Full text of State Commissions for the Study and Revision of Child-Welfare Laws, Bureau Publication No. 131

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SIATECOMMISSIONS FORTHE STUDYAND REVISION OF CHILD WELFARE LAWS-191H92.3.
’

fü

IÔKLÂJ
YEAR COMMISSIONS
W E RE CREATED.
1911 Ohio

1913New Hampshire, Oreson
1915Missouri, O""1“

It e x a s I

1 % M in n esota
1917 Michigan,Missouri,Montana,Oregon
1918 Delaware,W isconsin
1919 Connecticut,Delaware,Indiana,Missouri, N e b raska
Oklahoma, Oregon ^ C a ro lin a , s.D a k o ta ,T e x a s
1920 District of Cofumpia,]Kansas,,Kentucky, New York,Tennessee
Yo
1921 N.Dakota,U tah,Virginia,w .Virginia
1922 G eorgia, K an sas, Kentucky, M a ry la n d (2)
1923 F lo r id a , P e n n s y lv a n ia . D e la w a r e . SSouth
oi
Dakota

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• These State Commissions did not complete
the worK intended and made no report so tar
as can be ascertained.
* Special semi-official committees on child
welfare legislation.

N ote .— Iowa commission appointed by governor in November, 1923.

Com m ission
created bylaw.
Com m ission
appointed by
governor.
I States having
no commission.
Prepared S e p t.1923.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
JAMES J. DAVIS. Secretary

CHILDREN’S BUREAU
GRACE ABBOTT. Chief

STATE COMMISSIONS FOR THE
STUDY AND REVISION OF
CHILD-WELFARE LAWS

EMMA O. LUNDBERG

Bureau Publication N o . 131

W A SH IN G TO N
G O V E R N M E N T PRINTING OFFICE
1924

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ADDITIONAL COPIES
OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
■WASHINGTON, D .C .
AT

15 CENTS PE B COPY
PURCHASER AGREES NOT TO RESELL OR DISTRIBUTE THIS
COPY FOR PROFIT.— PUB. RES. 57, APPROVED MAY 11, 1922

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& F

3 b 2- • *],
S

131

CONTENTS
Page.

v
Letter of transmittal----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The development and methods of work of State commissions for childwelfare legislation------------------------------ --------------------------------------- ------------------ 1-21
1
The meaning of the child welfare commission movement--------------------2
Growth and present status------------------------------------------------------------------------4
Forms of official authorization----------------------------------------------------------------6
Names of commissions----------------------------------------------------------------------------8
Appropriations_______________________________________________ ______________
9
Membership of commissions----------------------------------------------------------------------12
Division of work by committees--------------- :----------------------------------------------15
Executive secretary-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------16
Duration of commissions’ activities------------ -------------------------------------------19
Publicity, educational campaigns, and conferences-------------------------------22
Essential features in commission programs----------------------------------------------- —
Summaries of organization and plans o f State commissions for child-28-84
28
32
34
36
36
38
40
Iowa________________________________________________________________________
40
Kansas-------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------43
Kentucky_________________ _— ------------------------------------------------- --------------------46
M aryland-_______________________________________________________ ___________
47
Michigan_______________________ _____________________ •____________ _________
49
Minnesota----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------51
Missouri______________________________________ _____________________________
54
Montana___________________________________________— — -------------------------—
54
Nebraska---------- ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------58
New Hampshire___________________________________________________________
59
New York___________________:-------------------------------------— ---------------------------63
North D ak ota ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a 69
Ohio_____________________ :--------------- |-----------------------------------------------------------70
Oklahoma______________________________1------------- ----------------------------------------70
Oregon______________ _________ 1-------------------------------------------------------------------73
Pennsylvania_________________________________________________________ _____
74
South Carolina--------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------74
South Dakota______________________________________________________________
75
Tennessee______________________ * ----------------------------------------------------------------76
T ex a s-____ ___________________________________________________ ______________
76
Utah________________________________________________________________________
Virginia________________________________________________________
79
West Virginia--------------82
Wisconsin___ ___
84

welfare legislation------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------Connecticut___ ,_____________________________________________________________
Delaware_______________________________________ ____________________________
District of Columbia---------------------------------------------------------------------------------F lorida_____________________________________________________________________
Georgia_____________________________________________________________________
Indiana____________ ________________________________________________________

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CONTENTS,
Page.

Special State legislative committees__________________________________________85-92
Alabama_______________________ :____________________ _______________________
86
Colorado_____________________________________________ ______________________
86
Illin o is_____________________________________________________________________
88
List of State commissions for the study and revision of child-welfare
laws_______________________ !__________________________________________________
93
Reports and articles relating to work of commissions_____________________ 96-99
Commission reports____________________ ;__________________________________
96
Reports of special committees____ ___ * ___________________:_______________
98
General articles___________________________________________________________
98
Outline for index of existing legislation affecting child welfare___________
100
Child-welfare standards and recommendations for uniform legislation___
111
Compilations and summaries of laws on special subjects___________________
114
Compilations and summaries of State laws relating to “ children in need
of special ca re” _________
121
Bibliographies and lists of references on child welfare____________________
126
Some of the National agencies and Federal bureaus whose activities re
late to child-welfare legislation____________________________________________
132
Appendix.— Text of laws creating State commissions for the study and
revision of child-welfare laws______________________________________________
135

ILLUSTRATION.
Map.—State commissions for the study and revision of child-welfare
laws----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frontispiece.

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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

U . S. D

epartm ent

abor,

C h il d r e n ’s B

ureau,

Washington, December 15, 1923.
S i r : There is transmitted herewith a bulletin entitled “ State
Commissions for the Study and Revision o f Child-Welfare Laws,”
which is a revision of a bulletin first published in 1920 as a part
o f the Children’s Year Follow-up Series.
A coordinated advance in the whole field of child care is not re
corded in the recent legislation of any State which has not had
before it the carefully considered recommendations o f a child welfare
or children’s code commission. Since 1920 the number of such offi
cial State commissions has increased from 17 to 29. As similar
commissions are being urged in other States, it is believed that this
summary of organization, methods o f work, and programs recom
mended by the commissions which have been at work is especially
timely.
Emma O. Lundberg, director of the social-service division, pre
pared both editions of the report.
Respectfully submitted.
G r a c e A b b o t t , Chief.
Hon. J a m e s J . D a v i s ,
Secretary o f Labor.
v

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR THE STUDY AND REVISION OF
CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF W ORK OF STATE
COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD W ELFARE LEGISLATION.
THE MEANING OF THE CHILD-WELFARE COMMISSION MOVE
MENT.

The growth o f the movement for the coordination and revision of
child-welfare legislation, following a comprehensive study of the
conditions surrounding children in a given State, is one of the most
significant and forward-looking developments in the child-welfare
field. An organized and cooperative effort to secure legislation based
upon the study o f conditions in a State and remedies that have been
successful in other States has been substituted for the spasmodic and
often little-considered proposals o f legislative measures by individ
uals or organizations interested in special phases of child welfare.
Study o f laws affecting the welfare o f children by officially ap
pointed commissions began in 1911. By December, 1923, 29 States
and the District o f Columbia had officially recognized the importance
o f unifying and improving legislation for the protection o f children.
In a number o f other States committees have been engaged in study
ing child-welfare needs, or in attempting to secure the appointment o f
official commissions.
The principles that already have resulted in so widespread a
movement for the better protection o f children were included among
the “ minimum standards for child welfare” adopted by the con
ferences on child welfare held under the auspices of the United
States Children’s Bureau in 1919.1 In that statement the purpose
and method o f revision o f child-welfare legislation were defined as
follow s:
The child-welfare legislation of every State requires careful reconsideration
as a whole at reasonable intervals in order that necessary revision and
coordination may be made and that new provisions may be incorporated in har
mony with the best experience of the day. In States where children’s laws
have not had careful revision as a whole within recent years a child-welfare
1 THHiHwinm Standards for Child W elfare Adopted by the Washington and Regional
Conferences on Child W elfare, 1919.
U . S. Children’s Bureau Publication No. 62.

W ashington, 1919.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

committee or commission should be created for this purpose. Laws enacted
by the several States should be in line with national ideals and uniform so
far as desirable in view of diverse conditions in the several States.
Child-welfare legislation should be framed by those who are thoroughly
familiar with the conditions and needs of children and with administrative
difficulties. It should be drafted by a competent lawyer in such form as to
accomplish the end desired by child-welfare experts and at the same tim e.be
consistent with existing laws.

The development of child-welfare commissions or children’s code
commissions or committees, as these official bodies are variously
called, has been accompanied by active campaigns o f education by
local groups and by national child-welfare organizations. In most
o f the States the scope o f work of these commissions has involved
from one to two years’ study of conditions and needs preliminary
to the coordination and amendment o f child-welfare legislation.
The subjects covered in the various States have included the whole
range o f child-welfare laws and administration and frequently have
also embraced broader social-welfare subjects. Some of the com
missions have mapped out for themselves comprehensive programs
including all phases of child welfare; others have dealt with only
what seemed to them to be the most urgent problems. A few of
the commissions have had ample funds and have undertaken ex
tensive field studies and research; others have had very limited
funds from public grants or from private sources, and a number
have had no funds available.
Perhaps all of the commissions have received assistance in some
form from national organizations or Federal bureaus.2 Special
field studies directly connected with the activities o f the State com
missions are mentioned in reports as having been made in coopera
tion with the State commissions by several such organizations.
These agencies have also furnished the commissions with data re
garding legislation and methods o f administration in other States,
material for distribution in educational campaigns, the results o f
research on various subjects, advisory aid in planning and carrying
out the work, and assistance in drawing up the program for legis
lative action.
GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS.3

The appointment in 1911 of the Commission to Codify and Revise
the Laws of Ohio Relative to Children is usually credited with
being the first official action o f this kind. The so-called children’s
code of Ohio, passed in 1913, resulted from the recommendations
o f the two commissioners, following their studies o f the laws of
2 See list of national agencies and Federal bureaus, p. 132.
3 See map (frontispiece) and also List of State Commissions for the Study and Revision
of Child-Welfare Laws, p. 93.

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

Ohio and various other States. In 1913 the Children’s Commission
o f New Hampshire was created by law, reporting two years later
on existing conditions and making recommendations to the legisla
ture. In Oregon, also in 1913, the governor appointed a child-wel
fare commission, which issued a report and was again appointed
in 1915; the second commission reported to the legislature in 1917.4
In 1914, the Attorney General of the United States appointed a
committee to consider the laws pertaining to children in the District
o f Columbia and to make recommendations. The committee report,
dated January 15, 1915, dealt only with the need for new juvenile
court legislation.
The Missouri Children’s Code Commission was appointed by the
governor in 1915. After two years’ study o f child-welfare con
ditions in the State and of existing legislation, together with con
sideration o f the laws of other States, this commission in 1917 sub
mitted to the legislature a report embodying bills recommended.5
The Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission was appointed by the
governor in 1916, immediately organized for study o f child-welfare
legislation and needs in the State, and made its report to the
legislature in 1917.
In 1917 6 a continuing commission was created by law in Michigan,
and in Montana a commission was appointed by the governor. A
second Missouri commission was appointed by the governor, and a
third Oregon commission was created by law. The governors o f
three States—Delaware, Kansas, and Wisconsin— appointed com
missions in 1918. A ll of the 1918 commissions reported to the
legislatures of 1919, as did those of Michigan, Missouri, and Oregon.
Seven new commissions and three in States previously having such
boards were created in 1919. Those created by law were in Con
necticut, Indiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Delaware
(the second), and Oregon (the fourth). Governors appointed com
missions in South Carolina and Texas, and the third in Missouri.
In 1920 commissions were created by law in New York and Ken
tucky, and were appointed in the District of Columbia, Tennessee,
and Kansas (the second commission). In that year reports were
made to the legislatures by the commissions in Connecticut, Dela
ware, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota ; and
the Oregon commission published compiled child-welfare legislation.
Followed by new commissions in 1917 and 1919.
s New commissions were appointed in 1917 and 1919.
6 In Iowa a general code revision committee was created by law in 1917. This is not
included among the commissions discussed.
Bills recommended by the commission re
lating to schools— including schools for the blind and deaf— illegitimacy, and sex offenses
against children were passed in 1923. A bill for the establishment of a child-welfare
commission failed of passage, but such a commission was appointed by the governor in
November, 1923.
*

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STATE COMMISSION'S FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

In 1921 commissions were created by law in North Dakota, Utah,
and West Virginia, and a commission was appointed by the governor
in Virginia. The Virginia commission reported to the general as
sembly in 1922, and in the same year reports were made by the com
mission created in Kentucky in 1920 and by the continuing com
mission in New York. A commission was appointed by the governor
in Maryland in January, 1922, and reported within a month o f its
appointment; a second commission was created by the legislature
later in the same year. A third commission in Kansas was appointed
by the governor in 1922. Reports to the 1923 legislatures were made
by commissions in Kansas, New York, North Dakota, West Virginia,
and Utah. A Georgia commission and a second commission in
Kentucky were created by the legislature of 1922, the members being
appointed early in 1923. In 1923 new commissions were created by
the legislatures o f Florida and Pennsylvania. Commissions were
authorized in two States previously having such organizations—
Delaware and South Dakota—and the Utah commission was con
tinued. A commission was appointed by the governor in Iowa.
FORMS OF OFFICIAL AUTHORIZATION.

