Evening star., 1938-07-06
C.PENAL HEAD
EXPRESSESFEAR
| OF WIDE ILLNESS
Cites Lack Of Proper Water
and Sewage Facilities
in Report.
WELL WATER SUPPLY
CONDEMNED, HE SAYS
HUFF Also Directs Attention to
0vercrewding and Lack Of
Accommodations.

Whils reporting that the District
penal Institutions ended the past fiscal
year with . balanced budget. fear Of an
epidemic At the Lorton Reformatory
and the Occoquan Workhouse due to
lack Of proper water and sewage faeil-
tiles. was voiced today by Ray L. Hun,
penal director.
In his inst annual report, Mr.. Hun
disclosed that the well water supply
had been condemned and that danger
lurked In the boilers used in the power
plants.
Water and Sewage in Bad Way.
Mr.. Hun advised the Commissioners:
Electricity, power. water and sew
age are in bad condition. A revamp-
ing Of the electric work has suffered
several delays and Is only now prom
1sing to be finished within . Visible
time.
Power Is in . dangerous condition.
New boilers are under contract now,
but are not installed.
Sewage treatment Is non-existent
at the 'workhouse, and adequate for
less than half the population at the
reformatory. We don't know why We
have not had an epidemic.
Our water line has been cleaned
and about an inch Of occlusion re-
moved. Filtration Is now in effect and
added chlorinators and ammoniators
have been ordered. The rapid srovth
Of population and added other faciii-
ties have left the utilities far behind,
The wen Watsr has been con-
"As the year closes. contracts are
out to put in boilsEs to reduce Q dan
sefous load (oo the power system).
The delay here has added to . very
present Aangar. Plans and wage
scales apparently required delay,
These boiler units should be installed
BY the fall.
OvefcrsWding Is Cited.
Mr.. Hli6 also discussed the need fol
better aeesmodetiMa for, the pris.
oners- RAAsse39s
Imagine H9 mea 6. the workhosse
bathing onsaA wssk and sleeping in
. doEmtuI. sattn9 II sns room, con-
sresattns IN . room; vhsrs space
makes pe5onal contact inevitable
shelter remains Q serious Prob
lem, al previous records for popula-
ton having been broken"
The combined population Of the two
institutions At recent count totaled
approximately 2.7o0. The workhouse
population 10 slightly greater than
that Of the reformatory.
Mr.. Hun reported that the institt,-
tious had avoided . deficit Of some
$4,000 Anticipated at the beginning
Of the past hscal year and surprising.
" ended the year with . few dollar,
to the good. In addition, he said, the
institutions had returned TO the
United States Treasury $50, 900 Of the
working capital fund, which almost
always In previous years showed q
deficit.
The penal director also reported
that medical services at the reforma.
tory and workhouse had been ex.
panded and improved; the hve-day
work week had been instituted; TIN
pay Of prisoners inersAsed; guards a1
the workhouse had been placed II
uniform: that 'in-sersice" training
riot and escape drills had been intro.
duced. that captains Of the guard ant
engineers had bsen reclaastned, tina,
cook and baker. typist, shorthand and
bookkeeper training courses had beer
started and that sentenced prisoner,
are moved rapidly from the jail to thu
workhouse and reformatory, relieving
CONGESTION materially at the jail.