Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-04-24

and Corrections
The Maine Federation Of Ladies'
Aid Unions of the Methodist Episco-
pal church held an interesting session
Thursday forenoon at the Congrega-
tlonal Parish House and they were
much interested in a report of the
work of the State Board of Charities
and Corrections as presented by CRUDE
Is: Cornish, secretary of the board.
This session of the Ladies' Aid Unions
was in connection with the Maine
Methodist Conference being held here
this week.
Among the interesting points which
MI. Cornish brought out were the fol-
lowing:
There has been some agitation In
the past to abolish this Board OF Char
tues and Corrections and to reorsan-
ize the work with a commissioner or
public welfare at the head of it,
am not sure that such a change Womb
| be for the best interests of all cor
cerhed. The president is Hon. F. G.
| reynolds of Portland. and the presen,
members are: Samuel Rosenburs
| PORTLAND; Rev. NJ. E. Curran, Water
VINE; MRS. William Z. Brewster, Dex-
ter ana NJ. Z. Sawtelle, Augusta,
| lhese members are busy people who
make up the only unpaid board I'm our
| State government.
1T would be unkind for me to tell
you more about our work without
making 1t perfectly clear to you tina,
| Whatever success has come to us dur
ing the last two years is due largely
2 20 the seif-sacrtficing spirit manifest
ed at all times by the working force
| MISS Ellzabeth Leslie, supervisor, has
! eViuently caught clear vision of the
wonderful possibilities in this type or
service as she is giving herself to this
work at a personal sacrifice. Mis-.
| Evelyn Hubbard, our purchasing agent
! Is devoted to the huge task of purchas.
ing wearing apparel for the children
happen to know that she has refused
at least one invitation of a business
| nrm who offered her a position at a
| larger salary than we are giving her
out she refused to consider a strictly
] commercial proposition. This depar,
ment saved s21,651.27 exclusive of SAL
) ARIES OF workers, especially EMPLOYED
Tor this type Of service, for the Cav.
endar year Of 1924. Wholesale buvine
made possible more careful supervi,.
lon OF furnishing clothing to the chin
dren. I do not believe a more Iowa,
! consecrated or devoted group of worK-
ers can be found in Maine than the
young women who efficiently represcn,
us in the field.
! 1T Is reported that 10 out of 90
persons Of the United States who reach
the age of 65 years are dependen,
| upon others for their support. Thirty.
hve per cent. Of all the widows in orr
country have to work for wages in
oruer 10 support their families.
| mere are more than 400 prisoners
| III our county jails. The two greatest
uelects IN our county Jail system arc
ASSOCIATION In 1dleness and unrestrain.
ca communication Of prisoners / hon.
| estiy believe that some of the tai,.
are ideally arranged as crimina, tir'
| lshlng schools for the first offenders
Conditions will not be materially
; changed until the management and
control of all county tails is vested
| IN the prison commission and the ex-
pense of their maintenance is borne
oy the state The conditions at the
reformatories are different to those n,
the county Ja1ls only in degree. There
are nearly 700 persons in custody Of
the industrial schools and reformato.
ries.
If the men at Thomaston shou1a
! receive wages for their labor. I thor
oughly believe that the men Mt South
Wlndham and the women at Skowb..
gan should be given the same consio-
Grafton. In fact, / believe the woman
who receives her discharge from the
Reformatory for Women has the
! greatest claim upon the State and 80.
| ciety for financial assistance. The
state Is under some obligation to help
the girls and boys Of our industrial,
schools secure an average financial,
backing with which to begin life as
citizens of our commonwealth.
You may be interested to learn
that the Board lived within the Leg
lsiative appropriations this last year.
10 be sure, we have drawn upon the
contingent fund for the care Of chill
dren but the towns and cities have
paid into the contingent fund as re-
| Endorsements for the board and care
of children nearly one Thousand dol
| lars more than was transferred to
, our account.
There is a growing interest in the
department of Mothers Aid More
than five hundred mothers receive a
monthly allowance. This enables
them to keep their children with
them 1t is recognized fact that the
mother is the best person to super
wise her children. The average al
! lowance for March vas S29.94 per
month. There are rearly two thous-
| and children in the homes of mothers
| ,ho receive state aid. The great
problem with which we are now con-
cerned is making allowances within
our appropriation which is 100000
for the present fiscal year. This is
| supplemented by like amount from
towns and cities. There are two hun
dred and twenty-five approved ap-
plications on the waiting list. Many
| of these cases are very urgent but
we must wait until there is more
| available.
Far be It from me to criticize the