The commissions in 16 States were created by acts o f the legisla
tures,7 and in 3 States a commission was first authorized by the
governor, later commissions being created by law. In 19 other States
the governors appointed the commissions without special legislative
authorization. In all cases the members o f the commissions were
named by the governors, except as ex officio members or representa
tives o f State boards were designated by law.
The following lists show the form o f authorization and the year
the commissions were created in each of the 29 States that have had
such separate official bodies for the study and revision o f child wel
fare laws.
Created by act o f legislature.
Ohio, 1911.
New Hampshire, 1913.
Michigan, 1917.
Nebraska, 1919.
Indiana, 1919.
South Dakota, 1919. (New appropria
tion in 1921.) 1923.
Connecticut, 1919.
Oklahoma, 1919.

Kentucky, 1920, 1922.
New York, 1920. (New appropriations
in 1921, 1922, and 1923.)
North Dakota, 1921.
Utah, 1921. (Continued, 1923.)
W est Virginia, 1921.
Georgia-, 1922.
Florida, 1923.
Pennsylvania, 1923.

F irst commission authorized by govern or; later ones created by legislature.
Oregon, 1913 (reappointed in 1915), 1917,1919.
Delaware, 1918, 1919, 1923.
Maryland, 1922, 1922.
‘ *
* See Appendix, pp. 137—156 for text of laws creating commissions.

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OP WOBK.

Authorised by governor.
Missouri, 1915, 1917, 1919.
Minnesota, 1916.
Montana, 1917.
Wisconsin, 1918.
Kansas, 1918, 1920, 1922.

South Carolina, 1919.
Texas, 1919.
Tennessee, 1920.
Virginia, 1921.
Iowa, 1923.

A committee to revise and codify the child-welfare laws o f the
District o f Columbia was appointed by the Attorney General o f the
United States in 1914; the later commission was appointed by the
Commissioners o f the District of Columbia in 1920.
While there have been certain outstanding active and successful
commissions among those authorized by governors, the commissions
created by legislative acts include a larger proportion achieving defi
nite results. In some instances authorization by the governor fol
lowed unsuccessful efforts of representative groups to secure action
by the legislature, but in others it seems evident that appointment by
the governor came about through the insistence o f some organization
or group o f persons whose interest proved to be o f short duration or
who failed to gain the general support that is essential to accomplish
ment in this field. Commissions beginning with this handicap fre
quently became dormant almost as soon as they had been created.
The concerted effort and well-thought-out purpose necessary to secure
creation o f a commission by the legislature appear to have been in
most cases a guaranty of well-directed activity.
The situation which sometimes resulted from lack of cooperation
in securing the appointment o f a child-welfare commission is illus
trated in an excerpt from a letter regarding one commission so ap
pointed :
T h e -----------commission was nothing more than an acquiescent political gesture
by the governor, at the urging of a woman’s organization. The body had no
State support, and there was a very nebulous idea o f what it was about.

Fortunately, the majority o f the commissions have had a very
different experience. The preserving, united efforts o f the people
vitally interested in bettering the child-welfare laws o f their State
have permanently influenced the development o f protective legisla
tion not only in that State but also in others that have looked to it
for guidance. There can be little question that the most desirable
form o f commission is one that has its origin in a sincere and general
interest in working out the problems o f child-welfare laws and their
administration, and that has been given official recognition as repre
senting the whole State. A commission created by act o f the legis
lature has the advantage of prestige that is a valuable asset to it in
securing cooperation and in putting across its program. The expe
rience o f many commissions would seem to show that recognition o f

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE tLAW S.

official status is o f assistance not only in securing the desired legal
action but also in assuring attention to the administration o f the
measures that are enacted.
NAMES OF COMMISSIONS.

The first official commission was called “ The Commission to
Codify and Revise the Laws o f Ohio Relative to Children.” This
description of the field of work o f the Ohio commission did not cover
the different type of activity undertaken by the commissions next
created, which emphasized study of conditions affecting child wel
fare and their correction through legislation rather than codification
o f laws. New Hampshire, therefore, in 1913 created a “ State wel
fare commission,” and in the same year the Oregon Child-Welfare
Commission was appointed.
Since that time the States creating official commissions for the
study o f child-welfare conditions and the revision of laws have been
about evenly divided in their adherence to the two ideas set forth in
the names o f the original commissions. “ Children’s code commis
sions” have been created in Nebraska, North Dakota, Maryland,
Delaware,7a Virginia, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri, Geor
gia, and Florida. In the same number of States the commissions were
called “ child-welfare commissions”—in Oregon, Minnesota, Michi
gan, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Texas,
Connecticut, and West Virginia, and the name of the second commis
sion in Kentucky was changed to “ child-welfare commission.”
Variations in names are found in a few States besides Ohio and
New Hampshire, previously noted— for example, the New York
State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to Child Welfare, the
Montana Commission to Standardize Children’s Laws, and the Penn
sylvania Commission to Suggest Revisions and Amendments to
the Statutes which Relate to Children, being among those whose
work related only to children. The Indiana Commission on
Child Welfare and Social Insurance had a broader field, as
indicated. Two commissions dealt with adult- as well as childwelfare problems : The District o f Columbia Public-Welfare
Commission (previously called “ Children’s Code Commission” ),
and the Utah State Welfare Commission. The first Maryland com
mission, appointed by the governor, was called “ children’s code
commission,” but on the recommendation o f this group, the commis
sion created by the legislature the same year was called “ commission
on laws of minors,” a name that was considered to describe
better the type o f work to be undertaken- In general, there has been
7a The new Delaware commission is a “ commission to suggest
ing laws of the State relating to minor children.”

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revision of the exist

DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

no real distinction in the field o f work, regardless of the name used
to designate the commission. The name “ children’s code commis
sion ” appears to have been used because it is a short title that
sounds descriptive— very much as the term “ mothers’ pensions” is
still used popularly to designate aid to dependent children in their
own homes—but it is usually not intended to imply that the purpose
o f the commission is codification of child-welfare laws. There has
been some discussion as to the desirability o f using the term “ chil
dren’s code commission.” At an informal conference o f members o f
State commissions, held under the joint auspices o f the Federal
Children’s Bureau, the National Child Labor Committee, and the
special subcommittee of the Committee on Children o f the National
Conference o f Social Work, June 24, 1921,8 two o f the speakers ex
pressed opinions on this subject. Edward N. Clopper, o f the Na
tional Child Labor Committee, made the following statement:
I think one of the striking features about the children’s code movement is
that it is bound to be perpetual. I can not conceive of a fixed children’s code.
Perhaps the word “ code” is a little unfortunate, because it conveys somewhat
the idea of permanency. The children’s code movement has no fixed valu e; it
is a constant growth.

William Hodson, formerly the secretary o f the Minnesota ChildWelfare Commission, said:
I do not know of a “ children’s code ” in the country. Minnesota does not
have a children’s code in the technical sense or use of that term. W e do have
a body of laws which has been revised in various parts, which we have tried
to tie up one to the other, and we have compiled those laws in a separate
volume. That is about as far as we have gone in establishing a real code in
the technical sense of that term.

The 1921 report o f the New York commission says:9
There are many reasons why the commission, after careful consideration of
the subject, fee'ls that a children’s code in a technical sense is not desirable.
It is believed, in the first place, that a code, in a measure, would defeat one
of the purposes of this commission, which is to aid in making the laws less
complex and therefore more readily enforceable. It is obvious that officials
are often responsible for administering laws relating to both adults and chil
dren. One instance will suffice. Factory inspectors must see that regulations
governing the employment of women and children in factories are observed.
I f these inspectors must consult the labor law for the requirements affecting
adults and then turn to a children’s code to find the provisions relating to
children, their work is made that much more complicated, as all these provisions
are now found in the labor law.
Another difficulty involved in a children’s code is readily appreciated by
members of the legal profession. A large number of the provisions in the
8 Stenographer’s report of proceedings, in manuscript.
9 Preliminary Report of the New York State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to
Child W elfare, March 14, 1922. Legislative Document (1 9 2 2 ), No. 84, pp. 6 -7 . Albany,
1922.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

various laws have been the subject o f judicial construction. From time to
time extremely important decisions have been handed down by the courts
which have formed the basis of administrative action by various State depart
ments and other officials. These decisions, in large part, hinge upon the exact
wording of the statute, which, in many instances, would of necessity have to
be altered if it should be decided to merge all the children’s laws into a code.
The risk of thus endangering provisions which have been judicially construed
and which have served for years as a guide for public officials is not one to
be lightly taken.
Furthermore, everyone with practical experience in administering children’s
laws knows that many of them are so completely intertwined that it would be
virtually impossible to separate the provisions relating to children from those
relating to adults.

The name “ child-welfare commission,” since its use became com
mon, has been applied also to State bureaus or boards charged with
administrative or supervisory duties. In one State (Oregon) a bureau
named “ child-welfare commission ” is a permanent bureau having
some supervisory authority in connection with institutions and agen
cies caring for dependent, defective, and delinquent children. In
another State (Alabama) the board controlling a State ehild-welfare department is called “ child-welfare commission.” In a third
State (Delaware) a State agency dealing mainly with child-health
activities was similarly named; and in a fourth State (North Caro
lina) the “ child-welfare commission ” is the agency enforcing childlabor laws. The title that at first was used only to designate com
missions o f a more or less temporary nature for the purpose o f study
ing and revising child-welfare laws has therefore become confusing.
The present tendency appears to be to use the name “ children’s code
commission ” as the generic term but to give the individual commis
sions more specific official titles.
APPROPRIATIONS.

