Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

BOARD OF STATH CHARITIES, January 10, 1872.

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court convened.

The undersigned, members of the Board of State Charities, have the honor to present for the consideration of the General Court, their Eighth Annual Report, to which are appended the Reports of the Secretary and the General Agent of this Board, as required by law, and the Reports of the Visiting Agent, and the Special Agent for the Sick State Poor.

All which is respectfully submitted by

SAMUEL G. HOWE,
NATHAN ALLEN,
EDWARD EARLE,
MOSES KIMBALL,
F. B. SANBORN,

S. C. WRIGHTINGTON,
EDWARD L. PIERCE,

Members of the Board.

EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES.

INTRODUCTORY.

The Legislature organized this Board in 1863, and ordered that "it shall investigate and supervise the whole system of public charitable and correctional institutions of the Commonwealth, and shall recommend such changes and additional provisions as they may deem necessary for their economical and efficient administration."

The Board has discussed, in previous reports, some important general principles and questions, such as those social conditions which produce so many subjects for the charitable and correctional action of the State; whether those subjects can be treated where they belong by existing local agencies, or by families; or whether it is better to gather them into special institutions, which imply a certain social segregation. If the latter, upon what principle the institutions shall be organized so as to reduce to its minimum the effect of close association among persons whose character and habits have been formed under unfavorable circumstances.

Those reports have likewise explained the line of policy adopted by the Board in recommending and forwarding measures for promoting the economical and efficient administration of the several existing charitable and correctional institutions which it is charged to investigate and supervise. That policy was adopted partly to establish a certain unity of purpose, and harmony of action, among the various State establishments. The present Report will contain a description of the agencies, and of the machinery, by which the Board works:

EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT, 1871.

an account of the work accomplished, especially during the past year; with explanatory remarks necessary for readers. unfamiliar with the matter; and a few special recommendations.

The Board, during the eight years of its existence, has gradually systematized its work, and established certain instrumentalities (bureaus) for doing it with regularity and economy, which will here be briefly described.

THE BOARD AS A WHOLE

Tries to become familiar with the general condition and wants of the several charitable and correctional institutions owned by the State, and of those aided by the State. This is mainly done,

First. By holding regular monthly meetings at its office in the State House; and by special meetings, when required, either at its office, or at some of the public institutions. The regular meetings are usually fully attended; and last from two to four hours. There have been twelve regular meetings, and eight special meetings, during the year. At each regular meeting the Board acts upon reports of committees to which have been assigned special subjects for consideration. It makes transfers of the inmates from one public institution to another or discharges them altogether. It considers the report made by the Secretary of the condition of the several public institutions as gathered from monthly reports made to his bureau by the several superintendents. It considers the monthly report of the General Agent, who gives an account of the number of immigrants arrived, the amount of head-money, etc. It receives a report from the Visiting Agent. It considers the monthly report of the Agent for Visiting Sick Poor, which details the work done by him during the month. Some of these reports are sure to suggest topics for discussion, and usually for investigation.

Second. The Board makes at least one formal visit each year, to the several State institutions, to wit: the three Lunatic Hospitals and the Receptacle for Insane; the three Reformatories; the two State Almshouses; the State Prison and the Workhouse; and the State Primary School. Besides these

BOARD OF CHARITIES AS A WHOLE: COST, ETC.

formal visits, individual members of the Board visit the institutions frequently. The Secretary is often called to do so on special errands of inquiry; and the General Agent is obliged to visit several of them each month on official business. In this way almost all of them are subject to frequent formal and informal visits by the Board, or some of its members, by which pretty intimate knowledge of their condition is obtained. The whole number of these visits by the Board during the past year, was fourteen. The special visits by the Secretary, the General Agent, and by individual members of the Board, were eighty-seven.

The travelling expenses for the year ending September 30, 1871, were $551.53. This sum represents the whole yearly cost to the Commonwealth of the Board of State Charities as a superintending and advisory body, the members receiving no compensation for their services. The apparent expenses of the Board are really the cost of executive and clerical work, which necessarily occupies the whole time of the heads of four bureaus, and of their clerks.

All this is work which must necessarily be done by somebody, at the expense of the State, None of it could be omitted without detriment to the public service. Before the organization of the Board much of this work was done in different bureaus, without much system, and at large cost. A part of it is work made necessary by the increase of the population, and by the increase of relations between the State and various parties. It has not been called for by the existence of the Board; but the necessity for its performance has grown out of the growth and expansion of the State business. For instance: immigration by land and water had to be supervised and regulated, lest it should be the channel through which the paupers and criminals of foreign countries and States should be discharged upon our shores, and left here, while most that was valuable in the flood was carried beyond our borders.

So with the necessity of guarding the interests of the State against the tendency of parties beyond her borders, and of towns and individuals within her borders, to throw upon her the cost of supporting pauper lunatics and others, who do not

EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT, 1871.

properly belong to her. And so with other departments of the public service. All the work assigned to the Board has been systematized to a considerable extent, and is done more effec- · tually and more cheaply; so that upon the whole the creation of the Board has proved, what Governor Andrew and others through whose influence it was organized, foresaw it would prove a measure of economy.

The general work of the Board is done in four departments, each of which has its separate bureau.

I. THE SECRETARY.

He, more than any other officer, is the direct representative of the Board. His duties are,

First. To superintend the clerical business of the Board; to keep its records and conduct its correspondence with individuals and societies engaged in charitable and reformatory work.

Second. The Secretary attends upon the legislative committies during the sessions of the legislature, to explain the condition of the institutions supervised by the Board, the legislation already enacted, or bills prepared, or to draft bills, etc., as explained in the Seventh Report, page 4, and the Eighth Report, pages 3 and 4.

Third. The Secretary has also in charge the preparation of an annual report upon the affairs of the several institutions, statistical tables, and the treatment of special topics pressing for attention. The materials upon which the report is based, apart from what is ascertained by personal observation and conference and by research, are the returns regularly received at his office.

These are as follows:

1. From the State Institutions of charity and reform, viz. : three lunatic hospitals, weekly returns of admissions and discharges; three State almshouses, weekly returns of admissions and discharges; three reformatories, monthly returns of admissions and discharges,-made by authority of section 3, chapter 240, Acts of 1863. An annual financial statement is also required by the Board from each of the above institutions.