The Washington times., 1914-11-10
Guardians Need
Funds, Says Solly
Board Hampered by Lack Of
Appropriations, De cIares
Agent of District-HoW Un.
fortunates Are Cared For.

Seriously handicapped in its
task of playing the parent to nearly
1000 children by insufficient ap-
preparations and an inadequate
force is the Board of Children'S
Guardians, in the opinion of ].
Lawrence Solly, its agent.
Because of this handicap, legal
machinery has to be used in many
cases pFere a chance for personal
counsel and guidance might avoid
court action, he asserts. And on
that fact he bases his conclusion
that an increase of his force Mould
ultimately work an economy in Dis
trict expenditure.
Washington's system of caring
for its unfortunate children, he
states, is nom the pattern of other
cities and States. They are adopt
ing a plan, in rogue here twenty
years, of placing children under
the entire jurisdiction of a board
of child experts.
By ]. R. HILDEBRAND.
One child looms up, sometimes, as
problem big enough to engage an entire
familys attention. Hence being the Of
Acial parent Of 1850 children might be
termed, colloquially, some job" Yet
that is the task assumed by the Board
of Children's Guardians
Because the board does not advertise
its trusteeship, and because 1t especially
aims to keep its children from publicity.
many folk who regard their children as
their first consideration fail to realize
how often, in a city like Washington
children are cast ashore as q sort of
human drtftwood from the wreckage of
broken homes. from the disasters of the
unfortunate, and the capsizing of hu-
man craft
While 1t appropriates millions for
costly buildings, and millions for in
spection Of cattle. and millions for the
development of industries. Congress
limits the amount available. in a year,
for these 1,s5c children to $9o.1S0. And
of this $4,000 is spent for the care of
the feeble minded.
The inadequacy Of such an appro-
pfiation, in view of this great need in
nearly 1000 human lives. is
fal hx 7
Of the Board of Children's Guardians. |
He said:
Visit Once a Year.
One marked shortcoming of our
present arrangement is the fact that
we can visit children located out
side the city but once a year. For
various reasons, it has been deemed
wise to allow about 100 of our charges
to be placed in homes of relatives. or !
friends. outside of Washington. This
arrangement is preferable, of course, !
to making them charges of the Dis
trict
But we should have some provision
for more frequent visitations upon
these conditions. Under the present
arrangement, the condition of the
home which made 1T advisable to
place a child there, may be altered
for many months before our visitor
learns of the fact.
Then in many cases. especially
among the very poor. families move
frequently, and leave little trace of
their new place of abode We have
lost track of some Of our children
in this manner.
This condition, Mr.. Solly explained,
prevails to a modified extent among
children in the Distkct, under the
boards care. Here there are but four
visitors for about 400 children. This
places about $50 children under each
visitors care. In contrast to this ar
is that in such cities as
Boston. where but forty-five children
are assigned to a single visitor. Mr..
Sollv continued
OF course the inadequacy of this
arrangement is obvious Many child
rem who need frequent visits for |
period. many homes where a visitor
might work out problems, are neg
lected comparatively.
Matter of Economy.
Try as we may, with our present
force. we cannot give the attention
to individual cases that they de-
serve. Therefore. our courts and
our correctional institutions are
called into service much more fire.
quently than would be necessary II
our experts had time to work upon
these cases. AS a simple matter Of
economy 1t would pay the District
government to increase our staff,
and thus remove the burden of in
stitutional care of these children.
The very young children are ma
jor sufferers by this handicap. We
always havc a number Of newborn
children, a few weeks old. under
our care. In one city these children
are visited as often as three times a
week. Here they should be visited
at the east once a week. But our
present force admits only monthly
visits. except in extreme cases,
and then other work suffers
Many of the boards cases are brought
0 its attention through complaints.
Tntil Mr.. Solly's induction into office
here WIS but one investigator of these
omplaints, averaging between 100 and
d per week. He took one member
{ his staff off other work and even
ow each investigator must attend to