In only 12 States have appropriations been made from public
funds for carrying on the work delegated to the commissions. The
largest grant ($22,000) was made to the Connecticut Child-Welfare
Commission to finance its activities for two years. The New York
State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to Child Welfare re
ceived appropriations in four consecutive years—$5,000, $7,500, $7,500,
and $15,000. The Nebraska Children’s Code Commission was granted
$7,500 for its two-year period o f activity. The Ohio and Indiana
commissions were authorized to expend not to exceed $3,000 and
$5,000, respectively, from “ funds not otherwise appropriated.” The
West Virginia commission had an appropriation of $4,750. The
North Dakota Children’s Code Commission was authorized to ex
pend not to exceed $2,500, and the South Dakota Child-Welfare Com
mission was granted $500 for its first two years, $3,000 for the second
period, and $500 for the third. The new Pennsylvania commission

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

has an appropriation o f $5,000. The New Hampshire Children’s
Commission was authorized to make necessary expenditures, and used
$1,350 in connection with its activities. Similarly the Oklahoma
Children’s Code Commission was authorized to employ stenographers
and clerks and such expert advice and assistance as might seem ad
visable, and the Wisconsin Legislature made an appropriation to
cover the exact cost of stenographic work for the child-welfare
committee.
The successive commissions in Oregon were financed in various
ways. The 1913 commission had no special appropriation, but its
report was published by the State * the work o f the 1915 commission
was made possible by private funds, its report also being printed
by the State. The extension division o f the University of Oregon
undertook to finance the work o f the committee appointed in 1917
and published the report o f a study made by the Russell Sage Foun
dation Department o f Child Helping. The legislature granted the
Oregon Child-Welfare Revision Commission of 1919 $500 for ex
penses; its work was mainly concerned with classifying and indexing
child-welfare work.
In a few States the expenses of the commissions were met by other
public organizations. The South Carolina Child-Welfare Commis
sion had no special fund, but was affiliated with the State board of
public welfare. The second Delaware commission was a part of the
Delaware Reconstruction Commission. The Virginia Children’s
Code Commission had no funds from public or private sources, but
it had the services of the State legislative reference library, the
director o f which was the secretary of the commission.
The Georgia Children’s Code Commission was granted the services
o f the executive secretary o f the State council o f social agencies, and
in three other States—Kansas, Minnesota, and Missouri—the com
missions secured from private sources funds for the salaries o f execu
tive secretaries and for expenses. In Iowa a private agency plans to
offer the commission the advisory service o f an expert.
In addition to the foregoing, no State appropriations were made
for the work o f the commissions in Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan,
Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, and no public funds were
granted to the commission in the District o f Columbia.
MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSIONS.

The number o f members appointed on the commissions in the
different States has varied from 2 or 3 to 40 or 50. The Ohio com
mission had only two members—lawyers. The Oregon commission
appointed in 1919 to revise the child-welfare laws of the State and
the Oklahoma commission, appointed for a similar purpose, each had
three members. Two commissions whose purposes included study
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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

o f child-welfare conditions—New Hampshire and Michigan— also
had three members. The Indiana Commission on Child Welfare
and Social Insurance, although its field was broad, had only five
members, as did also the first two Oregon commissions, the first
commission appointed in Delaware to study child-welfare legislative
needs, and the first commission in South Dakota. The second South
Dakota commission has only three members, but the new Delaware
commission has nine. The first commission in Kentucky had five
members and the second, nine. The Florida commission is to have
at least five members.
The North Dakota commission had seven members; in the Dis
trict o f Columbia 7 members were appointed, with the provision
that the number might be raised to 15. The first Maryland com
mission had nine members; the second, seven. The Pennsylvania
commission has a membership of seven. Other commissions had
memberships as follows: Virginia and West Virginia, 9; South Caro
lina, Georgia, and Iowa, 10; Utah, 11; Minnesota, 12; Wisconsin, 13;
Nebraska and Connecticut^ 15; New York and Tennessee, 16. West
Virginia had, in addition, an advisory committee o f five members.
The 1915 Missouri commission had 25 members; that o f 1917
had 29 members. The 1920 Kansas commission had 21 active mem
bers and 80 serving in an advisory capacity; the commission o f 1922
had 43 members. The Governor o f Texas appointed 50 persons on
the child-welfare commission.
It would appear that a membership o f from 9 to 16 is likely to
be the most successful. Such a number allows for a division into
committees or assignment to special duties. A large committee often
proves to be unwieldy and is too widely scattered, both as to location
and interests, for the teamwork necessary to accomplishment.
Membership has frequently been based partly on representation of
State boards or offices, or of organizations of various types. As has
been noted above, in three instances where the work was to deal
mainly with the body o f legislation lawyers or “ persons experienced
in legislative work ” were designated as the only members. Although
it was usually not specifically required in defining the membership,
most o f the commissions had both men and women members. The
Indiana law provided for five members, “ at least two o f whom shall
be women, and two o f whom shall be parents.”
The law creating the New York commission provided for member
ship o f legislators, and several other commissions, including those
in Minnesota, South Carolina, Missouri, and Georgia, had one or
more legislators as members. The commissions frequently included
ex officio members, representing usually the various State boards or
departments concerned with children. An instance of the designa
tion of ex officio members to the exclusion of representation of gen
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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

eral State interests is found in the first South Dakota commission,
whose membership included official representatives of four State
boards and only one member “ at large.” This limitation naturally
resulted in a lack o f interest on the part o f the general public, and
the officials necessarily looked upon the work o f the commission as
secondary to their original duties.
The composition o f the commissions of the various States can be
shown most clearly by detailing the list of members that were ap
pointed. In most cases the law did not specify what the membership
should be, and the appointments were often made from the point of
view o f securing individuals whose services would be o f special
value.
The membership o f the New York commission included a large
representation o f State officers; three members of the senate; three
members of the assembly; five members to represent the State depart
ments o f education, labor, health, charities, and the State probation
commission; and five members at large.
The members of the Minnesota commission included two members
o f the legislature, one from each house; three judges, two being
judges o f juvenile courts; the superintendent o f the State school for
dependent children; a member of the State board o f control; a repre
sentative o f the State labor department; and two women and three
men closely affiliated with social-welfare activities in the State.
The commission’s report was referred to a joint committee on child
welfare o f the Minnesota Legislature, composed o f five senators and
seven representatives.
The West Virginia commission included five men—three lawyers,
a clergyman, a coal operator— and three women representative of
various organizations. The advisory committee appointed by the
commission was composed o f heads of the State departments dealing
with children—president of the State board of control, State com
missioner o f health, State superintendent o f schools, State labor com
missioner, and the executive secretary o f the State board o f chil
dren’s guardians.
The Missouri Children’s Code Commission appointed in 1917
included nine State and local officials, four members o f the legisla
ture, eight social workers in private organizations, three officers o f
State associations o f women, and five judges or lawyers.
The law creating the North Dakota Children’s Code Commission
provided that nominations for membership should be made from
the following organizations, the governor selecting the members
o f the commission from the names submitted: State conference of
social work, State federation o f women’s clubs, State medical asso-

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

ciation, State bar association, State education association, State fed
eration o f labor, and the State minimum-wage department.
The Georgia commission, as provided in the law, consisted o f:
One superior-court judge, one member o f the house o f representa
tives, one State senator, and a member or representative from the
federation o f women’s clubs, State council o f social agencies, State
board o f health, State board o f public welfare, State federation of
labor, State department o f education, and the Georgia League of
Women Voters.
The South Carolina commission comprised: Two members o f the
legislature, three members connected with State boards, one judge
o f a juvenile court, two representatives o f private child-caring
agenciesj one teacher, and one labor representative.
DIVISION OF WORK BY COMMITTEES.

Upon the organization o f the commissions one of the first steps
taken has usually been to divide the membership into committees,
or, where this did not seem practicable, to classify into a few
groups the child-welfare problems to be considered. These group
ings have depended very largely on the outstanding needs in each
State. They are practical rather than “ ideal.” Where, for ex
ample, a particular subject— such as child labor, the care of mental
defectives, or child hygiene—had recently received special atten
tion and it was felt that no new legislation was immediately needed,
such a subject might be emphasized less than would be the case in
a theoretical outline giving each division o f the child-welfare prob
lem its logical weight. Again, the situation in a State frequently
demanded that certain especially urgent measures be considered
to the temporary exclusion o f other parts of the child-welfare pro
gram. For instance, in Connecticut the commission felt that there
was special need for improved legislation for the care and pro
tection o f dependent, neglected, defective, and delinquent children,
and their efforts were centered on this group o f subjects. The
membership o f the commission was divided into six committees.
Three o f these committees dealt with the phases o f child welfare—
(1) dependent and neglected children, (2) defective children, (3)
delinquent children; and three dealt with the general problems of
the commission’s activities— (4 ). legal and administrative, (5)
finance, and (6) publicity.
More frequently the amount o f stress placed upon the different
subjects is shown in the combinations o f topics. Sometimes one com
mittee has been assigned “ dependent, neglected, and defective
(mentally and physically) children,” “ delinquent children ” or
“ juvenile courts ” being given a separate committee. More often

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

three different committees have had the topics “ dependent and
neglected,” “ defective—mentally and physically,” and “ delinquent ”
children. Some o f the commissions have grouped as closely related subjects “ health and recreation ” or “ child labor and education.”
Committees assigned “ general child welfare,” “ general interests of
children,” or “ general social welfare ” have dealt with a wide range
o f problems, including those not specifically covered by other com
mittees. The field of work o f the “ general child-welfare committee ”
o f the Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission included all the sub
jects not assigned to the three committees on “ mentally defective
and physically handicapped children,” “ dependent and neglected
children,” and “ delinquent children,” the general committee dealing
with birth registration, vital statistics, regulation of midwives, school
attendance, regulation o f employment, and crimes against children.
The committee on “ general interests o f children ” o f the Kansas
Children’s Code Commission o f 1922 included a very different group
o f topics: Courts o f domestic relations, county departments of public
welfare, and marriage laws. Other committees of the Kansas com
mission had assigned to them the subjects: Children in industry,
defective children, dependent children, delinquent children, and
child hygiene. Because o f the special interest at the time in the
“ protection o f maternity and infancy,” the Kansas commission had
one committee on this subject and another on “ health of children.”
Although, as has been pointed out, the divisions o f the field of
child-welfare legislation that have been made by the various State
commissions indicate, in general, the commission’s ideas concerning
the need or the opportuneness of certain measures, rather than an
attempt to make a “ logical ” grouping, they are, nevertheless, of
interest to commissions beginning similar work. The names o f com
mittees or divisions of the field are therefore presented for a number
o f the commissions reporting such organizations:

Connecticut.
1. Dependent and neglected children.
2. Defective children.
3. Delinquent children.
4. Legal and administrative.
5. Finance.
6. Publicity.
Georgia.
1. Delinquency and juvenile courts.
2. Dependent, neglected, and defective children.
3. Child health and recreation.
4. Education and employment.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

Kansas.
Executive committee.
Legal advisory committee.
1. Children in industry.
2. General interests o f children.
3. Defective children.
4. Dependent children.
5. Delinquent children.
6. Health o f children.
7. Protection o f maternity and infancy.
Minnesota.
,-r ■' 1'■ ' ’ i'">f .:u;
1. Mentally defective and physically handicapped chil
dren.
2. Dependent and neglected children.
3. Delinquent children.
4. General child welfare.
Missouri.
1. General laws for the protection of children.
2. Public administration.
3. Delinquent and neglected children.
4. Defective children.
5. Destitute children.
6. Child labor and education.
7. Health and recreation.
Nebraska.
1. Special classes o f children (dependent, neglected, de
fective, delinquent).
2. Education and child labor.
3. Health and recreation.
4. General child welfare.
5. Administration and law enforcement.
New York.
1. Education.
2. Health.
3. Labor.
4. Institutional care o f children.
5. Delinquent children.
6. Dependent, neglected, and defective children.
7. Mothers’ allowances.
8. Child protection.
North Dakota.
1. Dependent and neglected children.
2. Delinquent children.
3. Mentally defective and physically handicapped chil
dren.

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

North
4.
5.
6.
7.
South
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Texas.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Utah.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Dakota—Continued.
Education.
Children in industry.
Health and recreation.
General child welfare.
Carolina.
General protection (marriage laws, parentage, prop
erty, etc.).
General social welfare (State, county, and city
agencies).
Public health.
Dependent children.
Delinquent children.
Defective children.
Child labor.
Administration.
Formulating code.
Facilitating legislation.
Legislation.
Survey o f child-welfare organizations.
Finance.
Publicity.
Child hygiene.
Working child.
Public education.
Rural child.
Dependent children.
Erring children.
Child welfare in the church.
(Social-welfare commission—not limited to children.)
Health.
Dependency and neglect.
Defective.
Delinquent.
Public recreation.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY.

