Evening star., 1952-05-11
Big Baby Crop
Is Problem for
Child Agencies
Tidal Wave
Already Jomming
Facilities Here

A tidal wave" of children, born
IN postwar years, is already caus-
ing serious problems to District
government agencies dealing with
Juveniles, according to recent
population study released by the
District Budget Office.
The recently-completed study
is based on figures of the 1850
census It also reflects statistical
research by the District Board of
Public Welfare. The Police and
Health and Recreation Depart
ments, the Department of Correc-
tionS, the public schools, the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission, the Public Library
and the Juvenile Court.
The District study projects CEN
sus population figures through
1860. It indicates that by 1860,
school facilities will have to be
provided in Washington for co.
600 more children than in 1850.
Il Fer Cent OFOWtns
The figures show that during
the decade from 1910 to 1850, the
population of the District grew
from 663,091 to 802, 1913, or about
81 per cent. The highest rate of
increase was in children under
five years old, which increased
78 per cent. The next highest
was in the aged groups, 81 per
cent. The lowest increase was
in the group of young adults, Is to
"a years which grew only 2.7 per
cent over the decade.
While the age group under S
represents the largest increase
during the decade 1940-1950, the
age group 5 to IA will supply the
largest increase in the decade
1850 to 1960." the report says.
"This increase has already be-
gun to be felt by the public schools
in the kindergarten grade. The
serious problem of finding school
rooms and teachers for these chill
dren throughout the next decade
will grow as the children's tidal
wave" grows. If the child popu-
lation aged S to IA increases from
89,73 in 1850 to the projected
10000 in 1860, the schooling of
the added $4,000 children will be
the responsibility of the Board
of Education over and above the
number of children in school in
1850. The School Health Service
and the schools division of the
Public Library will share this
pressure. ..
Other Agencies Feel Pinch.
Other agencies that will feel
growing pressure from the bumper
crop of babies. are the Police Ju-
venile Bureau, the Juvenile Court
and the Child Welfare Services
of the Board of Public Welfare,
the report says.
The probable increase in 5-to-
14-year-olds from 10000 to 150,-
600 in 10 years will test severely
all of the District services which
deal with these children. The eff
fectiveness of these services dur
ing the 1950's will largely deter
mine the extent of more serious
problems when these children be-
came the 15-to-24 years-olds of
the 1905"
Other sections of the report
deal with the problems of older
age groups and the effects of re-
ported population shifts. It also
discusses the overall effects of
population growth.
Sufficient Living Room.
"Is there living room for an in
rease of 1892 in the District
population (by 1860 ?" the report
asks. ION July /, 1948 :. there
were 1894 acres in the District
occupied by all types of resi-
dences. excluding only military
barracks, public and semi-public
hospitals and other institutions.
At that time there were 4,389
acres of vacant land, most of
which was available for residential
purposes.
IF this land were used for resi-
dences of the type of housing now
occupying the bullion areas :.
and at the same density of popu-
lation per acre. it could accom-
modate an additional $4,000 per-
sons.
"It is, of course, unreasonable
to expect that every acre of this
land will be built on during the
next 10 years, or that some will
not be used for commercial, in
dustrial, public or semipublic pur-
poses. On the other hand, much
land now counted as occupied
can house added numbers Of
people. -.
The subdivision of estates, the
replacement of old, gle-family
houses by apartments, and the
transfer to residential use of semi
public property by institutions
which move to the suburbs are
likely to continue to increase the
h0,,SinU cono nitu nf tho nicffict -