Evening star., 1925-01-25


probation OF his thOughtfuIness of Il
presenting the portfolio to Mr.. SIemp
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the maintenance OF the Industrial Home
School, 44,440, 6 total OF s248.040.
The sole function of this board Is
to supervise the Training School for
Girls. 1t consists OF seven members,
appointed by the President, on the
recommendation of the Attorney Cen
eral. II IS subject TO visitation by
the Board of Charities and in fiscal
matters Is under the control OF the
District Commissioners. The 1925 ap-
preparation for the school Is $6s.5o0
This school has been called a. ma
tional institution; in reality II IS
more properly regarded as n District
agency, because the girls received are.
and always have been, girls from the
District, committed by the District
Juvenile Court. 1t is only rarely that
a girl Is committed from a Federal
court outside.
while the title TO the land on
which the school is located is In the
Federal Government, the same is true
Of several other public institutions
which admittedly belong TO the Dis
trict, and It Is persuasive that all ap-
propriations made for the purchase
u ldiaO, CONSTRUCTOR Oh new plllu-
,ugs and for regular maintenance of
this institution are. and always have
been, made in the District budget.
Moreover, all expenditure of and ac-
counting for funds is made through
the District fiscal officers, and the
budget of the school is passed upon
oy the District Commissioners and
through them submitted to Congress.
Duties Intrr-ReIated.
The Board of Charities, the Board
of Childrens Guardians and the board
Of trustees for the Training School
for Girls are performing duties which
are intGr-related ana which are con-
stituent parts OF the single task Of
caring for the needy, the physically
and mentally sick. and Offenders
against the law. One board with
proper departmental organization of
the existing facilities and personnel
can accomplish with greater efficiency
what three boards now are doing.
LAS the situation now stands these
three boards vary in size from five to
nine. The Industrial Home School for
White Children Is supervised by the
Board of Childrens Guardians, while
the Home School for the Colored is
under the Charities Board. but at the
same time receives all its children
from the Board OF Guardians. No
sound reasons lie behind this con-
fusion Of control. The situation at
the Training School for Girls is even
more confused. There we have gen.
eral supervision by the board of
trustees and the Attorney General,
visitorial power in the Board of
Charities, control Of budget in the
District Commissioners. and regula-
tion of expenditure and audit by the
fiscal officers of the District.
Unity Need Held Obvious.
THE need for unified and co-ordi-
mated administrative control is obvious.
Many of the progressive cities and
States Of the Nation have already
| recognized the problem that now faces
the District and have passed legisla-
ton along the lines of this bill. From
the standpoint of Congress which must
appropriate for all this welfare
activity, it would mean a great saving
Of time and energy II 1t had before it
one budget prepared by a single board,
covering all welfare requests for the
| District
THE bill was originally prepared by
the Commission on Public Welfare
Legislation of the District appointed
| by the Commissioners Of the District
Of Columbia-an unpaid group Of II
citizens, presided over by Justice F. L.
Siddons of the District Supreme Court
who have been studying the welfare
| situation. The commission began its
work January l, 1924. It held two
public hearings which were widely ad-
vertised in the press, in addition to the
| mailing of 1900 notices to interested
persons. The commission has been
\ III
| of citizens and the Russell Sage Foun.
| dation loaned the services of William
| Hodson of its staff as consultant. The
| bill finally was approved by the COM
mission March q and was transmitted
| to the District Commissioners who for
| warded the bill to Congress with their
| approval early in April, after 1t had
been ascer tanned that the President
would have no objection to the pro-
visions affecting his appointing power.
Hearing Held January 10.
| "The Joint congressional committee
| having the bill in charge also held &
| lengthy public hearing January 10
| 1925.
| The bill has been endorsed by tht
| Board Of Charities and the Board o.
| Children's Guardians, two of thu
4
| the bill. The board OF trustees Of th,
| Training School for Girls objects Il
| the placing of that school under tht
| board of public welfare on the grount
that the school is q national tnstitu
| ton. Some 40 civic and social vel
fare organizations of the Distric
favor the measure, including tn
| Washington Federation of Churches
| the Monday Evening Club and tn
Federation Of Citizens Associations.
NO substantial objection to tn
bill has been offered other than tha
| of The trustees Of the Training Schoo
for Girls already referred to. A sug
| eestion was made at the congress
| sional hearing that there should be
new department of the municipa
| government with a single executive
| In control instead of a board or 81
| persons with a director responsible t
It as the bill provides.
'The sentiment of the citizens
| the District has been markedly II
favor of a board rather than de
partrnent with an executive respons
ible directly to the Commissioners
Nearly s2,600.00o are spent annuall
in the support of welfare agencie
and institutions, and the sentimen
was that so large a sum could b
more wisely spent by director
publfc welfare with the aid of ex
perienced citizens on the board an
under their general supervision ant
control. There is also something Z
be said for the contention that It /
wisest at this time to secure co-or
dination under a single board of cit
lizens than to abolish all the existing