When State appropriations or funds secured from private sources
have made it possible, the commissions have employed executive sec
retaries, who have devoted themselves to the work for a number of
months or during the entire term o f the commission. Frequently
members o f the commission have acted in this capacity. In a few
instances the services o f executive secretaries or other assistance has
been granted to the commissions by other organizations.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

The executive secretary of the Nebraska commission was the execu
tive of one o f the leading social agencies in the State. The execu
tive secretary o f the New York commission had been for many years
the head o f a state-wide child-welfare society. The secretary of
the Minnesota commission was a lawyer who had had experience in
work o f social agencies. The executive secretary of the Kansas
commission had previously been engaged in state-wide child-welfare
activities. The secretary o f the Indiana commission was secured
through a cooperative arrangement with the extension department of
the State university. The executive secretary of the West Virginia
commission was a member o f the commission ; she gave her entire
time to the work after her selection to this office. The Connecticut
commission employed as executive secretary, on part time, a man
on the staff of a university and also had an assistant secretary
employed full time. The chairman o f the North Dakota commission
acted as executive secretary; he was an attorney'—formerly assistant
attorney general o f the State, and active in State matters. In Utah,
also, a member o f the commission, an attorney who was formerly
juvenile-court judge in the largest city o f the State, gave a large
share o f his time as executive secretary. The Georgia commission
was granted the services as executive secretary o f the secretary of
the State council o f social agencies, a man who was formerly secre
tary o f the State board o f public welfare and active in many forms
o f social work. In some o f the States in which no funds were avail
able for employing an executive secretary money was granted for
clerk hire and other necessary expenses.
The experiences o f commissions in various States have demon
strated the necessity o f having an executive secretary who devotes his
entire time to the work of the commission, at least during the period
when the program is being formulated and educational work is
being carried on. There have been a few instances where some
member o f the commission has been in a position to undertake active
duties o f this kind. In general the most practicable method appears
to have been the employment of a secretary equipped with expe
rience in social-welfare activities and knowledge of legislative
problems.
DURATION OF COMMISSIONS’ ACTIVITIES.

Most of the commissions had at their disposal a full two years, or
almost this length of time, between the date of appointment and the
time set for making the report to the legislature. In general, the
commissions created by law were given a two-year period for
their work, although some reported annually, these States having
yearly sessions o f the legislature. Commissions appointed by the

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK.

governors frequently had shorter time allowances. The Minnesota
commission had only half a year at its disposal.
The period of activity was one year in Virginia and Wisconsin.
The period o f two years was available to the commissions in Con
necticut, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, West Virginia,
and Utah.
In eight States commissions have been reappointed when their term
expired, or new ones have been created by law or appointment by the
governor. The Oregon Child-Welfare Commission o f 1913 was re
appointed in 1915, and new commissions were created by law in 1917
and 1919, the last being the “ Oregon Child-Welfare Revision Com
mission,” “ to codify, classify, and index ” laws relating to child
welfare. Each o f these commissions was to function for a period of
two years so that Oregon practically had the work o f such commis
sions continuously for eight years.
The Missouri Children’s Code Commission appointed in 1915 was
followed by similar commissions appointed by the governor in 1917
and 1919. Each of the Missouri commissions was active for periods
o f between one and two years ; the last commission reported to the
legislature o f 1921. In Kansas a committee appointed by the gov
ernor in 1918 was succeeded by a commission in 1920 and by another
commission appointed in 1922 and reporting in 1923, making a pe
riod o f five years o f almost continuous service by such official bodies.
Thé work o f the Delaware Children’s Code Commission o f 1918 was
followed by the special legislative activities of the Delaware Recon
struction Commission which reported its recommendations in 1921,
and a new commission to suggest a revision o f the laws of the State
relating to minor children was created by the legislature o f 1923.
In Maryland the commission appointed by the governor in 1922
made its report within a month; it was succeeded by the Maryland
Commission on Laws Relating to Minors created by the legislature
in the same year for a two-year period. The Kentucky Children’s
Code Commission created in 1920 was active for two years, being
succeeded by the continuing Kentucky Child-Welfare Commission
in 1922.
The first o f the continuing commissions was the Michigan ChildWelfare Commission of 1917. The law creating it specified that the
members were to be appointed by the governor every two years.
This commission was abolished in 1921.
The South Dakota Child-Welfare Commission, created by law in
1919, was apparently intended to have continuous existence. The
law provided that the commission should report biennially to the
governor. Four members were to be ex officio, and the fifth member

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STATE COMMISSION'S FOE CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

was to be appointed by the governor to serve for two years. At the
expiration o f the term o f office o f this member, who was the secre
tary o f the commission, no appointment was made by the governor
to fill the vacancy. In 1923 a new commission was created, con
sisting o f three members, two of whom must be women, appointed
by the governor for terms o f two years and directed to report
biennially.
The terms o f the act creating the New York Commission to E x
amine Laws Relating to Child Welfare in 1920 did not include any
statement regarding the continuance o f the commission, except the
implication contained in the provision concerning reports: “ The
commission shall make a report o f its proceedings to the legislature
at its next session and also at such other times as may be required
by the governor or by the president o f the senate and speaker o f the
assembly.” The commission has received appropriations in each o f
the years following its appointment, and its work has been continu
ous, with the services o f an executive secretary most o f the time.
Because o f delay in organization and the extent of the field to be
covered the commission did not make any recommendations concern
ing legislation until it had been active almost two years; a second
report was made to the legislature in 1923.
The law creating the Georgia Children’s Code Commission in
1922 is more explicit. The commission is instructed to “ draft for
presentation to the succeeding legislatures such laws or amend
ments to the existing laws as will better safeguard the welfare of
children in this State.” The members are to hold office for a term of
five years, and until their successors are appointed. The law further
repeats that the commission “ shall make their reports each year to
the General Assembly o f Georgia.” No State funds are at the dis
posal o f the commission. The services o f the executive secretary of
the State council o f social agencies, a State-wide private organiza
tion, have been granted to the commission.
The Florida law o f 1923 provides for a term o f office o f four years
“ and until their successors are appointed and qualified.” The com
mission is to report to the governor two months before the next
session o f the legislature, and he is to submit the report to the
legislature.
The Kentucky Child-Welfare Commission o f 1922 has the form o f
a regular State board or bureau created for the purpose o f studying
child-welfare needs and recommending legislative measures. The
law provides that the nine members o f the commission shall be ap
pointed for varying periods of time, in order that there may be con
tinuing service—three members are to be appointed for one year,
three for two years, and three for three years, later appointments

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF W ORK.

being for the full term o f three years. The definition o f the duties
is as follow s:
It shall be the duty of the commission to continue the survey of child welfare
in the Commonwealth of Kentucky heretofore begun by the Children’s Code
Commission authorized under joint resolution of the general assembly of
1920; to investigate and study the needs of Kentucky children and present to
the governor and the general assembly, prior to each legislative session, a
report of their findings and recommendations based thereon; to prepare data
upon the subject, and be ready at all times to advise the governor or any
member of the general assembly concerning the bills relating to children
which may be introduced at any session of the general assembly.

Several commissions have in their final reports recommended that
the legislature provide for continuance o f their work through a new
authorization or the granting of appropriations that would make
further work possible.
PUBLICITY, EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS, AND CONFERENCES.

Educational work is essential to the success o f the activities o f a
commission studying and revising child-welfare laws. Unless the
general public in the State, as well as the public and private agencies
intimately concerned with the problems, are made aware o f the pur
pose o f the commission’s work and the necessity for the measures
recommended, there is little real gain even though a number o f laws
are added to the statute books. And without such an educational
campaign reaching every part of the State there is usually little
chance that the program of the commission will be carried through
the legislature.
The Kansas Children’s Code Commission reports10 as a large part
o f its activities “ newspaper campaigns to put the cause of the chil
dren before the people o f the State, and educational work with the
clubs and other group organizations o f the State by speakers, litera
ture, and study programs.” This commission held a number of open
meetings for the public consideration o f its proposals in the larger
cities o f the State.
An especially interesting method of bringing the needs of children
before the people o f the State was reported by the Oregon Child-Welfare Commission: 11
The Child-Legislation Exhibit consisted of 11 sets o f screens, each set or unit
having 3 folding panels, 2\ by 5 feet, fastened together with hinges; each set
fitted to a case, the whole weighing about 1,000 pounds.
The subjects covered depicting special needs were as follow s;
1. Hospital care for indigent sick and crippled children.
2. Dependent and neglected children.
10 Report o f the Kansas Children’s Code Commission. Topeka, 1923.
^ Oregon’s Duty to the Children. Second Biennial Report of the Child-Welfare Com
mission, Salem, Oreg., 1917.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS-.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Child-hygiene division.
Problems of illegitimacy.
Standard plan for rural schools.
State school for the deaf.
State school for the blind.
State school for the feeble-minded.
Industrial school for girls.
Boys’ training school.

11. Recommendations of the Oregon Child-Welfare Commission.
Besides these there were two sets of stereopticon slides with lectures:
1. The value and need of public kindergartens.
2. The activities of the commission.
The latter set of slides was prepared by the extension department of the
University of Oregon. The charts and photographs used on the screens were
most attractive, while the facts given and needs shown stimulated deeper
thought on questions pertaining to the welfare of children, and appealed
to the spirit of higher citizenship in our people. Oregon is the first State
to send out an exhibit dealing wholly with proposed legislation for better
protection to its boys and girls.
The exhibit was prepared with a dominant note of prevention, and called
for a large amount of work, not only from the commission, but from a variety
of cooperating agencies, such as the State administration, the State institu
tions at Salem, the University of Oregon, the State board of health, the State
board of education, various organizations, and a number of generous and
willing officials in Portland. The railroad companies of the State have been
most courteous; besides granting free transportation for the exhibit from
place to place, its agents applied themselves conscientiously to the task of
handling it. It was an unheard-of venture to send out an exhibit o f this
kind, covering many hundreds of miles, without a field worker to accompany
it.
It must be remembered, however, that the commission exists only by
honorary appointment of the governor, and no funds were appropriated for
.carrying on the work.
Evidently the public in each city appreciated the
situation and liberally aided in carrying out the commission’s plans. Much
more might have been accomplished, however, had a member of the com
mission accompanied it.
The exhibit was sent to 30 places, covering a period of six months. It
was also sent to the State fair, and lastly to the State capitol, where it was
installed for the twenty-ninth legislative assembly.
Two months prior to the completion of the exhibit correspondence was
opened with various cities and towns. Letter number one was sent to the
superintendent of schools, asking his cooperation and recommendation of an
organization in his city that would assume full charge of the exhibit. Letter
number two was sent to the organization suggested by the superintendent. I f
satisfactory arrangements were made, other letters followed with detailed
instructions, suggestions for programs, advertising matter, and literature.
Letter number three was sent to the mayor. In some cities the mayor ex
tended a special invitation through the press, urging the public to attend;
volunteer speakers were available for the various topics represented on the
screens from the University o f Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College, State
board of health, and the several State schools, as well as the State board of
education.

The work o f the New York State Commission to.Examine Laws
Relating to Child Welfare has been outstanding in the way in which

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DEVELOPMENT AND METHODS OF WORK,

local and regional conferences have been utilized in order to secure
discussion o f the measures under consideration by the commission, and
assistance in framing them. The report published in 192212 con
tains the following description o f these conferences:
During the fall of 1921 conferences were arranged under the auspices of
the commission in Buffalo, Elmira, Ithaca, Binghamton, Saratoga Springs,
Albany, and Brooklyn, to which were invited representatives of local childwelfare agencies. These meetings were attended by judges, probation officers,
county agents for children’s work, child-welfare board secretaries, public-health
nurses, school officials, scout leaders, and others at work in various lines of
juvenile activities. The informality of these gatherings made possible un
usual freedom of discussion, and many suggestions as to needed changes in
the laws or defects found in their administration were thus brought to the
attention of the commission.
Public hearings of the commission have been held in New York City under
the joint auspices of the subcommittees on delinquent children and child protec
tion. These hearings considered particularly the question of county children’s
courts and the jurisdiction of the New York City Children’s Court. A hearing in
Buffalo under the auspices of the subcommittees on dependent children and
institutional care of children was given over to the consideration of the laws
relating to placing out, boarding out, and adoption of children, and to certain
questions relating to institutional care of children. Other subcommittees, it is
expected, will hold hearings on the various subjects assigned to them.
In New York City two conferences were held with a local group o f superin
tendents and other representatives of child-caring institutions, which were
valuable in obtaining the ideas of these persons. A conference under the direc
tion of the subcommittee on labor was attended by representatives of the State
department of labor and by school officials and others connected with private
organizations interested in vocational guidance and child labor.
m Preliminary Report of the New York State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to
Child W elfare. March 14. 1922, p. 8. Albany, 1922.

