Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10
VOCATIONAL WORK
TO AID INSTITUTIONS
New Welfare Official viii
Develop Program for
District.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

worked out under the new assistant
chief of the welfare office. who is soor
to be appointed by the District Com
mfssioners, carrying out recommend
lions Of the Bureau OF Efficiency.
This new District official, at a sal
airy of So, 800 to $1,000. is to be a bust
ness manager for the II institutions
under the management of the Wei
fare Bureau, according to the Bureau
of Efficiency plan, and have supervis
ion over the business relations Of the
Welfare Bureau with is other institu.
tons with which It has contractural
relations.
The reason for installing business
manager is not only for economic eff
cheney through a. vocational indus.
trial program; (2) consolidated and
business.like purchase of supplies and
equipment, and 81 co-ordinated insti'
tutionai management-but also to re-
lieve the professionally and techni.
cally trained superintendent and pc
nologists from routine business cares
that they may give intensive special
ICED supervision and guidance to the
physical, mental and moral welfare
and safeguarding of the inmates.
In co-ordinating the institutional
MANAGEMENT the new business man
ager will take charge OF a $4,000 900
business, which he will be expected to
develop in such a way as to show a
very decided reduction in cost of oper-
alton and improvement in the food
and clothing OF inmates and in the
quality Of supplies manufactured for
the District government.
IL Institutions Included.
The II institutions that are now
under complete control and manage
, ment Of the Board of Public Welfare
are: The District Of Columbia Work
house at Occoquan, the District Re-
formatory at Lorton, the Washington
Asylum and Jail, the National Train
ing School for Girls. Gallinger NUM-
cipal Hospital. the tuberculosis Hos
pital, the District Training School at
Annapolis Junction, the Industrial
Home School. the Industrial Home
School for Colored Children. the Home
for the Aged and Infirm, and the Mu-
ficipal Lodging House. The appro-
priation for these II institutions dur
ing tho fiscal year 1927 was $1.S22, $40.
The Is other institutions with which
the Welfare Board has contractural
relations are: The National Training
School for Boys, Freedmen's Hospital,
Columbia Hospital for Women and
Lying-in Asylum, Children's Hospital,
Providence Hospital. Garfield Memo
rial Hospital. Central Dispensary and
Emergency Hospital. Eastern Dispen-
sary and Casualty Hospital, Washing
ton Home for Incurables, Georgetown
University Hospital. George Washing
ton University Hospital. Temporary
Home for Union Ex-soldiers and Sail
ors. Florence Crittenton Home. South
ern Relief Society, Columbia Poly
technic Institute and st. Elizabeth's
Hospital. Appropriations totaling
$1.2<4.120 were made for the fiscal
year 1927 under the contractural re-
lations with these 16 institutions.
When 1t il noted that the total ap-
preparation for the Board Of Public
Welfare was approximately $500, 900.
Il can readily be seen how important
It appears to the Bureau Of Efficiency
that the 100000 representing the
business side Of the Board of Public
Welfare's administrative work, as dis
tinguished from its specialized pro-
fessional, child care, home aid and
other strictly social welfare functions,
should come under the new business
manager.
The next step in the development
OF welfare and correctional institu-
lions lies in the Observation-Disclosures
field. We have under the Board of
Public Welfare moro than 1000 wards
and inmates. many Of whom are capa-
BILE Of at least earning their own main
tenance and of sometimes learning
some constructive trade or vocation.
This is especially true Of the inmates
of the training school. the industrial
- home schools, the reformatory and the
penal institutions.
: Thus far, for example, the prison
labor at Occoquan has been used prin-
cipally in brick-making and in con-
Z struction Of the plant. These build.
ings are now so well advanced that
the time has come to install other
Industries that will keep the prisoners
employed in a wholesome way, teach
them a trade that will lead them to
better ways when their terms have
expired and make them earn theu,
keep instead Of being supported in
.,idleness by law.abiding taxpayers.
Hence tag plant. foundry and a
clothing shop are being added to the
brick plant at the Lorton Reforma'
tory. At both the workhouse and the
I reformatory the proper development
.of the big farm covering both the
: Occoquan and Lorton tracts, which
& adjoin, Is itself a huge business under.
: taking. It is contemplated that similar
farm operations should be carried out
z under the vocational industrial pro
:. gram at the Industrial Home School
cat Blue Plains, the National Training
2 School for White Girls and at the
= farm at the District Training School
& for Feeble Minded, with a view to
growing food supplies for a large part
Of the entire District institutional pop
3 ulation.
Z 1t is contemplated that extensive
4 hog raising, Improvement Of the dairy
2 facilities and establishment of goat
r farm to supply milk for the tuber
\ culosis hospitals are among other
business projects that the new offlcia
could build up. With the big pastur
age acreage available at Occoquan ant
Lorton 1t Is pointed out that a fine
herd could be developed as has beer
done on the Soldiers Home Grounds
from which the highest grade Of mill
could be supplied to all the Distric
institutions There IS a large area o.
: waste land that could be used for hos
raising. A slaughter house could b,
set up, and a canning plant operated
A chicken farm Is another importan
suggestion for meeting the food need
of the II institutions. 1t is alst
argued that all of the bread and othe
bakery supplies for these institution
. could be made with prison labor.
Repair Shops Urged.
Other shops that have been proposes
for Lorton and Occoquan are for re
nair and paintin0 Of automobiles AN,
other apparatus and trucks for tn
street and fire departments-andt the
are being given serious consideration
by District officials and by the Burea,
of Efficiency. Development of wood
working industries to repair the schoc
and office furniture OF the Distric
Government are also under officia