The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-06-07
(By Mrs. Emma Moynihan)

The StearnS County Child We'll
fare Board was appointed in 1918
upon the request of the County
commissioners. The year previous
Governor Burnquist had appointed
commission to study the needs
for revising existing laws concern
ing children and to formulate
such new proposals as should be
found necessary. AS a result Al
bills were submitted to the legisla-
ture out of which 35 were enacted
into laws which are now known as
the Children's Code. These enact
ments and their subsequent en-
forcement place Minnesota about
third in the United States in the
care and protection of its future
citizens.
These laws provided for the
creation of a children's bureau
under the State Board of Control
and for the appointment at the
request of the county commits
sioners of county Child Welfare
Boards consisting of five members;
three to be women, one, the coun-
ty superintendent of schools and
one, a member of the county com.
missioners. Their duties were to
be the investigation and supervi-
sion of mothers pensions, investi-
cation of placements and adop-
tions, supervision of commitment
of the feebleminded, and unmar-
ried mother and cooperation with
the juvenile court in the supervi-
sion of delinquents. .H = =.
The first Child Welfare Board
appointed in Stearns county con-
sisted of William Boerger, county
superintendent of schools, who
was elected chairman of the Board
and who has served in that ca
pacity ever since; Peter Lair, of
st. Cloud, representing the county
commissioners; Mrs. j. B. Dunn OF
St. Cloud, Mrs. H. S. Halvorson OF
Sank Centre and Mrs. A. Moyni-
han of Sank Centre. Mrs. Moy-
nihan was elected secretary of the
Board and in 1922, executive Sec
rotary which position she still
holds. In 1921 Mrs. Halvorson
resigned from the Board and Mrs.
Helen Ingram, of Sank Centre
was appointed to take her place.
Mrs. Ingram with her wealth of
sympathy and understanding serv-
ed faithfully until she was sudden
ly stricken by death. Mrs. Claude
Dragoo, of st. Cloud who is also
president of the City Council
there, was appointed to succeed
Mrs. Ingram, which she still occu-
pies.
The second Saturday of each
month is the regular meeting day
of the Board and meetings are
held in the commissioners rooms
at the court house, St. Cloud at
which time, petitions are presented
and complaints made and recon-
mendations regarding mothers
pensions are made to be presented
to the Juveline Court later for this
consideration.
Mothers pensions are paid only
to those mothers who without that
aid, would he forced to place their
children in institutions or scatter
them among relatives. No institu-
ton can equal the home for
child. Normal development of
those qualities of heart and mind
so necessary to adult life develop
best in the friendly give and take
and the affection of family life.
The rapid spread of the mothers
pension movement indicates how
widely held is the conviction that
such an opportunity shall not be
denied a child because of poverty.
One hundred eight applications
for county aid were considered by
the Child Welfare Board during
the year 1927 and on January 1st
1928, 81 mothers were receiving
aid for 30S children. The total
county aid for 1927 was $2O,988.-
90. A mother wishing to apply
for county aid makes a written ap-
plication to the clerk of the Juve-
nile Court in St. Cloud. She
makes a sworn statement regard
ing the death of her husband, the
ages of the children under 16,
the ability of older children or
herself to support the children I'M
aided and the ability of relatives
to care for them. "A copy of her
statement is sent by the clerk of
the Juvenile Court to the secretary
of the Child Welfare Board who
makes a careful investigation, ver-
flying death and birth dates, length
of residence in the county, prop
erty held either by the widow or in
trust-in fact, all matters having
any bearing whatever upon Fam
ily's future. Where relatives or
older children are financially able
to contribute, the duty falls first
upon them and the deficit is made
up by the county. For this rea-
son it is very hard to figure the
average cost of support per child
since most every family has as
sets of some kind.
The information gathered by
the investigator is laid before the
Child Welfare Board and recon-
as to the amount re-