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ESSENTIAL FEATURES IN COMMISSION PROGRAMS.

The foregoing summaries o f the progress and methods o f work of
State commissions for the study and revision o f child-welfare legisla
tion have mentioned features that appear to be of special importance
in carrying out successfully the purposes for which these commis
sions are created. It is obvious that no general rules can be laid
down in regard to the form o f organization or the plans for the com
mission’s activities. Obviously it is most important that the com
mission should be “ well born.” Its heredity and parentage must be
such that it will not start life with a handicap. Inauguration of
activity for the improvement o f child-welfare legislation should not
be forced; it should be the result o f real interest on the part o f the
people in the State who are most concerned. Stimulation from out
side sources—as study o f the history o f some o f the commissions
created in the past will show—is not likely to have lasting effects.
Equally unfortunate is the commission created because o f the repre
sentations o f a very limited group or of an individual, without the
cooperation, or at least without the understanding, o f the agencies
concerned with the welfare o f the children o f the State.
Several of the commissions have been created as a result of edu
cational campaigns by committees representative of various interests.
Frequently these are local committees, composed o f child-welfare
workers o f large cities, but the appeal must be state-wide, since
measures enacted by the legislature will affect all sections,
city and rural. A State commission so inaugurated begins its work *
with a background o f general understanding of its objects; it does
not have to spend its time and energies justifying its existence, but
can proceed with the task o f considering conditions that require
changes in child-welfare laws and doing its educational work in
this connection. The framing of a legislative program must neces
sarily involve much “ give and take.” Different types o f interest
must be harmonized, compromises must often be made, and the
timeliness and “ economics ” o f the measures under discussion must
be considered. To succeed in its work it is necessary that the com
mission shall have originated in a representative movement for its
creation and that it shall be in fact an organ through which the
best thought and practices in child-welfare work in the State may
find expression. It is desirable that the commission shall take ad
vantage o f the experience o f other States in regard to effective
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child-welfare legislation, but it is important that it should also seek
out every bit o f constructive assistance that may be found in its
own State— and there is not a State in the Union that does not.
bear within itself the germs for this form o f “ home rule,” if the
forward-looking agencies and experiments are made use of. Need
less to say, the results will be more readily accepted, and there will
be greater promise of permanent good, when consideration has been
given to the child-welfare agencies o f the State and they have been
brought into the program of the commission in a vital way. Condi
tions in its own State must be the basis o f the proposals for childwelfare legislation, especially as related to the forms of administra
tion that will make protective laws effective.
The success or failure o f the work in any State depends largely
upon the composition and organization o f the commission—the
equipment o f the members for their task and their organization into
an efficient working group under competent leadership. O f almost
equal importance is the reliance placed upon the members by those
most intimately concerned with local child-welfare work and the
ability o f the commission to work in harmony with organizations
representing various interests and theories. I f the officially ap
pointed commission is composed of people well qualified to consider
the interests of the children of the State not only will their activities
result in d;he revision o f laws, but they will have brought about
an understanding of child-welfare needs and the purposes o f the
legislation that will go far toward securing the proper enforcement
o f the laws for the protection of the children of the State.
It has been pointed out that the campaign for the creation o f a
commission to study and revise child-welfare laws is frequently
originated by agencies working in large cities. This is naturally the
case, because o f the extent of the problems needing adjustment, and,
even more, because constructive experiments in advancing childwelfare work are more common in the cities than in rural districts.
It is essential that fair consideration should be given to all parts of
the State. Rural child-welfare needs are frequently little known,
and the methods of meeting them are not readily discovered. In
sparsely settled sections o f the State it is therefore even more neces
sary than in cities to seek out the individuals and the agencies that
can help solve the question o f how to meet the special needs o f the
children in these communities.
Moreover, not only rs it essential for the success o f the work of
the commission to base legislation upon a thorough knowledge of
conditions in the State and an analysis of existing legislation, but
the plans of even the most enlightened commission are likely to be
barren of results unless the people who are, or may become, interested
in these matters, and especially their representatives in the legisla
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ture, have been prepared for the new proposals through well-directed
publicity. Educational work must reach all parts o f the State—the
rural areas as well as the larger centers o f population—if the com
mission’s program is to become effective. In the foregoing section
relating to publicity illustrations have been given o f various methods
o f bringing the work o f the commission before the public—newspaper
publicity, speeches, exhibits, public hearings, and regional confer
ences. This educational work has two objects— (1) to aid in framing
the laws and (2) to make known the purpose o f the legislation pro
posed and create sentiment in favor o f its passage. For the former,
public hearings and regional conferences following upon more indi
vidual methods o f securing helpful ideas and criticisms concerning
measures have proved to have very great value in making the commis
sion program fit the needs o f various types o f conditions and also in
creating a spirit of cooperation throughout the State that is o f the
greatest importance in securing the enactment of laws recommended
and in their later enforcement. The interest o f the general public,
equally important, is reached through the newspapers and through
presentation to meetings and organizations o f the purposes of the
commission’s recommendations.
Unless there is general understanding o f the desirability o f the
changes advocated the work o f the commission bears little fruit,
even though the bills recommended by it are enacted into. law. The
importance of providing machinery for constructive administration
has been recognized as fundamental, and the legislative programs o f
many commissions have centered around the creation or expansion
o f a State board or department whose function it will be to see that
the laws for the protection o f children are carried out in all the parts
of the State and—going back to causes and prevention—to do educa
tional work and inspire local action to the end that the evils that
are found to require legal control may be eliminated and that health
ful conditions for children may be developed. It has not usually
been considered the object o f these State commissions to concern them
selves primarily with the arrangement o f laws but rather with the
question o f securing laws that are requisite and making these laws
really effective for child protection. New measures must be consid
ered in relation to each other and to existing laws; consideration must
be given especially to unity o f administration. This is especially
important in connection with laws that have a bearing upon the
duties o f public agencies, State or county. Sometimes reorganization
o f State boards and the creation of county boards of public welfare
have resulted directly from the need for providing agents to enforce
a group o f new child-welfare laws. Whether the administrative
agencies are planned for the purpose of making effective legislation
that is to be proposed or the approach is from the other direction—

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planning legislation in view o f available or possible means of admin
istering it—it must nevertheless be taken as a cardinal principle
that the value of laws lies in the quality of their administration.
In the standards for child welfare proposed by the Washington
and regional conferences held under the auspices o f the Federal
Children’s Bureau in 1919 the statement was made that “ the childwelfare legislation o f every State requires careful reconsideration
as a whole at reasonable intervals, in order that necessary revision
and coordination may be made and that new provisions may be in
corporated in harmony with the best experience of the day.” In
six States commissions apparently designed to be continuing, or
having no fixed time limit, have been created. Two o f them became
inactive after a period of work; one32a has worked steadily for three
years, submitting two reports to the legislature; three were created
less than a year ago. In effect, the work of those continuing com
missions that have functioned up to this time has been similar to
the work done by commissions with a fixed time limit o f one or two
years that were reappointed or were immediately succeeded by other
commissions in order to finish their work, as distinguished from
commissions that have attempted to put through a complete pro
gram o f child-welfare legislation within the time limit allowed
them. In one notable instance three successive commissions were
appointed, the first having presented a complete legislative pro
gram, most o f which was defeated; the second presenting measures
that had failed, supplemented by others; and the third commission
repeating the methods o f the second, resulting after three attempts
in securing the enactment o f most o f the measures originally recom
mended, or their substitutes. Much of this form o f repeated ac
tivity would undoubtedly be rendered unnecessary if the commission
undertook its work under the right conditions, having agreement
within its own ranks and a public educated in the purposes of its
proposals. Many State commissions have found, however, that their
work requires more than the usual maximum time o f two years,
and that it is desirable to work out the program gradually, instead
o f attempting to introduce into one legislative session a large body
o f laws relating to all child-welfare subjects. In working on this
basis it is nécessary that there should be the same kind o f considera
tio n of a unified plan as when a complete body o f recommendations
is to be submitted at one time; piecemeal legislation must be guarded
against by such commissions.
Interest in child-welfare legislation must be continuous and there
must be constant watchfulness to meet new emergencies that arise.
But one of the greatest difficulties that public agencies have to con
12a ^ new continuing commission has since been created in this State,

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tend with, is the constantly shifting legislation, or efforts to change
existing laws. The situation in certain States is illustrated by the
statement o f an official o f a State board that “ three months o f every
year must be spent largely in efforts to keep detrimental bills from
passing.” Frequently laws that have been enacted as a result of
concerted efforts by groups concerned with child welfare are
amended or removed from the statute books before they have had
a chance to be tried out. Although it may be desirable in view of
constantly changing conditions and developing needs to have an
official body always watching child-welfare legislation, there is
great danger that continuing commissions may become inactive
through losing interest. They can not have the very important in
centive that commissions with limited time periods have, and the
working partnership with agencies in the State is not likely to be
maintained over a period o f years; it would seem natural for an
unlimited commission to become gradually self-sufficient and cease
to maintain close contact with other organizations in the State.
It remains to be determined in the next few years whether or
not the idea proposed by the child-welfare conferences cited will
be tried out and legislation considered “ as a whole at reasonable
intervals.” This would probably mean the creation every few years
o f a new commission, with a definite time period for its activity. It
would not necessarily mean revision o f laws but review o f legislation
in the light o f conditions existing at the time and study o f the suc
cess or failure o f the actual operation of the laws already on the
statute books. It is obvious that the introduction o f bills through
individual initiative will always continue; progress demands that
there should be no effort to discourage this, even if it were possible
to do so. The value o f the work of commissions for child-welfare
legislation has resided largely in the opportunity it has afforded
for all individuals and groups to unite in framing child-welfare
laws and in the educational activities that have impressed upon
the people o f the State the importance o f coordinating laws. The
work o f such a commission should decrease the grist of bills pre
sented individually, not_ only in the year it makes its report but
in succeeding years, especially if it is the plan to have similar con
sideration by an official commission periodically. As has been
pointed out, one of the gains would be the greater opportunity given
the laws that have been passed to be in operation for a time suffi
ciently long to permit their merits or defects to be discovered.
It is encouraging, in view o f the precipitateness with which many
o f the States were drawn into this movement for official commissions
to consider child-welfare legislation, that only 6 or 7 o f the 29
commissions have failed to carry out the work they were appointed

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to do; some o f these did not carry out the program planned or did
not go so far as making a program; others ceased to function after
they had had a period o f activity.
The accomplishments o f the various commissions are not to be
gauged according to the percentages of their recommended bills that
were enacted into law. A commission may have scored very low in
this respect, and may still have done a piece of work that has per
manency and that will in the future gradually bring to pass the
things that were aimed at. The real value o f the work of a commis
sion for the study and revision of child-welfare laws lies in the
educational work it has done, the interest it has stimulated, and the
unity o f purpose that it has developed among the child-welfare
workers o f the State, fully as much as in the program o f legislation
that it has succeeded in placing upon the statute books.

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Connecticut.

