New Britain herald., 1922-12-15
REPORTS STUDIES
ON CHILD WELFARE
Bureau Chief Tells Of UnsnplOy-
mGnt and Porto RiCaR Conditions

!
Ing that In the last analysis its bur-
den falls very heavily on the shout
ders of the children" says Grace Alb
bolt, Chief of the Children's Bureau.
In her annual report to the Secretary
Of Labor made public today. The bu-
reau studied the effects on children's
! welfare OF the unemployment period
last winter in a middle western and a
New England city. and Miss Abbott
states her conclusion that the low
cred standard of caro- for children
during such period must result In
permanent losses to the community.
In these cities many families having
two or more children were spending
less than $50 month, including store
credits. In one of the cities a budget
estimate of the amounts of food,
clothing. fuel, and sundries required
for families of different size and age
had been prepared by large manu-
featuring firm, and for half the fami-
lies In which comparisons were made
the average monthly receipts from all
sources during the unemployment per-
4 iod, including relief, were less than 80
per cent. of this estimate.
Although work was very difficult to
secure, nearly a third of the mothers
included in the study had taken gain
full employment: the mothers of 102
children under 6 years of age and of
1854 between the ages of and 10 were
working outside their homes. A num-
Der of children under 16 had left
school for employment after their
| own and many other fathers were out
| of work.
! Pensioning Mothers. ..
4 Pensioning mothers, so that depend
i ent children can be cared for in their
own homes, has been generally ac-
cepted as a principle of public aid,
according to the report. There is
however, much variation in the extent
to which mothers pension laws serve
their purpose. But in the District of
Columbia no such provision has been
made. The Children's Bureau found
that of 2,444 children under the SUI
Il pervision of the District Board of
Il Children's Guardians in the course of
a year, 982 came from homes in
which the father was dead, was evad-
ing his responsibility, or was an In
\ mate of an institution, leaving the
mother with the entire burden of fam
lily support and care. The report con-
| cludes that with some help many of
these mothers could have maintained
their homes and cared for their own
| children. In North Dakota and South
Dakota, where the Children's Bureau
made studies of dependent and delin-
| IL "a 80 a.
4 commissions, a need was shown for
! the development of ehild-caring and
protective wor in rural and small
town communities. Children were
found to be deprived of care by their
normal guardians when their homes
might have been preserved through
financial assistance, or through such
supervision as would safeguard the
children's welfare. Among Ala chill
dren received under the permanent
care OF various agencies in North Da-
kota. only one had lost both parents
by death. and many children were re-
moved from the custody of their par
ents without court action. or the au-
thorization of public agency.
One of the important events Of the
year which the report records is the
agreement by the national conference
of commissioners on uniform state
| laws upon a uniform act for the sup.
port OF children born out OF we'd
lock, and the recommendation Of
| this act to the states for adoption,
1t provides that the parents of such
children owe them maintenance,
education and support, "a provision
which the report declares would be
long step forward in most Of the
states where the viewpoint Of CEN
fury ago has been left on the statute,
books, though no legal action can
provide what every child needs, both
father and mother"
.. Years Survey.
Reporting on years survey Of
conditions affecting children in Porto
Rico, Miss Abbott states that unetn-
ployment and underemployment are
serious problems In that island.
Three-fourths Of the total value Of IT'S
crops Is supplied by sugar cane, cof-'
fee and tobacco. and Porto Rico has
the anomalous position of an agrI-I
cultural country importing its food.
Because of the specialization of crops
and the density of population, periods
Of general unemployment have re-
suited in poverty such that many es-
sentials in proper child care cannot
be provided The infant death rate
in 1890 was 148 per 1000 births, ms
compared with So In the United
states birth registration area. The
island has signified its desire to be
included in the benefits Of the ma
ternity and Infancy act OF 1921, and
Miss Abbott declares that 1.-THE need
of federal assistance can not bel
doubted" '
Great Progress.
Porto Rico has made great prog
ress in education and general deyel-
opment since It became part OF the
United States. the report says. hit
eracy has been reduced from 80 per
cont. OF the population 10 years OF
age and over to SIS per cent, but
school facilities still exist for only
half the children OF school age During
it's ''chi1dren's year survey of the
island the ehildren's bureau sought
means OF developing activities for
Porto Rfcan children by enlisting the
cooperation of local ageicies and
bringing the island into closer cCs
tact with agencies ID the states.
Health education and organized play
vera introduced into the sehools ins |