The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1920-01-03
P0RTIC0 RICAN CHILD WELFARE
NEGLECTED..

That the United States has not
quite lived up TO its duty as foster
parent is brought out by the Seventh
Annual Report OF the Chief OF the
Chndren's Bureau, U. S. Department
OF Labor. This Report states that
very little is known OF the children
Oh our island possessions, and it
urges that the needs OF these chill
dren, who are legally under our
protection, be made a subject for
official investigation. This is urged
especially tor the children of Porto
Rico and OF the recently acquired
Virgin Islands.
Such meager facts as are available
indicate that the lot of children in
these islands is not altogether a
happy one. In Porto Rico, which has
been for twenty years under our pro-
lection, there are according to the
last report of the insular chief of
police, about 10000 homeless child
rem under IL years of age who live
by whatever means they are able,
many of them begging or stealing,
and most Of them having no perma-
anent lodging place, sleeping at night
|
ever they happen to find a lodging
place secure from the rain. These
children are for the most part de-
serted and abandoned children of
illegitimate parentage or orphan
children whose parents have left no
provision for their care and educa-
ton, and they constitute fertile
soil for the implanting of criminal
TENDENCIES and are ready material for
older people of criminal habits In
spite of the magnitude of the prob
lem, no provision has been made in
Porto Rico for the care of abandoned
children, and the facilities for the
care of delinquent children are in
adequate. -
The baby that is born in Porto
Rico has not nearly so good chance
of survival as he would have if he
were lucky enough to be born in
the States. In 1917, 1918 babies
out of every thousand born in Porto
Rico died before they were a year
old. Though this death rate (173.4
was lower than that for the preced-
ing year, which reached almost 200,
it is very high compared with the
rate for the United States, which in
the same year was "a, and with that
for New Zealand whic' has a rate
of AZ lower than that of any coun-
try in the world.
One of the great problems in Porto
Rico is that of illiteracy Though
the illiteracy rate has dropped per-
ceptibly since our acquisition of the
island in 1899, when four-fifths of
the entire population over 10 years
of age, and 82.1 per cent of the chill
dren between 10 and IA could not
read or write, it was necessary at
| the time of the census of 1910 to
classify two-thirds of the entire pop
ulation and half of the children be-
tween 10 and IA as illiterate.
The Virgin Islands have so recent
/ ly come into our possession that very
little information is available con-
corning the children who live there
They, too, undoubtedly. have the
handicap of illiteracy, though per-
haps not in so great a degree as the
children of Porto Rico. In 1917.
when we acquired the islands, one
fourth of the population over 10
could not read or write. The latest
available rate for the United States,
! the purchasing country. was II per
cent, and that for Denmark, the sell
ing country, was OF per cent.
The census report of the Virgin
Islands does not give the exact in
FAINT mortality rate, but states that
the rate is very high. A contribut-
ing cause to this high rate probably
is to be found in the fact that large
number of the married women are
sainfully employed.
1t is plain from the facts in our
possession, says the Report, that the
level of existence in the Virgin Is
lands is low. A study of the condi-
tions surrounding mothers and chill
dren is, suggested as a necessary pre-
liminary to securing more satisfac-
tory living conditions.