Child-W elfare Commission, created by law, May 14, 1919. (Spe
cial acts, January, 1-919, ch. 285, secs. 1 and 2.)
The duties o f the commission were defined as follow s: “ To study
and investigate the laws, conditions, and practice of this and other
States and countries relating to dependent, neglected, defective, and
delinquent children and the entire question o f child welfare.” The
commission was instructed to report the results o f its investigation
to the next session o f the general assembly, including in its report
a proposed code o f laws, which shall include a revision of the
provisions o f the general statutes relating to children, with such
changes and additions as it may deem advisable.”
An appropriation of $1 2 ,0 0 0 was originally provided for the work
o f the commission by the State board o f control, but upon later ap
plication an additional sum o f $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 was granted. The members
served without pay, but they could incur necessary expenses ap
proved by the board of control.
In accordance with the terms o f the law, the governor in 1919
appointed a commission o f 15 members. The commission employed
an executive Secretary giving part time to the work, an assistant
secretary, a staff o f from one to five field workers, and office assist
ance. The commission membership was divided into committees on
the following subjects:
1. Dependent and neglected children.
2. Defective children.
3. Delinquent children.
4. Legal and administrative.
5. Finance.
6 . Publicity.
jStudies were made along the lines indicated, including special
investigations o f the work o f public and private institutions caring
for children, the child-placing work o f both public and private
agencies, provision made for defectives, juvenile courts, and pro
bation.
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In his letter o f transmittal of the report made to the governor, the
chairman o f the commission made the following statements concern
ing the work o f the commission: 13
Directly upon its first meeting and organization the commission found itself
agreed that its most immediate and urgent task was to undertake a careful
study of the actual situation in this State with reference to the various classes
of handicapped children enumerated in the act. It seemed clear to us that any
recommendation of new legislation which we might eventually make in the
interest of child welfare ought to be based upon a thorough understanding of
the conditions such legislation was designed to meet, and that whatever action
might be taken by the present session of the general assembly or by any future
legislature would be likely to be wisely decided upon only so far as it was
accompanied by an adequate knowledge of what is actually happening among
the dependent, neglected, defective, and delinquent children o f the State. * * *
The result of our study and investigation must speak for itself, but it is
safe to say that no such thorough survey of conditions bearing on the welfare
of children has ever before been undertaken by any State of the Union. Con
necticut has in this respect set up a standard which is likely to have a wide
spread influence for good; and we have no doubt that the amount appropriated
will be saved to the taxpayers of the State many times over in the check which
the body of facts we have assembled may offer to hasty legislation and the
guidance it will furnish toward wise administrative and legislative measures
in the field of child welfare in the years to come.
A careful study of our own Connecticut problems has the manifest advantage
that it points the way to legislative action suited to the habits and temper of
our people. A goal desired by all may be obtainable in more ways than one,
and in matters of social betterment the slow and sure way is often in the end
the best and quickest. * * * Our conviction has been strong that changes
in the laws of the State ought to be made without any unnecessary disturbance
of existing conditions or any violent break with the past. W e believe our
report will show how it is possible to build the new strongly and well upon
the old.

The commission limited its studies and recommendations to a small
part o f the field o f child welfare. Special reports were submitted
on the following extensive field studies: The Placing Out o f Depend
ent and Neglected Children in Connecticut.; The Legal Handling of
Juvenile Offenders in Connecticut; The Institutional Care o f Chil
dren in Connecticut; Handicapped Children in School and Court;
Life Histories o f Young Men in Connecticut’s Reformatory.
The commission’s report contains an introductory statement o f
general principles that were established by the investigations and
which form “ the underlying foundation upon which all effective
work for the children o f Connecticut must rest ” : 14
(a ) The natural custodians, protectors, and guardians .of the child are its
parents. Any other form o f care must be regarded as a substitute, something
less than ideal, necessitated by some abnormal condition. This conclusion is
supported by biology, by social evolution, by religion— and by common sense.
13 Report o f the Commission on Child W elfare, 1920, State of Connecticut, pp. V I—V II.
u Ibid., pp. 3 -4 .

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(6 ) The most satisfactory environment for the normal child is his own
home. A s long as the conditions of a genuine home exist no other environment
is likely to prove so helpful. I f conditions necessitate the substitution of some
other environment, the best alternative is the nearest possible approach to a
genuine home.
( c ) Because society has a profound and legitimate interest in its children it
has a corresponding interest in the homes which are the cultural environment
of those children. It is the right and duty of society, through the formal
organization of the State, to establish and prescribe such standards o f home
life as are necessary for the safety and progress of society itself.
(d) When, in any family, the established standards o f home life and care
of children are not maintained it is both the right and the duty of the State
to assert its authority. This may be done either by insisting upon the improve
ment of home conditions, or, if this can not be accomplished, by the removal
o f the child from the home.
(e) The removal of a child from its own home must always be regarded
as the extreme step. Every other expedient should be given prior considera
tion. Only when other remedies have failed, or when home conditions are so
bad that the welfare o f the child imperatively demands it, should this final
step be taken. Even then the removal should be regarded as temporary until
it has been conclusively shown that proper conditions can not be established in
the home. The regeneration of the home should be the first and foremost
objective of social effort.

( f ) In the care of children so much is at stake that only the most expe
rienced and competent agencies should be intrusted with the work. For the
exercise of its own authority, the State must have agencies of both a super
visory and a judicial character. These should be given the widest possible
latitude to enable them to care for a ll types of cases. Administrative agencies
are also necessary in. so far as the State undertakes to give actual care.
(ff) Because of the helplessness of the child and his peculiar sensitiveness
to environmental influences, many laws o f a protective or developmental nature
are necessary for children which would be an unwarranted infringement of
personal liberty if applied to adults.
( h) Because the solution of most child problems is a matter of adjusting
environmental conditions, and because of the historical development of legal
administration in Connecticut, the actual care of needy children should be
intrusted, as far as possible, to local officials and local agencies.

The commission found that these principles were being commonly
violated in the following respects:
1. The expedient of removing a child from its home as a means of better
ing its condition was adopted too freely and too readily. Children were placed
in the county homes in many cases with almost no attempt to find means of
improving the conditions in their own homes or any effort to put these means
into effect. In many instances parents used the county homes as a cheap
method o f securing support for their children until they should become of
working age.
2. Throughout almost the entire child-caring work o f the State there was a
lamentable absence of adequate investigation of cases before action was taken.
3. Far too little attention was given to an effort to rehabilitate the child’s
parental home. Almost no work of this kind was done by the public agencies.
4. There were no adequate agencies in the State for the proper placing-out of
children directly from their homes to foster homes without an intervening
period o f residence in an institution.

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AND PLANS.

5. There was too ready recourse to institutional commitment as a solution
for all types of ehild maladjustments. The county homes were not in fact
temporary homes, as the law intended them to be, but retained children for
extended periods of time. The needy children of the State were subjected to
“ institutionalization ” to a deplorable degree.
6. The law did not provide for the efficient utilization of the institutions that
existed ; courts were not empowered to commit children to private institutions,
some of which, were excellent.
7. No adequate analysis of individual cases was made or could be made as a
basis for treatment.
8. In many cases the final decision as to the disposition o f a needy child was
based upon conditions of fiscal expediency, rather than upon consideration of
the needs and welfare o f the child.
9. Because of faulty investigation or entire lack of investigation, practically
no record of a child’s history or statement of the conditions which brought him
under care accompanied the child upon commitment. The county homes and
other institutions and agencies were therefore deprived of the knowledge of
the child’s history, which was essential in the proper handling of the case.
10. A statement of the child’s physical and mental condition should accom
pany him through the entire period of care. No provision existed for this, in
connection with most of the agencies dealing with children. Adequate pro
visions for physical and mental examinations were almost lacking in the courts.
11. Much of the placing-out work done by public and private institutions and
agencies fell far below the accepted standards. There was almost general fail
ure to fulfill the requirements of good placing-out work— thorough investiga
tion before placement ; intelligent effort to secure the right adjustment of the
child to the home, based on genuine knowledge of the child ; and conscientious,
intelligent, and continuous supervision of the child and the home after
placement.
12. There was no machinery for the proper supervision of all institutions
and agencies caring for children in the State. This lack of supervision per
mitted undesirable conditions and methods on the part of the less able or less
* conscientious agencies, and contributed to the unfortunate, disconnected treat
ment of many children’s cases and to the not infrequent complete disappear
ance of individual children. The burden of supervision placed on the State
board of charities was entirely too great for it to discharge properly. There
was an absolute lack of any systematic report by agencies to any authoritative
central body, and therefore it was impossible for any single State authority
to keep track of the developments in child-caring work in the State or to
guarantee the proper handling of the cases of individual children.
13. The failure and lack of existing methods of child care was evident in the
very high percentage of replacements in the county-home cases, and to a some
what less extent in the cases handled by private institutions.
14. One of the most serious features of the county-home system was the
absence of any formulation of a plan for the life of a child after he left the
institution. Provision was also needed for the after-care and guidance of chil
dren released from the county-home jurisdiction.
15. To a very large extent the delinquent child was treated as if he were a
criminal. Practically every principle of proper children’s court procedure was
more or less generally violated in the State. There was an utter lack in the
ordinary handling of delinquent children, of any adequate investigation of the
cases by a competent official before the hearing in court, and the judge was de
prived of the basic knowledge essential for the proper determination of the
causes of delinquency.

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16. The juvenile probation system in effect in the State fell far short o f the
needs.
__
JP1
17. In certain respects the needs o f the mentally defective children were
more urgent than those of any other type. Though of high grade, the in
stitutional facilities provided were very inadequate to care for children re
quiring custodial care.

The two chief proposals o f the commission were embodied in bills
relating to the establishment o f a State bureau of child welfare for
the supervision o f all child-welfare work in the State and the estab
lishment o f a competent juvenile-court and probation system. Other
proposed measures dealt with enforcing parental support o f children
born out o f wedlock, and the protection o f such children, and the
creation o f a division o f special education and standards under the
State board o f education for the benefit o f the handicapped and de
fective children. The commission also submitted drafts o f bills de
signed to remedy various defects in the existing statutes, through
amendment, repeal, or additions, among them the following: Addi
tions to the chapter on adoptions; the duties o f the selectmen with
respect to dependent, uncared-for, and neglected children; the im
portation and exportation o f children; forbidding the maintenance
o f children in almshouses; repealing a series o f acts on indenture of
children; additions to the laws relating to crimes against children;
amendments to the acts relating to the State school for boys, the in
dustrial school for girls, and the State training school for the feeble
minded; amendments to the acts on county homes; amendments to
the laws concerning licensing o f boarding homes for children;
amendment o f the act on the care of crippled children.
The major bills relating to a bureau o f child welfare, provision
for handicapped school children, and the juvenile courts were
enacted into law after various changes had been made in the original
drafts presented by the commission. O f the minor bills, the follow
ing became law : “ An act concerning reformatory institutions for
boys and girls,” “ an act concerning boarding homes,” and “ an act
concerning the county homes.”
Delaware.

Children's Code Commission, appointed by the governor in July
1918.
The membership o f the commission consisted o f five men. No com
prehensive study was made, and the only measure recommended to
the legislature o f 1919 was a bill creating a State board o f charities.
This measure became law.
In April, 1919, the legislature passed a law creating the Recon
struction Commission o f the State o f Delaware. (Laws 1919, ch. 6 6 .)
Part of the prescribed, duties o f this commission were u to make

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OEGATTlZATIOff AJtfD PLAN'S.

recommendations to the appropriate official agencies for such legis
lative or executive action as it might believe to be desirable, in view
of its investigations.”
The reconstruction commission consisted of seven members, ap
pointed by the governor, and a paid secretary who was engaged in
organizing infant and child-welfare activities throughout the State.
Comparatively little of its time and staff could be devoted to legis
lative work, one worker giving part time to it. The commission
placed with committees in 51 communities a child-welfare question
naire study, prepared jointly by agencies representative o f the vari
ous branches of child-welfare work. It covered the subjects of public
health and general social welfare, child health, educational oppor
tunities, employed women and children, moral influences, recreation,
and children in need of special care. The commission attempted to
secure some coordination and concerted action in child-welfare legis
lative proposals. A booklet called “ The Chance o f a Delaware
Child ” was prepared and issued by the commission, containing, be
sides a general report on the work of the commission, the assembled
legislative programs of certain other child-welfare agencies and the
legislative recommendations of the reconstruction commission.
More than 30 bills were introduced in the legislature in 1921 em
bodying ideas set forth by the reconstruction commission and the
groups that had worked with it. The bills related to : The W il
mington juvenile court, the State commission for the feeble-minded,
importation o f dependent children, the State board of health, nurs
ing practice, employed women and children, maternity benefits,
mothers’ pensions, a State child-welfare commission, marriage laws,
repeal o f the law allowing “ binding out ” o f children, amendment
to the bastardy law, designating prophylactics to be used in the eyes
of babies to prevent inflammation, alteration o f forms for birth cer
tificates, and providing for rural probation service.
The secretary o f the reconstruction commission listed the follow
ing laws which had been enacted by the 1921 General Assembly of
Delaware as a result o f the proposals made by the commission :
Creation o f a child-welfare commission to develop a childwelfare program, including specifically maternal and childhealth work. Study o f conditions affecting children and
promotion of legislation for their welfare was also to be a
definite part o f the work o f the new commission, which
took the place of the reconstruction commission.
Repeal o f the old “ masters and apprentices law,” making
impossible the binding out o f children.
Requiring the use o f and designating the prophylactic that
may be used in the eyes o f the newborn, to prevent inflam
mation and blindness.

