Evening star., 1953-05-13
Hopes Raised
For Chi|dren's S
Center Funds
Representatives See
Need for Addition
After Laurel Visit
By Miriom Ottenbera

The prospect of funds in the
pending budget to build another
institution at the Children's Gen.
ter in Laurel, Md. for the Dis
trict's child wards grew brighter
today, after three House Appro-
priations Committee members
saw for themselves why the new
buildings are needed.
The three legislators, all on
the subcommittee handling the
District budget. sandwiched a
visit to the Junior Village into a
full day and evening of hearings
on the budget.
Their comments gave a big
boost to the widely sponsored
plan to build new Industrial
Home School for Colored Chill
dren at the Children's Center.
$S.7 Million in Budget.
The Junior Village on Lough-
boro road houses $50 homeless
youngsters and so colored boys
from the Industrial Home School.
Under the plan advanced by
the Commissioners, the Junior
Village will move to the present
buildings of the Industrial Home
School at Blue Plains as soon as
new buildings can be provided
for the Industrial Home School
at the Children's Center in
Laurel.
To pay for those buildings, the
Commissioners have asked for
$3.7 million in the 1854 budget.
of which 81 million would be-
come available in July.
After looking over the dilap-
idated buildings now housing the
children of the Junior Village
and asking how soon they could
get out-Chairman Wilson of the
House Appropriations subcom-
mittee on the District declared:
"This place confirms the tes-
timony given the committee. I
concur in the Commissioners
overall plan to build up the
Children's Center. This certain
ly justifies the plans as they
have been presented to U.S."
Representative vursell, Repub-
lican of Illinois, agreed.
Condition should be improved
as soon as it can consistently be
done," he said. 1T appears we're
now on the road in that direc-
ton"
representative Fernan-
deZ, Democrat of New Mexico,
commented, II wish more Con-
gressmen would come and see
this-see what the problem real
ly is"
Two Oldest Buildings.
Accompanied by Welfare Di-
rector Gerard M. Shea, Budget
Officer Walter Fowler, Deputy
Budget Officer. William Wilding
and Carson w. 'Culp, Appropria-
tlonS subcommittee clerk, the
legislators went over the two
oldest buildings on the Lough-
boro road reservation, as well as
the converted house where the
institutions babies are housed.
They looked at the dark
schoolrooms and commented they
were hardly an inspiration to
the students. They saw a steep
fire escape from the third floor
OF one building. where the chill
dren would have to cross an un-
protected roof to get to the
second section of the fire escape.
They saw rough wooden floors,
some fallen plaster.
Looking over the view Of wood
land from the rolling hillside,
one of the legislators commented:
'"The Lord gave them a fine
place, but they haven't done
much with it since 1863"
The date he referred to was
the year in which one of the
buildings was built.
Mr.. Wilson wanted to know
why these children were to be
sent to Blue Plains instead Of
getting a new building at the
Children's Center. It was ex-
planned that they have to re-
main in the District since they
have not been committed to the
Board of Public Welfare and
since the goal is to return them
to their parents as soon as pos
sible. The visitors were told
that most of the children are
abandoned or deserted, but go
per cent Of them are getting
back to their parents eventually.
Superintendent Praised.
All three subcommittee men,
bers warmly praised the super
intendent of the Junior Village.
Miss Winifred Thompson, fer
what she had been able to do to
make the place more livable.
From what I have seen,"
! summed up Mr.. Wilson. "ths
Commissioners are justified in
their plans to do more for these
helpless children, who are here
through no fault of their own.
ut is in the interest Of econo-
my to make good citizens Of
these children. If the expend,-
lures which the District is max
ing will prevent children from
spending the rest Of their lives
in institutions. the expenditures
will be justified"