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Our organization, by its very nature and constitution, is interested in all charitable work in the District of Columbia, our chief aim and object being to bring about a harmony among the various forces at work on these lines. As an organization taking a view of the whole field and being free from all political influence, as we do not receive or seek any appropriation of public money, we would respectfully offer the following suggestions in reference to charitable work in the District of Columbia:

First. We disapprove of the principle of appropriation of public money for private charity, believing that such a policy, when tried in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, has proven its inefficiency and costliness.

Second. We believe that there is a waste of means by duplication of effort in the District of Columbia, arising from the fact that there is no central authority having power to organize the charities in such a manner that they will assist and supplement each other's work. And in this connection we respectfully suggest the organization of a board of charities on the line suggested by the board of trade of this city; that such a board should have power to visit and examine the work of the various institutions and organizations, and should make report as to the manner in which the work is done and recommendation as to the appropriation necessary when such organizations are supported from the public treasury.

When your committee is sufficiently advanced in its work to desire a public hearing we would be glad to be notified, and to have an opportunity of expressing our views on these very important questions. Yours, very respectfully,

THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, By GEO. S. WILSON, General Secretary.

ASSOCIATED CHARITIES OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

Washington, D. C., June 22, 1897.

DEAR SIR: In reply to your inquiry in reference to the organizations to whom we have applied for assistance for their members, I beg to state that I am unable to give definite information as to the exact amount of work done by the various private charitable organizations in the community.

There is a multitude of churches, lodges, and benefit societies doing more or less charitable work, but many of them keep no definite records of the work done.

About a year ago a committee of the Civic Centre, under the chairmanship of Miss Florence Spofford, endeavored to make an investigation of the charitable work done by the various churches. The committee had schedules prepared and printed calling for quite definite information in reference to the work done by the various churches, and Miss Spofford informs me that the committee did not succeed in getting anything like a satisfactory return from any considerable number of churches. The investigation disclosed the fact that many of the churches failed to keep anything like a complete record of the charitable work done by them or by societies connected with them.

In general, I would say that nearly every church has some charitable organization or relief committee within its organization, but only a very few of the stronger churches provide the needed relief for those of their own membership. While a few do work outside their mem bership, a great majority of them, while doing something for their

members, do not attempt to provide for the necessities of all of their members. The Roman Catholic Church, through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, does a good deal for its membership, but in most of the congregations does only a very small part of what is needed among the church members and adherents.

The Grand Army of the Republic, through the various posts and Relief corps, provides very largely for the cases of need found among Union soldiers and their families, and it is not often that public charity is needed to supplement the work of the Grand Army among the soldiers and their families.

The Southern Relief Society does a good deal for ex-Confederate soldiers and their families, though it does not always quite meet the demands among this class.

The Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Elks, and possibly a few other strong fraternal organizations provide amply for cases of destitution among their members. Several of the trades unions, while not intended to be benefit or relief associations, do relieve members in good standing when in temporary distress.

Among the colored people there is a large number of beneficiary organizations of one kind and another, but the aid rendered by them is not very great, and it is much more frequently a death benefit or life insurance, in a small amount, to defray expenses of funeral, than it is relief during the lifetime of the insured.

The above statements will give the committee a general idea of the classes of people who seem to be provided for by private organizations. After all, only a comparatively small proportion of the really poor people are provided for in this way. When you leave out those who seem to be provided for, namely, the members of the Grand Army and their families, ex-Confederate soldiers and their families, members of very strong churches, and members of a few of the stronger fraternal organizations, you still have left the great masses of the poor people, who must be provided for from some public charity knowing no limitations of color, creed, or society membership. I think that not more than one-fifth of the cases of destitution that come to our notice can be provided for wholly by the organizations referred to above, so that at least four-fifths of all cases of destitution coming to our notice have to be provided for through some general public charity.

Trusting that these statements may be of some use in affording the committee a general view of the comparative extent of the work of private charitable organizations in the community, I remain,

Yours, very truly,

GEO. S. WILSON,

General Secretary of the Associated Charities
of the District of Columbia.

CHARLES MOORE, Esq.,

Clerk of the Joint Select Committee to Investigate the Charities and Reformatory Institutions in the District of Columbia.

DEPENDENT CHILDREN.

BOARD OF CHILDREN'S GUARDIANS.

RETURN A.—Administration.

Name of institution or association: Board of Children's Guardians. Location of institution or office of association: Office, 472–478 Louisiana avenue.

Date of organization: February 28, 1893.

Date of incorporation: Not incorporated; created by special act.
Date of approval of act: July 26, 1892.

Extent of lands occupied: None.

Value of buildings and other improvements in detail: None.

RETURN B.-Population.

Number of inmates July 1, 1895: 255.*

Number admitted during the fiscal year 1896: 93.

Number discharged during the fiscal year 1896: 19. (See Annual Report, p. 12.)

Total number in institution June 30, 1896: 312.

Highest number accommodated at any one time: 313.

Number of children placed in free homes during the year: 53 (not

including transfers).