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Requiring the attendants at childbirth to make an entry on
the birth certificate o f the kind o f .prophylactic used in the
eyes o f babies at birth, and requiring that a summary o f
the law be printed on the back o f birth certificates.
Amendment o f the 11bastardy law ” to modernize it by in
cluding broader provisions in regard to securing parental
support, and legitimation o f children by subsequent mar
riage or by written acknowledgment o f parentage.
Revision of the marriage law to prohibit the marriage o f the
venereally diseased, first cousins, and persons on probation
or parole except with the permission of the court or in
stitution having them in charge 5 establishing the marriage
able age at 16 for girls and 18 for boys.
In 1923 laws were passed relating to the Wilmington juvenile
court, mothers’ pensions, street trades, hours of labor of children
under 16, and the employment of children in dangerous occupations.
The child-welfare commission was abolished and its functions taken
over by the newly created State health and welfare commission.
A new Commission to Suggest a Revision o f the Existing Laws o f
the State Relating to Minor Children was created and was directed
to report to the next session of the legislature. The members, who
are to serve without compensation, are as follows: One member of
the senate and one member o f the house o f representatives, to be
named by the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker
of the house o f representatives, respectively 5 one representative
from each o f seven organizations, to be selected by the respective
boards o f managers or governing bodies, namely, the Children’s
Bureau of Delaware, the Delaware Child-Welfare Commission (su
perseded by the Delaware Health and Welfare Commission), the
Delaware Society for the Prevention o f Cruelty to Children, the
Delaware Children’s Home Society, the Wilmington juvenile court,
the Delaware State Board o f Education, and the Labor Commission
o f Delaware.
District of Columbia.

The Attorney General o f the United States, March 6 , 1914, ap
pointed a committee o f five to study the laws pertaining to children
in the District of Columbia. The letter addressed to the members
states the proposed scope of work of this committee.
Intending soon to take under consideration the question of the .amendment, re
vision, and codification of the laws in force in the District of Columbia per
taining to children and to the jurisdiction, practice, and procedure of the
juvenile court of the District, I have the honor to request you to serve on a
committee * ' * * to study the present laws and the needs of the District
in this particular, and to advise me in the premises, accompanying your report

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O R G A N IZ A T IO N

AND PLANS.

If you will, with a draft of such a code as the committee believes would give the
District satisfactory laws upon these subjects.

The committee in its report, January 15, 1915, described the work
it had undertaken as follows:
In pursuance of the work thus put before it, the committee made a compila
tion of all the existing laws relating to children in the District, so that it might
be informed as to the development and operation of these laws, and as to how
far any revision was needed.
It also secured a list of all children’s institutions or agencies in the District,
and, by means of a brief but comprehensive questionnaire calling for annual
reports and for the facts as to the organization and connection, if any, of each
of these with the Government, collected the data needed for taking a compre
hensive view of the whole field, and of the relations of each of these institutions
and agencies to the others and to the Government.
W hile this survey revealed certain obvious problems and needs, as, for ex
ample, that the District has no provision for feeble-minded and epileptic per
sons, and that institutional care for delinquent white girls and for the slighter
offenses of delinquent boys is lacking, the most apparent and urgent need was
a revision of the present juvenile court law, to which reference had been
specially made in the letter of appointment. The reasons, for this will appear
in the discussion of this particular subject later.
It soon became apparent that a plan for providing adequately for all cases of
neglected and defective children in the District would require not only careful
study of the local situation, but also of the latest and best methods in use in
other communities. In the meantime the juvenile court is treating the cases of
neglected and defective children and, owing to the defects in the law, is work
ing injustice upon them. The committee, therefore, felt it a duty to submit a
report on this phase of the problem in order to avoid the delay which further
study of the whole question would necessitate. It regards a prompt revision o f
the juvenile court law as imperative.

Accompanying this report, and part hereof, are the drafts of two bills:
(а ) A bill amending the present juvenile court law and in fact creating a
new juvenile court.
(б) A bill intended to remove certain disabilities affecting children by rea
son of judgments of conviction of crime of record against them in the juvenile
court of the District.
.The committee presents these measures in the hope that they will be intro
duced in the Congress and passed as drawn. A discussion of their merits
involves primarily a consideration of the existing law and the results obtained
under it.

The proposed bills have not been passed by Congress.
D istrict o f Columbia Children1s Code Commission o f five mem
bers, appointed by the Commissioners o f the District in September,
1920.
No appropriation was available for salaries or expenses. In May,
1921, the Commissioners o f the District increased the scope o f the
work of the commission and its name was changed to Public W elfare
Code Commission o f the D istrict o f Columbia. The duties o f the
new commission were defined as follow s:
To codify the laws of the District of Columbia relating to matters of public
welfare concerning the care, confinement, and treatment of the insane and

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mental defectives; children, their care, custody, education, labor, and correc
tion; employment of minors; the juvenile court; aid or support o f parents;
aid to mothers with dependent children; charities and corrections and char
itable and correctional institutions and all kindred or related subjects; and
to recommend to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia what amend
ments and new legislation are, in their judgment, necessary to improving
the law.

Seven members were named by the commissioners, to serve with
out compensation. .Additional members have been appointed, and in
December, 1923, the total membership was 16.
A letter from the secretary o f the commission states that during
the year 1922 the commission had considered proposed amendments
to an act relating to lunacy proceedings and to an act to amend the
juvenile court act of the District o f Columbia and also had dis
cussed other changes in laws of the District. In November, 1923, ac
tive work was planned in cooperation with the Division of ChildWelfare Legislation of the Russell Sage Foundation.
Florida.

Children's Code Commission, created by act o f the legislature May
7, 1923. (Laws of 1923, No. 155, ch. 9273.)
The commission was directed—
to edit and codify the laws of a “ general nature ” relating to children and
to report to the next succeeding session of the legislature through the gov
ernor of the State of Florida any desirable changes thereto; it shall further be
the duty of the said children’s code commission to thoroughly study the con
ditions now existing relating to the welfare of the children and to present
their findings, together with a legislative program deemed necessary to remedy
the existing conditions and to promote the welfare of the children of the
State of Florida.

The law provided for a membership of at least five citizens, ap
pointed by the governor for four-year terms. No appropriation was
made, and the members are to receive no remuneration. At the date
o f writing (September 1 0 , 1923), the commission has not yet been
appointed.
Georgia.

Georgia Children's Code Commission, created by act o f the legis
lature July 26,1922. (Laws 1922, No. 300, p. 71.)
The duties imposed upon the commission were “ to study the exist
ing laws o f Georgia which in any way affect child life, to study
conditions o f child welfare in the State, to study the laws o f other
States, and to consult authorities in this and other States, and to
draft for presentation to the succeeding legislatures such laws or
amendments to the existing laws as will better safeguard the wel
fare of children in this State.” The implication is that the com
mission will continue in existence for a period of years.

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

The law provided for 1 0 members of the commission, to be ap
pointed by the governor and hold office for five years and until their
successors were appointed. The membership was to be made up as
follows: One superior-court judge, one member of the house of
representatives, one State senator, and a member or representative
from each o f the following organizations: State federation of
women’s clubs, State council of social agencies, State board o f
health, State board o f public welfaref, State federation o f labor,
State department o f education, and Georgia League o f Women
Voters. No appropriation was made for the work of the commis
sion, and it was specifically provided in the law that members “ are
not to be paid any salary or remuneration whatever by the State
o f Georgia, nor are they to receive any salary or remuneration from
anyone whatsoever for their services.”
The commission was organized early in 1923 with the following
committees: 1. Delinquency and juvenile courts; 2. Dependent, neg
lected, and defective children; 3. Child health and recreation;
4 . Education and employment. The Georgia State Council o f Social
Agencies granted to the commission the service of their executive
secretary to act as executive secretary o f the children’s code com
mission.
The State council o f social agencies organized an advisory com
mittee on children’s laws, divided into four sections similar to those
followed by the children’s code commission, composed of 1 0 0 leading
citizens and representatives o f State organizations, which will serve
as a clearing house for the consideration o f needed legislation, criti
cize drafts o f bills prepared by committees o f the commission, and
give its support to the commission when it submits a program o f laws
to the legislature.
The advisory committees held hearings in the State capitol before
the commission had met to discuss the plans for the commission’s
work. These hearings were attended by national authorities in the
various fields o f child welfare, and the different State groups inter
ested in special legislation had an opportunity to present their ideas,
and they were thoroughly discussed. The advisory committees under
took the drafting o f legislation in which they are interested and the
collection o f material for consideration by the commission.
The commission decided not 'to advocate or sponsor any new legis
lation at the 1923 session but to report in detail the progress o f its
studies. It also decided to submit to the 1923 legislature data concern
ing the enforcement or lack o f enforcement o f existing laws and the
adequacy o f appropriations for their enforcement. In accordance
with this decision, a report was submitted to the governor and
general assembly, summarizing the progress made by the commis-

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sion in its study o f laws and calling attention to the inadequate
financial support accorded vital and important State departments
and institutions. 143 The commission recommended proposed budgets
which would enable the following agencies to function more effec
tively: The child-hygiene bureau of the State department o f health,
enabling it to match the Federal funds available for maternity and
infancy work; the State department o f public welfare; the State
training school for boys; thè State training school for girls; the
State training school for mental defectives; additional child-labor
inspection ; the promotion of physical education in the State depart
ment o f education ; and the State library commission. The legisla
ture increased the appropriation for the State department o f public
welfare and granted to the State training school for boys a small
appropriation for building.
Indiana.

Commission on Child W elfare and Social Insurance, created by
law March 15,1919. (Acts 1919, ch. 197, p. 771.)
The governor was directed to appoint a commission of five persons
“ at least two o f whom shall be parents.” The commission was in
structed “ to make a careful and systematic study o f child-welfare
and social insurance.” The work was to be done through visiting the
various parts o f the State, holding public hearings, and making
careful inquiry into the problems o f each locality, and the commission
was authorized to visit other States in order to investigate the meth
ods employed and the results achieved. The law further states that
“ the commission shall also draft such bills as may be necessary to
embrace and carry out its recommendations and submit them to the
next general assembly for consideration.”
A sum o f $5,000 was appropriated. The members were to serve
without compensation but were allowed necessary traveling expenses
and could employ a clerk and a stenographer. It was provided that
the commission might avail itself o f the collections or facilities o f any
State department in obtaining the information and data necessary to
the successful prosecution o f its work.
When the commission met for organization it divided its activities
into two sections, as the law directed—social insurance and child welware—and selected a chairman for each section.
The subcommission on child welfare made an analysis o f the laws
o f Indiana concerning the welfare of children, especially those re
lating to the guarding o f the public welfare o f children. 15 On the
Ua First Annual Report of the Georgia Children’s Code Commission to the Governor and
General Assembly.
Georgia Children’s Code Commission, 6 1 J North Forsythe Street
Atlanta, Ga.
,
1S
Child-Welfare Legislation : Work of the Indiana Subcommission on Child W elfare o f
the Commission on Child W elfare and Social Insurance. BuUetin of the Extension Di
vision, Indiana University, Voi. V II, No. 1 (September, 1 9 2 1 ). Bloomington, Ind.

