Evening star., 1923-10-11
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

, committees. but, through the council,
| duplication of work is avoided.
For example, the interests of chill
dren are looked after by all four
committees, but from different stand
| points. The children's committee finds.
! after survey. that 1t could organize
| subcommitteeS, one composed Of the
executives of chiidren's institutions,
and the other OF executives Of day
| nurseries. These could get together,
compare experiences and plans and be
mutually helpful. At the same time,
| the health committee finds need of a
| sanitarium where tuberculous chill
dren who do not need a hospital may
combine schooling with medical care.
This need has been reported to the
board of education, which agrees to
| undertake to get the funds necessary
to supply the sanitarium school.
The family committee Is looking
after the organizations which help
homeless men, stop street begging.
care for homeless girls, unmarried
| mothers, lost persons and victims OF
non-support.
There are also few special COM
mittees for special problems. and a
standing legislative committee, which
Is urging legislation by Congress to
establish a home and school for fee
| ble-minded, to obtain an increased
appropriation for tuberculous pa
tients, compulsory school attend
Ing house.
The council OF delegates, as above
described, meets from time to time
as called, having held eight meetings
during the last year. A former sec s
retary, MISS Sophy Sweet, prepared
the first complete directory Of the
social agencies of Washington, and
Ii is found to be of great value to
social workers.
At the last meeting of the council.
a report was made by DR.. Hastings H
Hart of the Russell Sage Foundation.
| of a survey of the situation In this
city which he had made for the
council The speaker followed with
some pungent suggestions based upon
his many years of experience In So
| cial work. and his knowledge Of what
! other cities are doing,
DIR. Hart emphasized especially the
very great Importance of securing
| congressional establishment OF au-
| thority, vested in q director Of social
work, who shall have power, by law.
| to restrain undesirable duplication,
| imposition and fraud under the guise
| of charity or social relief. The pres
| ent council is excellent so far as its
powers go, but there is need of real
authority. which will license all So
cial activities and supervise them.
At present, the council Is somewhat
divided in opinion as to whether to
support public supervision with gov
erning authority over all private
organizations-churc and social-or
| to limit that supervision to public in
stitutions That has been a moot
question for many years, but the rec
! ommendation of the Russell Sage Foun-
dation is unquestionably urgent
toward full supervision of all such
activities-public or private.
DR.. Hart called special attention to
the failure of the District of Column
bia to recognize the Importance OF its
Juvenile Court, as demonstrated by the
salary paid its Judge. Pittsburgh pays
is Judge of juvenile court $4,000;
Minneapolis, $500; Norfolk, Va, s4,-
| 500 and Washington only $500.
| Philadelphia pays It's probation Off
Ger $1,000. Pittsburgh $4,000 and WASH
| ington 5000.
Does not the Capital need the edu-
eating influence in social responsible
ity, urged DIR. Hart. which Will come
through organization and authorica-
tive control, upheld by Congress as
we as by churches, city officials and
the. charfabIy disposed citizens?
tCopyright, 1922 by Paul V. Collins)