Evening star., 1936-12-13
TRAINING SCHOOL
|MPASSE SCORED
League of Women Voters
Criticizes Action of Budget
Bureau.

Sharp criticism Of the Budget
Bureaus action In modifying the
Board Of Public welfare's suggestion
for new housing at the National
Training School for Girls Is voiced by
the voteless District Of Columbia
League Of Women Voters.
The league, in its weekly News
Letter" takes issue with the bureaus
insistence on the construction Of one
building to house "a girls instead OF
two cottages for IL girls each. Alto
eether. 100000 is to be spent On i'm
provements at the school.
''Why should 1t make any difference
whether the girls are housed in one
big building or two small ones?" the
News Letter asks 1T makes the Diff
ference between the old method OF
treating the girls as criminals and the
new method of treating them as indi-
vdual human beings.
Condition Reviewed.
"A few months ago, the institution
was q prison, with each girl In Q
small, dark, unheated cell, with prison
discipline and punishment. No matter
how good the intentions of the super
intendent, If the girls must be kept
In one large undifferentiated popu-
lation, the old attitudes will persist"
The improvement and moderniza-
ton program has turned the institu-
ton into real school, the publication
finds, with the girls in the role of
students and their officials acting as
teachers.
IF the present decision about the
buildings stands" the News Letter
nevertheless warns. the league be-
neves that costly and mistaken
economy will be carried out which will
result in nullification Of much Of the
modernization program Of the in
stitution.
"The idea Is not merely to replace
ancient and inadequate buildings with
new ones, but to renew the physical
plant SO as to create q new and
modern regime. In the mind Of any
thoughtful or experienced person, the
thing that matters is not the new
buildings, but the effect of the institu-
ton upon the girls who must live
8 there. and the new equipment Is
merely means to an end.
Building Plan Submitted.
"At the request of the Senate Com
inittee on Appropriations DR.. Carrie
tendent, submitted a complete plan
Of building which included the two
cottages In accord with the best In.
formed thought. and in this request
she was backed by the foremost ex.
perts and social workers Of the Board
Of Public Welfare and the interested
agencies Of the Federal Government.
But when the budget came back
from the Budget Bureau 1t carried a
recommendation for one cottage
housing "a girls Although at three
separate times during the discussion
which followed this action. the Board
Of Public Welfare voted for the two
cottage plan, it finally yielded to the
stipulation of the Budget Bureaus
provision and voted for the single
large cottage.
considering the strong preference
for the two-cottage plan on the part
Of the experts, the previous reiterated
concurrence Of the Board of Public
Welfare and the clear intent on the
part Of the Senators, interested lay
men and organizations involved as
evidenced In all the hearings and
proceedings, 1t Is hard to believe that
the question OF economy alone rules
the outcome. The record which pre-
ceded the appropriation shows again
and again that the intent was to
provide correct. not cheap, housing"