Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-12-21

touoiS. Ills ooii, Nv. 90, dpOut nsC
years old, is not OF normal size; he
looked about two. There also was a
baby with bad sores along neck and
hair.
In this poor-house there was one
bath tub, not connected or used, and
two toilets, one Of which was out OF
commission.
General cnditions are thus briefly
described: Filth, disease, feeble mind
edness and sordidness surrounding hu-
man beings who have been swept into
the rubbish heap of the county poor
farm.
And Of the care-taker, the report
said: "Was complaining Of the way
the county court crowded people in on
her and of the inability to get help,
saying she was not able to do it all
herself, and indeed she was not"
And SO the story goes in other coun-
ties. or course, there are exceptions
to the rule, and the president Of at
least one county court, Dorsey w.
Cork, Of Harrison county, is opposed
to the proposed plan for the consoli-
dation OF county poor farms in six
district poor farms. Mr. Cork, in a
letter to the Child Welfare Commits
sion, which was published in a Clarks-
burg newspaper, on the basis that the
Harrison county farm is in excellent
shape and has unusual facilities for
caring for the INDECENT. Attention
may be called to the fact, however,
that the Harrison county poor farm,
being the best in the third congression-
al district, there is a possibility that it
may be chosen for the district farm,
in case the plan Of the commission is
approved by the Legislature
Emphasis is placed on the fact that
under the district farm plan the farms
will be district and in no way State in
situations, the control being in the
hands Of the board Of managers, which
is made up largely of local people
Careful comparison Of statistics of
the poor farms Of the various counties
has convinced the members of the
Child Welfare Commission that the
plan they propose would provide the
most efficient method for the adequate
care Of the poor of the State and
thereby promote the welfare of a large
percentage Of the children Of West
Virginia.
One Of the larger poor farms of the
State containing 1913 acres, the inves-
tigation shows, was bought for Sis
600, and the improvements have cost
100000. On this farm are rs persons,
including "a women. Eight out Of ten,
the report says, are feeble-minded
Twenty per cent are infected with
venereal disease One inmate, an eld-
erly woman, the report says, is insane
and badly diseased, part of her nose
and cheek having been eaten away.
She is a violent patient and has to be
kept under lock and key.
The superintendent of this farm said
that at least one half the inmates had
relatives who could care for them if
they wanted to. The average per
capita cost at this institution is esti-
mated to be $500 per year, or between
S2S and $50 a month.
AT this institution, however, there
is fine dollhouse filled with flowers
and vegetables, in charge of a florist
with two helpers. The products Of the
farm in one season included l25 tons
of ha.' and $4,000 was cleared on veg
etables and flowers sold These re-
ports describe one of the best and one
OF the worst poor farms in West Vir-
eina.
Statistics compiled by the Child Wei
fare Commission show that the poor
farms Of the entire State have a total
Of i0,056 acres; the buildings a total
of S4S rooms, housing S37 inmates
with rs children. The total value Of
the poor farms is estimated to be
$4,000.
The frurcS for the sixth congress.
Sional district, which includes Ka-
nawha, Boone, Favette, Raleigh,
Grcenbrier and Pocahontas counties.
are as follows: Acres, 944; rooms, 81:
inmates al; children, "a; value, 500
900.
Figures for other districts are as
follows:
First-Acres. 1860; rooms. 1888: in
mates, 10; children, 20; value. S2O5,-
800.
Second hcroe ooE2 -oo,,. 900.