Evening star., 1948-03-02
Welfare Board S
Under
by Miller
Representative Coils
For Full Report on
Londs ond Buildings. !.

INTO the WlQely ScatGered 1ac1l1eleS OF
the Board Of Public Welfare has
been launched by Representative
Miller, Republican,, Of Nebraska
Following a personal visit to four
outlying places under board con-
troll yesterday, Representative Mil
Ter said he will call on the District
Commissioners and the board for q
complete report on all its lands and
buildings.
Critical of what he found, es-
peciaIly at two sites Of more than
100 acres each in Maryland, DR..
Miller, a physician, wants the an
swers to several questions.
First he wants a map showing the
location of all land being used for
institutions under board control,
or intended to be used later He
wants the map to show every build
ing now occupied or held for future
Use.
The Commissioners and the board
will be asked to explain why some
buildings at jolly Acres, near Laurel,
Md, and at Muirkirk. near Belts
vile, Md, are not being used. He
wants to know also what plans are
In mind for future use Of these
buildings and their grounds.
Some Being Demolished.
IT found buildings at jolly Acres,
on a site of about 106 acres, were
being torn down." DR.. Miller said.
That demolition ought to be
stopped, now"
On the other site of 1872 acres,
known as Muirkirk, the Nebraskan
said he found big fireproof brick
building abandoned. He learned IL
had been used formerly for the
now defunct Civilian Conservation
Corps and later by the Army. Once
1t had been occupied by the city's
National Training School for Girls.
he said.
If the city doesn't need all
the Maryland acreage, DR.. Miller
said it ought to be sold, at least
part of it. y
In addition to visiting these two
large sites, DR.. Miller also visited
the Districts Home for the Aged
at Blue Plains, and the new build
ing now under construction for the
Receiving Home for Children on
Mount Olivet road NE. He had no
comment on these two institutions.
District officials have cortended
that eventually the hope to use
the two Maryland sites as 3 train
ing center for children. But so
far, they explain. they haven't suf-
ficient funds, either to repair the
structures already there, or to build
new ones
One District official explained
that an engineering survey of the
structures indicated 1t would cost
more to repair than to replace them
with new buildings. 50
DIR. Miller's new inquiry also Is
directed at the National Training
School for Girls on Loughborough
road NV. This is an outgrowth of
a hearing last Saturday on bill
asked by the Commissioners and the
Welfare Board. The measure would
authorize Juvenile Court to commit
colored girls to the board, instead of
to the institution.
At present only cases involving
serious offenses can be committed
there by the court, SO now only
seven inmates are there. The board
wants to put into the school coll
ored girls committed for less serious
offenses. .'t
Property Title Studied.
At the request of DR.. Miller, Cor
poration Counsel Vernon West to-
dav is making a legal study OF the
title to the site of 10 acres on which
both the National Training School
for Girls and the Children's Receiv-
ing Home are located. It is believed
to belong to the United States. But
DR.. Miller wants to find out whether
1t could be sold and proceeds used
to build facilities for the school else
where.
Strong objection to the school In
its present location was registered
at last Saturdays hearing by resi-
dents of the neighborhood, who con-
tend it is "detriment" to the newly
developed community of fine homes.