Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 4.djvu/197

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THE RELIEF AND CARE OF DEPENDENTS 179

has functions peculiar to itself, just in so far as each state has had conditions peculiar to itself. They have been organized to promote the efficiency of penal institutions and of the provi- sions for the dependent and defective classes, but emphasis is, in the one instance, placed upon one thing, in the other upon another.

But while the state boards differ greatly, they readily fall into two classes — the advisory and the admi?iistraHve . Those of the former class have advisory powers only, while those of the latter have immediate control of the several state institutions. The advisory boards visit and investigate the charitable and penal institutions, counsel with their boards of directors and employes, and make public the results of their investigations together with their recommendations. The administrative boards differ from the ordinary boards of directors chiefly in that the control of all the state charitable institutions is vested in them. They have the same powers and duties in connection with the several insti- tutions that the ordinary board of directors has in connection with its particular institution.

Of the twenty-four states, seven have the administrative boards.' The most noted one of these is that of Wisconsin. For many years that state had both advisory and administrative boards. The "State Board of Supervisors" formed a board of control for all the state charitable and reformatory institutions. The " State Board of Charities and Reform " was an advisory body with one or two executive functions. In 1891 both these boards were abolished and the present "State Board of Control"

9888, Annot. Stat., 1882), 1871; Connecticut (1884-8, Gen. Stat., 1888, as amended in 1895), and Kansas (ch. 131, Webb's Gen. Stat., 1897), 1873; New Jersey (Act of March 23, 1883), and Minnesota(459-463,R.S., 1894), 1883; Indiana (3239-3243, Thornton's Ind. Stat., 1897), 1889 ; South Dakota (Act of March 6, 1890), and Wyoming (Act of Januarys, 1891, as amended in 1895), 1890; Oregon (Act of 1891), and Colorado (384'^*, Mill's Supplement), 1891; Montana (Act of March 3, 1893), and Arkansas (3929-3931, Sandels and Hill's Digest), 1893 ; New Hampshire (ch. 116, Acts of 1895, and ch. 91, Acts of 1897), and Tennessee (2672-2677, Supplement of 1895), 1895 ; Mis- souri (Acts of March 19 and March 23, 1897), 1897; and Iowa (Act of 1898),

1898.

•They are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.