The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-06-12
MOTIVE OF.
MRS. WEST
LAlJ[)ED
City Owes Debt to Retired Chill
dren's Agent. Mrs. Gilbert
Grosvenor Ayers.

| woman an immense DEBT Tor the
happiness she has brought into
the lives of hundreds of children
and parents" Mrs. Gilbert Gros-
venor, vice president of the Board
of Children's Guardians, declared
today in a statement defending
Mrs. Ella H. West, agent of the
board, who resigned.
Saved Citizens Money
with less money she has done
better work, and because she has
| tried to continue to save the Dis.
trict of Columbia taxpayers
money, she is being turned out
without even the courtesy of q
thank you,'" Mrs, Grosvenor con-
| tinued.
Mrs. West, according to Mrs.
Grosvenor, was forced to quit her
post because OF "her courageous in
sistence on removing children from
the Industrial Home. School in &C.
cordance' with the unanimous vote
of the old Board of Children's
| Guardians >. .a III
| The entire controversy centers
around the Home Industrial School
just reopened. The old board voted
| to use the school as a temporary
receiving home. Mrs. Vests efforts
| to carry out this policy resulted III
the present board seeking to GUST
her. Mrs. Grosvenor declares. W.
Scarcity Of Children.
! Speaking of the Home School,
Mrs. Grosvenor said:
Il do not see where the children
| to fill the Industrial Home School
are coming from, unless a great
many more children are committed
to the board by the Juvenile Court
in the future than at present. or
unless they are taken from private
homes where they are now advan-
tageously placed. OF the total num-
Der of white wards classed as nor
NAL children, 538, all but 1877 are
now with foster parents, their own
parents, or relatives, or are self
| supporting; that is, 401 of the
white children boarded without ex-
| pense to the District. The remain.
ing 1877 white children are now
| placed in carefully selected board
ing homes.
wards just made, has shown only
/ twenty children who would be bet
/
it is proposed to turn the Indus
trial Home School into. The enact
ing law, under which the Industrial
| Home School is Incorporated, states
| that it shall be used for white chill
dren only, and Congress expressly
stated in the last amendment to the
District appropriation bill that the
Board of Children's Guardians
should only take over the authority
| then vested in the Industrial Home
School board. SO that the Board of
| Children's Guardians could not. If
1t wished, place any of it's cal nor.
NAL colored wards there.
| Replies to Charges.
Mrs. Grosvenor replies to charges
that the boarding home in which
awards of the board are placed were
unfit and over-crowded.
| Since the complaint against the
Board of Children's. Guardians
boarding homes, made in the sum-
mer of 1929, two committees visited
a large number of those homes and
thoroughly investigated conditions"
Mrs. GrosVenor said. THE COM
mittee of which Mrs. Whitman
| Cross, of the Board of Charities,
was chairman and of which DIR.
George M. kober, dean of medicine
or Georgetown University, interna-
tionally recognized authority on san
ltation and other matters, and the
| Rev. DR.. William j. kerby, pro-
lessor of sociology Of Catholic Uni.
Versity, known all over the world as
an expert in his field, were mem
bers-thls committee reported that
our boarding homes were good
average American homes. The
committee appointed by the District
| commissioners, of which Mrs.
| Charles Keller, wife of the former
engineer commissioner of the dis
trlct; Daniel E. Garges, secretary
OF the board of commissioners, and
Or. Joseph A. Murphy were mem
ners' also made favorable report.
Children Declared Happy.
"MGs. Thomas r. Marshall, who
at present is chairman of the COM
mlttee OF Home Visiting and Home
Standards of the Board of Chill
dren's Guardians, has also been
visiting children in boarding homes
Tor several months and members of
her committee have made visits.
They, too, find that the children are
happy and we'll cared for in the
Doafdlng homes selected by Mrs.
West and her staff.
The development of a large num-
Der or excellent white boarding
Continued on Page 22.)