Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-31
Too Low a Figure Placed on the
Keep Of Workhouse Inmates.
OTHER ITEMS FALL SHORT
Smaller Sums Needed to Maintain
Industrial School and to
Pay Judgments.

trict OF Columbia for the current fiscal
year. OF this total. S61 500 is estimated
as necessary for the maintenance Of the
workhouse up to June 30, 1912; for the
Industrial Home School for Colored Chill
dren, $3.50, and for the payment of
judgments against the District OF Co.
lumbia. 81, 99264.
In their statement presented to the ap-
preparations committee today the Com
missioners confessed they had underesti-
mated the amount necessary for the ex-
penses of the workhouse and had fixed
the per diem sum for the keep of prison
ers at too reduced a figure.
Explain workhouse Deficiency.
The Commissioners make the following
eNplanation of the workhouse deficiency:
The appropriation for the work
house contained in the House District
appropriation bill for the fiscal year
1912, as reported by the appropriations
committee. provided an appropriation
of S2SS.000, of which $4,000 was made
Immediately available. This appropria-
ton contemplated not only the eX-
penses of the workhouse, but also the
expenses of commencing the construc-
tion of a reformatory on the site al
ready purchased. Successful opposition
having QeNelOpeu TO the ldtIeT. IL WAS
necessary that the Commissioners make
Immediate recommendation to the Sem
ate committee looking to tie elipira-
tion of expenses foS-nH 3.
struction, with thS =.
that at the ins aSore tanned
be reduced to $193.0O0, of which $4,000
was made Immediately available.
Being thus obliged to swap horses in
the middle of the stream. the Comrnis-
make sufficiently detailed estimates or to
procure more reliable data, used the in
formationat hand in recommending the
$4,000 referred to. This amount, in
Guiding the balance available. to wit.
S25.OOO, was the amount estimated for
use of the institution from January 1.
1o11, to July l. 1912. period of eighteen
months.
...rhe estimate for maintenance and OPP
Grafton was based on q per capita cost OF
that the per capita cost at similar instf-
tutions for maintenance and operation is
largely in excess of this figure, running
sometimes as high as $272 per inmate
year.
Cost of Permanent improvements.
: "Since January 1. 1911. there has been
expended approximately $S4.655 for per-
manent improvements as against $50 600
eSuHldIeu lOf JHdI pQTpOSc, ulSCAcp0HCy
for which several reasons will appear.
For instance, it was deemed desirable, in
procuring a lighting plant, to install one
which would be of sufficient capacity to
light the reformatory, If subsequently es-
tablished adjacent to the workhOuse. as
at the time seemed fairly certain. This,
of course. was in the interest OF ultimate
economy. Again. ii was the purpose at
the time the estimate was prepared to
purchase ice locally and ship the same to
the workhouse. but experience developed
the fact that the installation OF an Ice
plant would effect a yearly saving in ex-
cess of $1.JO0 Moreover, the plant pur-
chased and installed was designed OF suit
able capacity for both the wOrkhouse and
the prospective reformatory- This In
crease in permanent Improvement was, as
is apparent. in the interest of ultimate
economy.
.In operation and maintenance the ex-
perience of the past twelve months SHOWS
the present inmate-year cost OF the In
stitution to be $244. 40. exclusive OF the
cost of coal, instead of $21O.66, as carried
i'm the appropriation bill, on which basis
the amount needed for operation and
maintenance to July l. 1912. over the
amount previously estimated and provid-
ed in the act, will be $25. .345.
Items in Deficit.
I'm addition to this increase in the cost
Of operation and maintenance it Is to be
stated that when before the Senate COM
n.ittee it was the Commissioners purpose
TO utilize exclusively for fuel the timber
found on the workhouse tract. Expert
ence has demonstrated that such exclu-
sive use would much too rapidly exhaust
the available timber supply, for which
reason IL has been and will be necessary
TO purchase coal for fuel This fuel item
will, during the eighteen-month period
covered by the estimate upon which tile
appropriation was based and ending July
/. 1912. involve an expenditure of approx
"The aggregate deficiency item of $61.-
500 IL made up Of: Deficiency for per-
manent improvements approximately,
S24.65; deficiency for maintenance and
ficiency for fuel approximately. $11.5OO
a total Of $61, 600"
Colored Industrial Home School.
With reference to the Industrial Home
School for Colored Children the Commits
sioners say:
THE necessity for this additional ap-
preparation of $3.50 is due to the in
creased population of the institution and
the change In the fiscal policy relative
thereto.
The daily average of boys last year
fifty-two; the average for the first
half of the current year, sixty-four. Ur
10 1909 the board OF children's guardians
raid to this institution for the board and
care OF its wards there committed. Since
that time no payments have been made
the boards appropriations have been re
duced, with no corresponding increase IN
the institutions appropriations. The tota
appropriations for maintenance for I9i.
for the board OF children's guardians anc
the two Industrial schools amount I,
sea,5OO against $66.412 for 1902 differ
ence of $4,000 Notwithstanding the in
crease in population to he cared for. Th.
appropriation here asked for. $3.50
added to the original appropriation fo
the year Of $1,000 will make in all 81 80
an increase of only $50 over the amour
spent for 1911.
List of Judgments.
Following is a list Of the Judgment
for the settlement Of which the Com
missioners ask S4.692.64:
Name. Judgment. Costs.
Ella Fitch. ch.................... $4,000 ......
George A. Fuller Co.. with In
tercst from May Is, 1911. -. 10000 $39i. q
Bertha ]: Grimm. to the use OF
Alvin l.. NewmeyeI, with in
terest from Auglht 2, i9ll-.. 10000 20
Arthur Leslie ................. 400.Ov -
Henry Hem LsoSsrd sss1dsi Kuhn. 1000 i
Ssra p. Lynch. With interest
fsom December J. le1e.....A zD.W las
,