The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-11-08
(St. Cloud Journal-Press)

n
Mrs. A S. Moynihan, of the
Stearns County Welfare Board, at
Mondays. meeting Of the Kiwanis
gave an interesting report on the
: problems of the welfare board and
how these problems are being met,
the idea which she wished to bring
out being that care of detectives and
delinquents was much more expen-
sive proposition than prevention
through education. Mrs. Moynihan
said in part: s
The laws of Minnesota for the pro-
lection of her children We're without
especial fault or merit up to 1917 /.
Governor Burnquist appointed a
commission during his term, in office
: to study the need for revising exist
( ing laws which concerned children
and to formulate such new proposals
as shoulde be found necessary. AS
result of their findings Al bills were
submitted to the legislature, out OF
which 35 were enacted into laws-a
sound and liberal body of legislation
and one which marks departure
from the old haphazard unrelated
legislative action. These enactments
and their subsequent enforcement
places Minnesota about third in the
United States in the care and protec-
ton of its future citizens.
80 These laws provided for the crea-
ton of a children's bureau under the
state board of control and for the
appointment at the request of the
county commissioners of county child
welfare boards consisting of : i've
- ho ~ an
tie county superintendent OF schools
and one a member of the county
commissioners. Their duties to be
TIE investigation and the supervision
of mothers pensions; investigation of
placements and adoptions; supervi-
sion of commitment of the feeble
mindedy the unmarried mother, and
desperation with the juvenile court
in dealing with delinquents.
Such board was appointed in
Stearns county in 1918. The infiuen-
"a was at its height. Many young
men with families were dying and
applications. for county allowance to
widowed mothers were pouring in.
TIE juvenile court had no machinery
whereby to ascertain the, eligibility
of the applicants and the county COM
missioners were aghast at the rapidly
in creasingZ number of recipients. DC
ca5ionally reports came in that GER
tain widows in very comfortable cir
were drawing pensions.
To increase their agitation, the state
+ legislature refused to make an APP
preparation to cover refund to the
counties of, one-third the amount eX-
pended for mothers pensions. Cur
tanment seemed imperative and an
investigating and advisory agency
such as the child welfare board ap-
parently offered the logical solution.
Our county commissioners are men
are elected by the taxpayers to pro-
te"t thier material interests. There
fore I think they are more interested
in mothers pensions than in any
other branch of child welfare work
for Stearns county paid out $20,655
in county allowance in 1922. BY
careful investigation and supervision
the child welfare board was able tt
reduce or discontinue allowances dur
ing the year to the amount of So, 408
Out of 81 applications thus far ir
1923, II have been granted and II
refused. At the time of the last an
snnal report for 1922, Sc mothers ant
two grandmothers were receiving
county aid for I'll children. The
average cost of support per child pei
month was found to be ST .97. There
is a mistaken notion as to the, pur
pose of the act. Widows with youne
children have apparently come tt
look upon it as premium for widow
ed motherhood and apply regardless
of their financial status. Not long
ago large enclosed Buick stopped
at my house and you can amagine my
surprise when the smartly dressed
woman who drove it told me she