is evident in several different departments. Some of the increases noted are due to the larger numbers of inmates cared for, as at the Norwich State hospital, and other institutions. In other cases, new developments of work have brought enlarged expendi- berculoss, which has increased in cost from $12,500 in 1907 to s55,717 in 1910. The expense for state poor, also, has grown from s5,621 in 1907 to S5S663 in 1910, as a. result of the operation of the state poor law of 1907.
 While the total cost to the state for the care of it's delinquent, defec- tive and dependent classes is large and gives promise of growing larger, with the apparently inevitable develop ment of existing institutions and the establishment of new ones to meet new or thrilled needs, there is, never theless, reason to believe that the funds appropriated for these pur- poses are administered. as rule with due care and economy. Con- f,IT