New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-09
STATE COMMITTEE
BACKS KINCSBURY
RefuteS Jury's Report on
Charities Department
Point by Point.

A statement ln0Cfence or John =
kingSbury. Commissioner Of Charities,
and his administration OF his depart
ment, was issued yesterday by the New
York City visiting committee Of the
States Charities Aid Association.
The members Of the committee as
sert that they are in AZ least aS favor
able position 20 pass judgment on
charitable institutions as was the
August Grand Jury. City institutions,
they point out. are visited by the com
mittee as many as fifty times in year.
The grand jury's examination consists
Of one or two visits by committee.
The observations Of the visiting com
mittee are at variance with those
made by the grand jury. Some instr
buttons are crowded. the committee ad-
mits Some lack the proper quota of
nurses and attendants. In many re-
spects conditions are far from ideal.
The committee is sure, however, that
everything which can be done with the
limited funds appropriated by the city
is done.
There is no lack Of sympathy, they
say, on the part Of Commissioner
Kingsbury or his deputies. he Is uti-
LIKING his resources 10 the utmost in
the interests OF his charges. Members
Of the committee say they were amazed
.; the tenor Of the grand jury present
ment.
Specifically" says the committee,
1--WE refer 10 the following instances as
typical Of the whole presentment:
81. The grand jury states: We find
that some of the aged inmates were
without decent shoes or stockings.
That inmates suffered severely
and wound their feet with strips OF
cloth and gauze when obtainable.
There was no stock on hand and & pop
ulation Of nearly 5000
in all the years Of our visiting we
have never found the aged inmates
without decent shoes or stockings.
When the grand jury spoke o. inmates
who wound their feet with strips of
cloth or gauze. they apparently re
ferred 20 certain inmates who were
wearing so-called blanket shoes, g de-
vice for protecting the feet when they
are so badly swollen as TO make the
wearing Of ordinary shoes impossible,
or 20 inmates undergoing treatment In
hospital wards fer diseases OF the feet,
which were properly bandaged with
cloth or gauze.
AT the time the grand jury was
making its inspection the storeroOm at
The City Home was particularly well
supplied with shoes and stockings. A
responsible employe Of the City Home
states that he personally showed the
grand jury committee a large supply
Of shoes and stockings in the store
room and that the committee criticised
the color Of the stockings.
80. The grand jury states, with ref
erence 10 the City Home: The kitchen
is unscreened and the food exposed TO
= oil : I.
island
"Our visitors report that the kitchen
building was fully screened a consid
cradle time prior TO the grand jury's
visit.
IS. Referring TO the Metropolitan
Hospital the grand jury states: Fe-
male children with a highly contagious
disease were placed in beds with those
not contaminated
Our visitors 10 that institution have
never observed any such condition and
from their intimate knowledge are GER
tain that il never existed
-. The grand jury, referring to the
kitchen building a. the Metropolitan
Hospital, states: The wooden ice
box, while apparently clean, gave of
foul and nauseous odors, owing TO the
quality Of meats therein contained
inspect frequently at unannounced and
unexpected times ice-boxes, refrigera-
tors, cold storage quarters and meat
cutting rooms. They have never OBJ
served any foul or uauseous odors
coming from any ice box, nor have
they ever seen any meat giving off
foul and nauseous odors
go. The grand iurs, referring 20 the
institution on Randall's Island, states:
we find such q lack of shoes and
stockings as TO hamper the order of
daily life, upset discipline and keep
children in stuffy wards when they
should be in the open. A great
many children are without shoes
"Our visitors TO RandalPs Island
have never observed a lack of shoes
and stockings. In spite of repeated
visits at various times of the day they
have never seen children barefooted
staying indoors for lack Of shoes"
The statement of the visiting COM
mittee was issued after the regular
meeting Of the executive committee.
In attendance were Homer Folks, presi-
dent; Frederick c. Boynton, first vice
president; Mrs. Frederick l. Crawford
second vice-prcsident; Miss Alice L.
Mauran, Mrs. Roderick Byington, Mrs
Francis NJ Hamilton. Mrs. j. +. Ran
ken, Miss Helen c. Butler Mrs. Shep-
ard A. Morgan, Miss Marion r. Taber
and j. F. Thomas.
The current number Of 1.-THE Sur
vey," published al l05 East 22d St, the
home of the State Charities Aid Asso-
citation, also takes up the cUdgels for
Commissioner Kingsbury in an article
written by Winthrop ID. Lane.