The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-11
THE WORK OF
STATE BOARD
OF CHARITIES
Sec. Jeffrey Outlines the
Accomplishments of a
Month
RELIEF FOR DE-
FECTTVE CHILDREN
Every Boy and Girl to Have
a Chance in
Life

Montpelier, Sept 7-At the month
ly meeting Of the Vermont board OF
charities and probation the activi-
ties of the board for the preceding
month was gone over in detail.
1t is doubtful if the people of the
state realize what a wide range of hu-
man welfare is embraced within the
duties of this new and highly inn
portant department of our govern
mcnt. A brief summary Of the work
for the month was submitted by Sec
retary Jeffrey under the different gen
eral heads of probation, child care,
aid for deserted and widowed moth
ers, defective dependent children,
poorhouse inspection and feeble
minded children. Mr.. Jeffrey re-
ported 81 new parole and probation
cases during the month, making a to-
tai of 598 persons now under his su-
pervision as state probation officer.
In commenting on this department
in his report to the board, he says:
"The work of this department has
progressed in reasonably satisfac-
tory manner during the month. Quite
a number of discharges are coming
from the enlistment of probationers
and parolers in the service of the
country, and of course the increased
demand for labor, the high rate of
wages paid naturally tends to reduce
the new cases coming to US. 1t is
regrettable that more Of our courts
do not, in a larger degree, use the
probation provisions of our law. I
believe that fully so per cent of our
people now being sent to- eurinsti-
tutions could be placed under the su-
pervision of this department and thus
be able to return to useful employ
ment and not only maintain them
selves and those dependent upon them
but materially reduce the cost to the
state in the care and the administra-
ton.
"After using the wages earned by
the inmates in our state prison at
Windsor and our house of correction
at Rutland, it still costs the state
about 81 a week for inmates, and if
the 600 persons now under our Gus
tody and care had not been released
upon probation OF parole, the care of
these people would cost the state
200 a week in addition to their
earning capacity in the institution
and at the same time many of the
families would be left to public sup
port. These features, coupled with
the man and character building work
of the department should make each
of US anxious to impress upon the
courts of the state the advisability oi
wider and more general use of the
humane provision of the law"
A brief summary giving some idea
Of the more important features OF
| the department are as follows
Homes visited 41, children in above
| homes 141, children in need of medi
cal care reported to me Is, cases
! thoroughly Investigated 5, cases part.
| ly Investigated 6, children in need o1
being placed mot placed) 20, child
rem placed II, children taken to hos.
pitfalls 7, children taken to preventor.
ium 2, children in Fanny Allen lin.
vestigated) 1, poorhouses visited 3
institutions visited (other than pool
farn1s) 8, cities and towns visited 80
cases of children investigated il
! other towns by letter or reliable per.
sons IA, escorted women from Wind
sor prison and house of correction
by woman probation officer a, founc
| employment for women 5, arranged
for girl to enter special school 1
boarding places found for womer
from institutions 3, children reported
to me regarding medical care Gnves.
tigated) 21, children reported to me
regarding medical care (not investi.
gated) 5, children, neglected cases
investigated 8, children, neglected
cases, not investigated 6, probation
| and parole cases visited 16, special
women visited in prisons 10.
Mr.. Jeffrey in his report referred
to the defective children of the state
and said: sDuring recent months
there has been greater effort made
to relieve the dependent defective
children of the state. A very con,
siderable number of this class ol
cases have been brought to my at
tention, and we have sent severa
of the cases to the hospitals; Others
! have been approved and will go tt
the hospital within a few days ant
still others are under investigation
From every part of the state come
warm words of commentator for oul
undertaking to make the defective
dependent child physically fit to grow
into self-sustaining citizenship. Per
haps no one department of our worl