The Washington herald., 1922-07-18
UNIFIED CHARITY
SYSTEM NEEDED,
SAYS DR.. O'CRADY
Board of Guardians Is
Merely Cog in Faulty
Administration.
DISTRICT LAGGING
Thomas Circle Citizens Also
Indorse General We'll
fare Board.
DISTRICT LAGGING

Reorganization of charity agencies
must extend further than the Board
OF Children's Guardians and should
include every board of trustees. com
mission and advisory board concerned
| in charity administration in the Dis
trict, according to statements of so
cial welfare students yesterday.
A complicated and inefficient system
| involving the entire charity admins
tration has been brought to light by
the controversy between the Indus
trial Home trustees and the Board of
Guardians, II Is believed. Numerous
policies of child caring, formulated
by the controlling bodies of five diff
ferent charity agencies. 1t is asserted,
are now in operation.
DIR. O'Grady shows Faults. L L
Rev. DR.. John O'Grady. director of
Catholic charities In Washington, yes
terday pointed out that the following
agencies are now caring for District
wards: The Board of Children's
Guardians, the Industrial Home
School, National Training School for
Boys, National Training School for
Girls, Juvenile Court and Board of
Charities.
Each Of these bodies is controlled
by its own board and they operate
under widely varying policies, it is
declared. In most instances, II is
pointed out, actual control of the
institutions or organizations is in
the hands of one individual. Mem
bers of the boards are generally
men and women eff prominence who
have little personal knowledge of
the activities in which they are
engaged. In this capacity, IL is
said, the boards serve merely to
give official approval to the actions
of administrative agents.
Urges Unifed Policy.
Pointing out the weakness of
board control, Father O'Grady yes
terday urged that a unified policy
be applied to all the above institu-
tions and organizations by having
them placed under a department Of
public welfare. 1T is about time the
people of the District demand a
complete reorganization of our
public charities" Father O'Grady
declared.
Every State in the Union Is
drifting toward centralized response
bility in social service" Father
O'Grady continued. Responsibility
for our public welfare work in the
District should be centralized in the
Commissioners. Under the Commits
sioners there should be a director
of public welfare.
with the concentration of power
in the Commissioners. and under
them in the Director of Welfare. ]
believe the Board of Children's
Guardians. the Boards of the Ma
tional Training Schools for boys and
for girls. and the trustees OF the
Industrial Home might we'll be
abolished"
Thomas Circle for Unity.
BY placing authority in one de-
partment. under one man, Father
O'Grady explained. the activities of
all charity agencies could be co..
ordinated. On the other hand, he
believed the present system of board
control plsces authority with nu-
merous intangible bodies. none Of
which can be held responsible as In
dividuals.
The present system of charity
administration in the District is the
most unsatisfactory I have ever
come in contact with" Father
O'Grady declared.
Unified control of charities was
advocated in resolutions passed by
the Thomas Circle Citizens Associa-
tion last night. The association
also voted to ask District heads TO
appoint a commission to. frame
legislation for such control.
Daniel Garges, Secretary to the
Commissioners and head of their
special investigating committee,
said yesterday that his report on
conditions in boarding homes" will
be ready tomorrow or next day.