Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-02-15
ALTER PROBATION SYSTEM?
w. ]. Van Patten Tells Of Plan
Governor Graham Has in Mind.
Athena and fklifa Clubs Hear scathing
Arrsienment of Conditions of YER
mont's Dcpendcnts---Some Feat
, ures OF Prof. Flint's Talk.

Governor Graham wants to reorganize
the probation system of the State and
consolidate administration of it and the
system of charities under one board'-W.
J. Van Patten, at the combined meeting
of the Athena and Klifa clubs Friday
night
Mr.. Van Patterns remarks came at the
close OF an informal lecture by Prof. X.
r. B. Flint Of Norwich University on
THE Needs and Conditions of vermont's
Poor" given at the Athena club rooms
under the auspices of the civics sections
of the two clubs. He told the speaker OF
the evening and the audience present that
bill providing for State board of chart
ties was in the hands of a certain senator,
but that it probably would not be intro
duced owing to the retrenchment policy
the Governor had adopted.
Most OF the facts mentioned by Prof.
Flint concerning conditions among the
the States poor he obtained in the course
Of a survey, the results of which in sum-
married. form are public property The
crying evil in the State. in the lecturers
view, is the town system Of poor relief.
which, he said, has been inherited from
England. With a State board respon-
sible field man could be appointed, who
would report regularly. Town or county
OVeTSecTS VI tne pOOT ulu uOl
report. Conditions in the larger commu-
mites were. with some exceptions, not SO
bad. but in the rural districts they were
worse, said Prof. Flint, than in the large
Industrial centers Of the country OF the
246 towns. 81 authorized selectmen as
overseers. There was absolutely no SUI
pervision' in the State of these overseers
In many towns the overSeers made no
visits at all. Prof. Flint explained the
organization Of poor relief somewhat min
utely. He ended by declaring that there
is absolutely nothing mandatory in the
whole system
On October /. 1916. there were 2.4ls per-
sons who received town aid Chittenden
provided 40 OF these. The total included
us men. $40 women and 1908 children, be-
sides the aged, insane. etc. Only 80 Of
the 246 towns had poorhouses. Prof. Flint
commented rather favorably on the coun-
ty poorhouses OF Franklin and Chitten-
den. The time of the survey was favor
able to a conservative result. and 1916
was an unusually prosperous year Yet
conditions in the rural districts were
worse than in the large centers of the
United States. because there the batteries
of relief and reform could be consolidated
upon the evil.
The worst feature OF the town system
was that classification of the different
types of cases was not made and there
was no segregation of the insane or sick
Ut young from more promising and I'M
like cases. Prof. Flint told of several pit
liable instances of children exposed to
! horrible influences. When he was being
Quizzcd at the close Of his :alli Mr.. Van
Patten told hin, there was case in Col
chester. or had been, as bad as any he
mad mentioned, with one exception.
In answer 10 questions Of Mr.. Van Pat
ten the speaker came out enpnatically
.o- the State BOARD and the doing away
with town poorhouses. but admitted that
the nurocrof feeble minded, for instance,
that would have to- be sent to E. State insti-
tuition could DC cut considerably by using
the county Institutions OF Franklin and
, Chittenten. At Brandon, ne said, the State
| could Put Up a building for adult feeble
minded.