The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1920-01-31

committee OF representative men
and women who were selected and
appointed by the court from the jury
that was called in May, 1919, that
more funds be set aside for the juve-
nile court expenses"
Mr.. Petty went on to say: 81 have
been asked by old men why it is that
we have juvenile courts and proba-
ton officers now, for when they were
boys there were no such things as
juvenile courts and probation officers,
and it seemed as though there,
was no necessity of such courts and
officers. 1t is true that forty or fifty
years ago we had no juvenile courts,
but in my, opinion delinquency exist
ed then as it does now, from the
fact that in those days our jails and
penitentiaries were filled with crimi-
nails as much so, or more, than they
are now. These criminals were evil
IDENTIFY at some time juvenile delin-
quents and if the proper protection
had been given then, as it is now,
there would probably have been a
great deal less use for the penal
institutions. | find many boys in
this county charged with theft,
burglary, forgery and other offenses,
who have been apprehended and
dealt with through the juvenile
court, and in my opinion 900 of
these boys will never steal as much
as pin as long as they live. If
this same protection had been given
boys forty years ago, it would have
been money, time and energy well
spent"
The officer was asked "What do
you think of our state training
schools for boys and girls ?" In
answering this question, Mr.. Petty
said: "Of course it is necessary that
these institutions be maintained, but
after my experience of year in
these institutions, | do not approve
of committing boys or girls to these
schools without first giving them
every chance to make good. | find
that these institutions in many cases
are Differed by men and women who
are chosen to fill these important
positions through some political pull
OF patronage, rather than their fit
ness and ability to train delinquent
boys and girls. Hence, from the
hundreds of boys and girls that |
have come in contact with in Stevens
county for the past five years, | have
only recommended six to be sent to
the state training school and these
recommendations were not made with
the point of view that the delinquent
would be reclaimed and made better,
but as a last resort, realizing that
these delinquents were moral degen-
crates, with a sub-normal mind, and
could not be handled through any
other agencies. By committing them
to the state institutions it would
eliminate communicating influence on
other boys and girls in the commun-
ity, and possibly do the boys some
good know of two boys from
Stevens county who after being under
the care, custody and control of the
juvenile court for a period of two
years, were finally committed to the
state training school, INhave been
receiving letters from and writing
to these boys each month for the
.Ii 70
ports from the institution and their
letters, these boys will soon be en-
titled to a parole and in all probable
ity will return to their homes in the
county, and if given a chance by the
people of their community and en-
couragment from the court and juve-
nile officers they will still have a
chance to make good citizens and
become credit to the community in
which they live But such cases are
an exception to the general rule.
81 am glad to say, however, that
there is a marked improvement in
the state training school for the
bows at Chehalis under the manage
ment of Thomas P. Horn, as we'll
as the state training school for girls
at Grand Mound, under. the direction
of Miss Mary Campbell"
Mothers Pensions
According to the officers report
on mothers pensions, it is shown
that the fund set aside for this pur-
pose for the year 1919 was $4,000
and that there remained in that fund
on Dec. 81, 1919, $6O5. The budget
for 1920 for mothers pensions was
increased to $4,000, but on account
of the increase of applications for
mothers pensions there will be a
deficit in this fund on Dec 81, 1920.
There are now 16 mothers on the
pension roll with 54 children who
are receiving benefits. There are Is
INDECENT persons, some of whom have
families, that are receiving $3.50 per
month through the county commits
sioners. am
Mr.. Petty says that the money,