Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-21
z BILLS FAVORED
BY WOMEN BEFORE
STATE ASSEMBLY
Child Welfare and Girls We'll
fare Measures, Backed by
Governor Have Been Intro
duCed in Lower House,

ESPECIAL coRsrsPoNnr ics TO MORNING JouRNAtl
Santa Fe, Feb. 2O,-The two meas
ures which the legislative committee
of the New Mexico Federation of
Women's Clubs IS instructed to use its
utmost endeavors to have passed have
been introduced in the house with the
lapproVal of Gov O. A. Larrazolo
They are the child welfare ANA the
girls welfare bills. The latter is
rather unique in that t provides for
| a board to be composed entirely of
women and grants it plenary powers
10 receive, educate. maintain, dis
cipline, control and parole girls under
the age of IS years committed to III
| by the district judges of the state;
| provided, that the approval of the
court committing the girl shall be-
| first had to the terms of all paroles.
| The appropriation provided, $4,000,
is the same as had been demanded by
| the reform school at Springer for the
care of DELINQUENT girls and if the
bill passes will not be an additional
burden on the taxpayer
For years it has been a reproach to
! New Mexico that it has not provided
! for delinquent "rls as other states
have. Girls sent to Springer were
| sent back as no provision had been
made for them. In other cases girls
We're kept in county jails under the
most repulsve conditions and the
courts were helpless to remove the
blot from New Mcxicos escutchoon.
It seemed almost like barbarsm. The
women of New Mexico have felt the
states disgrace in this resnect koenly
and have tried session after session
to get action. Finally Governor Lar
raZolo has come to their aid. He
| knows how nobly women manage the
| st. Nincent's orphans home at Santa
| F'e at a cost far less than ii would be
| if ii were managed by men, how
women manage hospitals at Deming,
at Carlsbad at albuquerque, at Santa
| Fe and elsewhere. He has noticed,
too, how the Woman's Board of Trade
at Santa Fe has been doing civic work
at a cost far below that of work by
mems chamber of commerce or COM
mercial clubs, and he knows too, that
in other states the care of delinquent
| girls is made wOman's work as it nat
urally should be. He therefore favors
the idea of taking the $12. 900 which
was asked by the reform school at
Springer and placing it at the dis
poSal of a board of five women APP
pointed as other boards are and hav-
ing the active support of organized
women all over the state as well as
of many public spirited men.
The plan would be to provide for
the incorrigible girl delinquents in ac-
cordance with the most modern meth
DDS. It IS likely that a cottage would
be rented at Albuquerque or some
other place, with ample grounds TO
permit of considerable gardening. anl
there under the strictest and vet X nd
est surveillance to give these girls n
r chance to make good. to exercise the
proper restraint and yet help the girls
to acquire character, to teaGh them
how to WORK and to take care of them
selves. OF course, $4,000 a year
. would not permit the buying of any
property or the setting up of expen-
2 sive administrative machinery but it
S is felt that some twenty-five or thirty
} girls could be taken care of and be
? restored to usefulness if it is at all
= possible
The experiment is decidedly worth
. while trying and would be watched
, with interest the world over. There
t IS no doubt that means would be
:. found by the Jealous women workers
e. to augment the state appropriation
e with private gifts and contributions
if necessary but in any event the state
a would not be out anything and at the
, same time would place itself in line
with other civilized commemorative
> in caring for its unfortunate and
y vicious girls who otherwise are other
wise are a menace to entire com
- mupitipS