Norwich bulletin., 1921-02-21
WRONG ITEMS INCLUDED IN
 wOMBN's FARM PER CAPITA


 wOMBE's FARM PER CAPITA
 Tt is manifestly unfair to charge into the per capita cost for any year any expense for permanent repairs and inn provements new construction, or inven- toriable supplies on hand" says Miss Idl NJ. S. Thomas, secretary of the board of directors of the Connecticut State Farm for Women at East Lyme
 This way by way. Of refuting tne claim advanced that this particular insti- tuition has the highest per capita cost oi any similar institutions of tAe state, and considerably higher than the majority Of them. This is but one of the various criticisms made of this institution, tts management and a demand for an inves- tigation all of which developed because of a statement that Putnam bride had been detained at the farm and refused permission to return to her home and husband for Christmas, resulting in demand for the brides release by Attor- ney-General Frank E. Healey.
 At the time the story concerning the Putnam bride became known Prof. Will liam B. Bailey of New Haven chairman of the board of trustees claimed that this bride was not bride at the time she was paroled from the state farm, but her father and the man who afterward mar ried her came to the home of Rev. Chal- mers Holbrook in Chester, took her away and that she and the young man were married and left the state Upon her return to Putnam the authorities called upon the woman and asked her ] to return to the farm for detention for a. short time for the sake of discipline, according to the rules of the institution- This she voluntarily did, according to Professor Bailey. Mr. Bailey said that girls who break their parole are usually IpuniShed by detention of from a year to a year and a half. but in her case, the board decided to be lenient with her and detained her only for three months.
 Professor Bailey explained that the board decided at a meeting held shortly after her return to the farm to release her on December 16 so that eff she was unable to take Christmas dinner with her husband in Putnam 1t was no fault of the board of trustees"
 Miss Thomas says regarding the
 farm: 'The Appropriations by the leg
 islature for the farm amounted in 1917
 to $se.O0o. Of this. s2s 800 was paid
 for 750 acres of land and buildingh there 1, on. In 1919 there was appropriated fol
 maintenance S75.000 and for new con.
 Struction i15o.O00. On July 1. 1920. tn, total expenditures from the date of the |
 which has had the supervision of the ex. f penditures of all appropriations allotted
 to the state farm, was Sz01.043.37. The
 Inventory, very conservativeIy taken, a, p of July l, 1920, showed S137.4S6.55. Tha
 inventory was completed at the actua
 cost of such supplies as were on hanc
 and at considerably less than cost of tn, = land. The original land and building D purchased were bought at a very low y valuation. The above figures show a diff ' ference of sss.55s.S3 as between inven
 tory and the total amount spent Thi i represents the real running expenses q
 the institution from August. 1918 to JuI- 8 l, 1920. On the basis of expense the ac 2 tual per ceptal cost is about SIP pc . week"
 The public Is apt ,te forget that i IS not only the delinquents who are ben . ehted, but that each and every corn = munity from which these girls come b r their removal for time, is saved from e very grave menace, for 40 per cent c r them are diseased. The state. also i undoubtedly an economic gainer by in detention, control and training of thes
 aehhquents and especially of the SC Q offenders who are cured of disease. The normal capacity of the farm n 50. There are now 86 girls and Is babie under care. Forty-four girls are a '' parole under supervision of parole ot
 hcer. and these are Piving satisfactio 10 their employers. The directors nav
 felt that in little more than two year
 they have returned to society as usefr s citizens practically one-third of the tots ]. number of individuals committed to th r institution in that time. and when if A relaxed that We have had over 40 con f hmitments since last summer ant thar n - inmate under the rules of the instftutfo, f can De paroled in less than nine rnontb : from the time she arrived. we realIv bav 6 succeeded in training and 1uelifyin, an
 paroling approximately half of the con k mitments of adults who could nossibIy , - iparoled in that period We feel tbs+ +h, f is creditable record Of salvage In h, l. man material for the state of c,onnaot IT cut, that the general assembly nassed ,- Wlse law creating and governing tbis {, t stnntion and that the directors apnointe IT py the governor under this law to o, IF crate the institufion for the state bsi g seompished the real purpose underlyin 2 tile law. y li ,e The board is asking for an annron-,, e. ton 10 provide adequate maintenance ar m acconmodations for 150 resident girls fl le ne next biennial period, and for scbo to unuihg TOT the educational. vocation le anp industrial training of the inmate Id We need the support of. your orsaniz a. ton and personal effort with the mer
 bers of the legislature that. his most fl y poFtant work of the state of Connectic te may not be checked, but advanced tn efficiency under the most approv pr methods.
 LII