Evening star., 1944-10-01

350, 900 Bomb Noses,
$1,000 Shirts Made
By Inmates in Yeur
During the fiscal year 1914 pris'
oners at District penal institution
manufactured $4,000 bomb nose'
for, the War Chemical Service, &c..
600 shirts for the Navy and 24,00t
shirts for the United Nations Relief
and Rehabilitation Administration
the annual report of the Board ol
Public Welfare to the Commissioner
disclosed yesterday.
In addition. prisoners renovated
mattresses for nearby Army posts
made $4,000 deck brushes for the
Navy and 20 District Jail inmates
took part as volunteers in typus
control experiment under super
vision of the Army, Navy, Depart
mert of Agriculture and Western
Reserve University.
At the Lorton (Va.) Reformatory
more than 200 inmates participated
in an experiment of the Agriculture
Department in the use of vesicant
gas and 100 took part in study
of penicillin. Reformatory inmates
also denoated 1857 pints of blood
to the Red Cross, with one prisoner
giving nine donations and 1877 pris-
oners making from two to eight
donations.
The average daily population of
the Jail in 1914 was 554, compared
with 656 the previous year. SINH
larly, the average daily population
at the reformatory during the year
was 1,119 and 684 at the workhouse.
In l943 the average was 1896 for
the reformatory and LIS for the
workhouse.
Child Cases Increase.
In the field of children's services,
the board reported a % per cent
increase in the number of cases
for the care of children. The board
commented:
Analyses of the new cases within
the year shows some evidence of
comparatively new types of situa-
tions. Among these were requests
for full-time placement of children
SO that parent or parents can accept
or continue employment.
in complaints of neglect and un-
suitable homes, there seems to be
a tendency for the community to be
very critical of the chronic SUBJ
standard home in the light of in
creased financial opportunity and
prosperity. The increase of money
to families has not been accom-
panied by corresponding decline
In behavior problems.
THE housing problem is becom-
Ing increasingly of concern to the
agency because parents, convinced
OF the lack of housing, seek to place
children away from home. The
separations of families due to the
military service show their effects
IN increasing the problems of chill
dren."
Discussing foster homes. the
boards report stated that effective
operation Of the various types of
foster care is prevented because IA
cihties and resources are lacking
Tor the care OF the child during
study OF his problem" and said
that an admission center for study
before their placement was essen
t1al. Although il2 foster homes
were found during the year-prin-
cipally in country areas-16s homes
were lost.
Relief Work Decreases.
Regarding adult services. the
board said that "the number of per-
sons receiving assistance continued
the decline which was evidenced the
previous year." The number of old
age relief recipients dropped from
3,l45 In June, 1943, to 2,756 in June
OF this year, while general-public
assistance recipients declined from
goo In June of last year to 829 in
June OF this year. Similarly, aid to
dependent-children cases fell from
ZIG to 576 during the year and the
number OF blind recipients from 278
to 236.
The board said the children's
services program had been carried
on with rs per cent of the author
lied number Of social and clerical
workers. Application for the care
and counseling of 3,431echildren was
made during the year, an increase of
28 per cent, and in addition $50 chill
dren were committed for foster care
by Juvenile Court.
A shift or policy has resulted in
placing emphasis on preventive
work IN delinquency, the board said.
One important project was the
extension of services to children
who showed tendencies toward de-
lnquency but who had not yet be.
come seriously delinquent. The
project was carried on co-opera-
lively with the public schools. The
project accepted from the elemen-
tary schools 1853 children who were
insecure, Lnderprivileged, malad-
Justed or exposed to destructive in
fiuences. 1t was possible to effect
Improvement in the behavior of two
thirds Of the children"
Home Accidents |