Milford chronicle., 1941-03-28
ASSEMBLY CONCLUDED
TOUR WITH VISIT AT
DELAWARE COLONY

Members of the General Assem-
bly, concluded their three-day tour
OF state institutions last Friday
with an afternoon-long visit to Del
aware Colony, the state training
school for mentally deficient, at
Stockley. Their visit commenced
with an inspection of the newly
prepared wards on the ground
floor of the infirmary buildingi
these wards were prepared from
former unimproved store rooms,
using funds sets up during the pre-
yious General Assembly.
The budget submitted by Colony
authorities for the forthcoming BIZ
ennium included provisions for OPP
prating these additional wards;
however, these amounts were de-
leted from the budget as finally
passed. AS a result, a measure has
been introduced that would appro-
pirate moneys sufficient for opera
ito nof these wards during the next
two years. Opening of these wards,
which are now completely equip
ped, would allow the admission of
additional infirmary-type cases
from the long waiting list, it was
explained by Superintendent How
ard II. Ennis.
AS each legislator arrived at the
intrmary, the starting point OF the
tour, he. was given, as a souvenir
of his visit, an ornamental wooden
tray prepared by the manual
training students OF the department
Of occupational, thereapy. At the
same time each received a map of
the colony, showing the route the
tour would take.
After inspecting the infirmary,
the group moved northward, visit
ing the girls cottages, the main
tenance shops and the laundry, in
succession. The cavalcade drove
past the sewage disposal plant,
thence through colony woodlands
to the southernmost of the boys
cottages. After visiting these, the
group stopped at the colony farm
and viewed the dairy barns, equip
ment sheds, storage tScilities and
live stock. Some of the legislators
stopped at various cottages to see
children who had come from their
home districts to become enrollees
of the colony.
The complete tour consumed
three and one-half miles of driving.
The colony consists of an 110O-
acre tract of land, 400 acres of
which are cultivated to furnish
fresh vegetables for the children,
feed for the live stock and occupa-
tional training for large group of
enrollees.
There are three cottages each for
white girls and boys and one cot
tage each for colored girls and
boys; a general infirmary houses
40 permanent patients and pro-
vides accommodations for 2S trans
lent cases from the residential cot
tages. A single building houses the
administrative offices and the shops
and classrooms of the department
of occupational therapy. The col
ony has 470 enrollees and, accord
ing to the report of the Permanent
Budget Commission, houses, clo-
thes, feeds, and trains these chill
dren and conducts a social service
on an annual expenditure OF $316.14
per child. Compared to those other
state institutions which house and
care for enrollees, and which are
wholly supported by state funds,
Delaware Colony shows the lowest
per capita expenditure, according |
to figures published in the Budget
Commissions report.
The final stop of the tour was
made at the combined administra-
ton and school building, where the
group heard Superintendent Ennis
explain the colony's program, at
tainments and needs. Following
an inspection OF this building and
of the school work done by the
children, the group were served re-
freshments.