Number restored to parents or relatives: None.

Number of deaths: 17.

Are the privileges of the institution or association confined to bona fide residents of the District of Columbia? They are.

What entrance conditions as to age, color, sex, or religious affiliation? None, except that all must be under 16 years of age.

What supervision is exercised over expenditures or management by public officers? All bills are audited by the Board or a committee thereof, approval being certified by president and secretary. Manage ment directed by the Board meeting once a month.

Under the auspices of what religious denomination is the institution conducted? None.

RETURN C.-Income and expenditure for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1896.

Income from Congressional appropriations: Administrative, $4,000; care of children, $16,000; total, $20,000.

Income from other public sources, stating such sources: None.

*The Board receives no income except from annual appropriations made by the Congress. These are for fiscal years ending June 30, and can not be otherwise divided. This return has, therefore, also been made for a fiscal year, as otherwise the population report could not be considered with reference to that relating to expenditures.

Income from private gifts: None.

Income from endowment: None.

Income from all other sources, stating such sources: Deficiency appropriation, $3,801.36.

Total income: $23,801.36.

Amount paid for salaries, in detail: One agent, $1,600; one clerk,

$720; one clerk, $420; one clerk, three months, $89.99; total, $2,829.99.

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WASHINGTON, D. C., March 25, 1897.

Chairman Joint Select Committee to Investigate Charities and Reformatory Institutions of the District of Columbia.

DEAR SIR: I have the honor of sending you herewith, as part of the return called for by your blank forms received to-day, a copy of the by-laws of the Board of Children's Guardians, certain other rules for the government of the work of the Board, and a circular detailing the conditions upon which boarding homes for infants are approved, giving the rules established for the government of nurses employed by the Board, etc.

Returns A, B, and C, with a copy of the last annual report of the Board, were sent you this afternoon by messenger.

Inasmuch as the Board receives no income except from public appro priations, and these being made only for fiscal years ending annually on the 30th of June, it seemed necessary to so far modify your forms as to submit returns for the last fiscal year rather than for the calendar year, as called for by Return B, otherwise there would be no relation established between the population, Return B, and the income and expenditure, Return C.

If for the sake of uniformity of report you prefer this report submitted for the year ending December 31, 1896, one-half of the regular appropriation for the fiscal years 1896 and 1897 and an estimate division of the deficiency appropriation for 1896 will form a basis for such report, and I will hasten to prepare it upon being notified of your desire in the matter. This will, however, render useless for purposes of comparison and amplification all reference to expenditures and movement of wards contained in the annual report of the Board.

I take the liberty of inviting your attention especially to the table of per capita costs on page 5 of the annual report.

You will observe that the annual cost per child on expense for maintenance has declined each year, and that the cost per child for administration and supervision fell off from $58.80 in 1894 to $16.99 in 1896. For this calculation, the total fund placed at the disposal of the Board for administrative purposes ($4,000) furnishes the dividend and the total number of children in family homes and subject to supervision furnishes the divisor. In my judgment, it is impossible that the per

capita of $16.99 be much further reduced and the important work of supervision and administration still be properly carried on. If the divisor goes on increasing and the dividend remains stationary, the result will be neglect and inefficiency.

The work of placing our children was pushed reasonably during the fiscal year 1896 in the hope and expectation that committees of Congress in charge of appropriations could be made to see the desirability of appropriating somewhere from $16 to $20 per year per child for administration and supervision instead of from $110 to $120 per year per child for the payment of board in institutions. The result of the work of 1896 was, that while 93 children were committed to the care of the Board during the year, the number on expense for maintenance increased only from 103 to 109, all others having been provided with free homes. (Annual Report, p. 12.)

The hope and expectation of the Board with regard to administrative resources has not been realized. The appropriation for 1898 for such purposes remains at $4,000. Therefore, since the Board is unable to see how it can effectually guard the interests of an ever-increasing number of children in widely scattered homes on a stationary appropriation, the work of placing them in such homes has been suspended and they are accumulating an expense for maintenance. As I have said, last year was closed with 109 so situated. Now there are 132, and there will be from 20 to 30 additions to this number between this time and the end of the year, so that the number on expense for maintenance, at $113 per year per child (the rate prevailing during 1896), instead of increasing by only 6, as during 1896, will increase by not less than 45, while the number of new commitments to the care of the Board will be smaller than during 1896.

The children are going to keep coming for some time, and they will have to be provided for at the expense of Congressional appropriations. The question to be determined is as to whether they are to be provided with homes in families waiting and anxious to take them, and where they may cost $20 per year each for supervision and the expenses of maintaining a board of guardians, or shall have their board paid in institutions where they will cost upward of $100 per year each.

It has not been my intention in writing this letter to make any plea for especially favorable consideration of the Board of Children's Guardians. I do not believe any such plea is necessary. The Board has done what it could with the resources within its command, and its work needs only to be understood to be appreciated.

Any further details regarding its operations will be gladly furnished whenever required.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

HERBERT W. LEWIS, Agent Board of Children's Guardians.

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