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basis o f its studies o f conditions and existing laws, the commission
in January, 1921, recommended for action by the legislature 19 bills,
3 o f them relating to general health conditions having a bearing on
child welfare. The 16 bills relating specifically to child welfare
dealt with the following subjects:
Triple compensation under the workmen’s compensation act
for children injured while illegally'employed.
Street-trades regulation.
Functioning o f the present junior-placement and vocationalguidance features o f the employment service law.
Minimum school term of eight months.
Change in school-textbook system.
Adequate school grounds for all schools.
Revision o f school-census system.
Apportionment o f school fund on school attendance.
Compulsory health supervision in the schools.
Compulsory physical education in the schools.
Compulsory mental examination o f school children.
Educational departments of all State charitable and benevo
lent institutions under State educational authorities.
Generous support o f the department o f infant and child hy
giene o f the State board o f health.
A unit for crippled and sick children and children in need of
special surgical care.
Support for the State detention home already provided for
by statute.
Care o f unplaceable and diseased children.
In addition to the subjects recommended for legislative action,
the commission suggested the need for further investigation and
study o f the following as a basis for future action :
1 . Apprenticeship laws o f the State.
2. Illegitimacy.
3. Prenatal injury.
4 . Study (then under way) o f mental defectives.
5. Codification of industrial laws.
6 . Codification o f laws for dependent, delinquent, and physi
cally and mentally handicapped children.
According to the commission’s report four o f the major recom
mendations o f the commission were passed by the legislature and
signed by the governor in 1921.
The bill for a State juvenile commission was shortened to include
only the provision for a State probation system with a State pro
bation officer and an advisory committee and was passed in this
form. The recommendations o f the commission for child labor and

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compulsory school attendance laws were embodied in a combination
bill and passed the legislature with only a few changes from the
original recommendation. Provision for an appropriation to the
State board o f health for enforcing the housing laws of the State
was included in the specific appropriations bill; this made possible
the employment o f a housing inspector. The legislature o f 1921 also
passed a number o f important amendments to child welfare laws,
some o f which were outside the recommendations o f the commission.
Three laws relating to subjects of recommendation in 1921 were
passed in 1923—a bill providing double compensation for children
injured while illegally employed; a bill requiring certain standards
with reference to the sites, construction, and equipment o f schoolhouses; and a bill providing for acceptance o f the maternity and
infancy act and appropriating money to match Federal funds.
Iowa.

Child-W elfare Commission, appointed in November, 1923; 10
members.
Kansas.

Children’s Code Committee, appointed by the lieutenant governor
in 1918. The committee drafted six bills which were presented to
the legislature in 1919; three of them were passed, providing fo r :
The committee drafted six bills which were presented to the legis
lature in 1919; three o f them were passed, providing f o r :
Licensing maternity hospitals or homes and homes for infants
or children.
Changing the name o f the State home for feeble-minded to
State training school.
Changes in law relating to commitment o f the feeble-minded.
The Kansas Children’s Code Commission, appointed by the gov
ernor in the spring o f 1920, was composed o f 21 active and 80
advisory members. The work was divided into seven divisions rep
resenting the following phases o f child welfare: Children in indust i y 5 education; protection of maternity; health o f children; protec
tion o f adolescence; dependent, defective, and delinquent children;
general interests o f children. Each division consisted o f a drafting
committee o f three and an advisory committee of six or more per
sons who were especially interested in their division’s problem.
A state-wide survey was made through the Kansas Women’s Com
mittee on Child Welfare by means of questionnaires which were dis
tributed through the counties and school districts in order to assem
ble data on the existing conditions relating to all phases o f childhood.
Local interest was thus aroused. The Women’s Bar Association
prepared an index to Kansas law relating to women and children.
Tentative outlines were submitted to the executive committee by
the drafting committees. From these outlines the executive commit
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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

tee formulated recommendations which were agreed upon at joint
conferences with the drafting and advisory committees. Two pub
lic hearings were held at which reports were given by each drafting
committee, presenting their proposals for legislation. The proposals
which were considered the most urgent were presented to the 1921
legislature with the request that official authorization be given to the
commission to continue its work and make a complete report in 1923.
O f the 2 1 measures that were proposed the following were enacted
into law in 1921:
Establishing a child-research bureau (no appropriation
made).
Amendments to the mothers’ pension law.
Providing for the establishment o f free public kindergartens.
In February, 1922, the commission was again reappointed by the
governor and was reorganized. The 43 members were assigned to
an executive committee o f 7 members, a legal advisory committee
o f 11 members, and drafting committees o f from 4 to 6 members
on each o f the following subjects:
1 . Children in industry.
2 . General interests o f children.
3. Defective children.
4. Dependent children.
5. Delinquent children.
6 . Health o f children.
7. Protection of maternity and infancy.
An executive secretary was appointed early in 1922 to devote her
entire time to the work o f the commission and was assigned an office
room in the statehouse. No appropriation was made by the State
for the expenses o f the commission, and the necessary funds had to
be secured from private sources. The report o f the commission
points out that much more could have been accomplished with ade
quate financial support from the State. The work during the year
included: Surveys o f conditions and preparation o f proposed bills;
newspaper campaigns for the purpose o f reaching all the people of
the State; and educational work with clubs and other group organi
zations by means o f speakers, literature, and study programs. The
commission held a number o f open meetings for the public considera
tion and discussion o f its proposals, which were indorsed by many
state-wide organizations and local clubs.
The bills recommended in the commission’s report to the 1923
legislature covered the following field:
Laws fo r general interests o f children:
Establishing in each county a board o f public welfare.
Establishing a court of domestic relations in counties o f over
65,000 population.
52668°—24----- 4

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Laws fo r general interests o f children—Continued.
Amending the marriage laws relative to licenses.
Requiring physical examination for marriage.
Relating to violation o f marriage laws.
Laws fo r dependent children:
Supervising placed-out children and amending adoption laws.
Establishing a home for indigent pregnant women and aban
doned infants under 2 years of age, in connection with
University Hospital.
Laws fo r defective children:
Amending law providing for treatment for crippled children.
Authorizing establishment o f special classes for retarded,
partially blind, partially deaf, crippled, or any other class
o f defective children in public schools.
Admitting blind babies to State school for the blind.
Laws relating to delinquent children:
Raising the juvenile-court age from 16 to 18.
Requiring separation o f dependent and delinquent children in
county detention homes.
Regulating attendance o f children in dance halls, pool halls,
street carnivals, and motion-picture shows.
Laws fo r children in industry:
Amending child-labor law relating to age limit, educational
requirement, hours, certificate system.
Amending compulsory attendance law.
Creating part-time and continuation schools.
Laws for health o f children:
Relating to physical education and examination of school chil
dren.
Redefining the duties of county health officers.
Law fo r protection o f maternity and infancy:
Regulating the practice of midwifery.
Other protective laws:
Prohibiting advertisement o f cures for venereal diseases in
public places.
Amending law for exclusion o f minors from obscene trials.
The report of the commission summarizes the provisions recom
mended and presents brief comparisons o f the present State laws and
the laws o f other States.
In submitting the commission’s report to the governor and to the
legislature o f 1923, in December, 1922, the chairman said : 16 “ We
16
Laying the Foundation for the Rising Generation : Report of the Kansas Children’s
Code Commission, p. 5. Topeka, 1922.

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

urge that the Children’s Code be considered as a whole, as a wellrounded program in the interests o f Kansas children. We have
found in our present statutes much patchwork and but little corre
lation, some sections conflicting with others, some obsolete, some in
need o f amendment to make them practicable. We have found gaps
which we have tried to fill, guided largely by the experience o f other
States. We offer this program as a whole, each part belonging to the
organic structure.” The Kansas committee and commissions study
ing child-welfare legislation have throughout their work, according
to statements made in their reports, used as a basis the standards
adopted as a result o f the child-welfare conference held in 1919
under the auspices o f the Federal Children’s Bureau, and they have
also followed the recommendations made by the National Commis
sioners on Uniform State Laws.
O f the bills that were introduced in the 1923 legislature, three
were enacted:
An act to promote the attendance o f pupils in schools, to pre
vent truancy, to provide for the appointment of truant offi
cers, to define the rights and duties and compensation of
such officers, to prescribe penalties for violations of this act.
A n act to amend sections relating to deaf, dumb, and blind
children under 2 1 years of age.16a
An act relating to the establishment and conduct o f county
detention homes and juvenile farms.
Kentucky.

Children's Code Commission, created by law, March, 1920. (Laws
1920, ch. 193, p. 725.)
The law provided for the appointment o f a commission o f five
members to prepare a report for the regular meeting o f the legisla
ture in 1922. The commission was instructed “ to make a survey o f
the entire field o f child welfare in the Commonwealth o f Kentucky,”
and was granted power to summon witnesses and “ such other
powers as may be necessary to such an investigation,” but no appro
priation was made for the commission’s expenses. The activities
o f the commission were financed by private funds.
The commission’s report 17 states that “ Consideration o f the ac
tual situation in Kentucky convinced the members o f the commis
sion that it was unnecessary at that moment to undertake a series
o f extensive investigations. Certain portions o f the child-welfare
«a This also embodies another of the commission’s recommendations with reference to
the admission of blind babies to the State school for the blind.
17
Report of the Kentucky Children’s Code Commission Covering Child-Welfare Legisla
tion Prior to and Through the Legislative Session of 1922. Kentucky Children’s Code
Commission, 428 South First Street, Louisville, Ky.

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field had either recently been studied or were soon to be studied by
competent observers and their findings and recommendations were
or would be available for the use o f the commission.” The field of
education was being surveyed by the General Education Board of
New York City on invitation of a previously created educational
commission. The field o f mental defect had been studied in 1917
by the National Committee for Mental Hygiene; the Russell Sage
Foundation Department o f Child Helping had in 1919 made a study
o f Louisville child-caring agencies; and in the same year the Na
tional Child-Labor Committee had made a state-wide study of
child-welfare conditions, including health, education, recreation,
rural life, child labor, and juvenile courts. The private child
caring agencies outside the city of Louisville had not been covered
in the previous studies, and the commission felt that such a study
was needed, also inquiry to determine whether conditions in State
institutions and in the institutions in Louisville had changed as a
result o f the creation of the Kentucky State Board of Charities in
1920 and the previous studies. The commission therefore undertook
a study o f all institutions and agencies caring for delinquent, de
pendent, or defective children. The next work undertaken was
the revision o f the recommendations made by the agencies making
the earlier studies, in order to bring them into accord with legisla
tion enacted in 1920. For these pieces o f work the commission en
gaged the services of three members o f the staff o f the National
Child-Labor Committee, and the report presented by the commission
was based on their findings and recommendations. The assistance
o f the National Probation Association was secured in drafting pro
visions relating to the juvenile court act and probation.
In January, 1922, the commission submitted to the governor and
general assembly o f Kentucky an outline o f legislation recommended
for enactment in 1922.18
The following legislative proposals were made:
An act amending the present juvenile court act through—
Fixing the jurisdiction o f the court over children to the
eighteenth birthday for both boys and girls.
Eliminating the provision which seems to provide for
a jury trial for children.
Providing for increased salaries o f probation officers and
authorizing the appointment o f paid probation officers
in all counties of the State.
Adding provisions to secure in every county the proper
detention of children awaiting court action.
18
Outline of Legislation Recommended for Enactment in 1922. Submitted to the Gov
ernor and General Assembly of Kentucky by the Kentucky Children’s Code Commission.

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Limiting the transfer o f cases to the criminal court to
children 15 years o f age or over.
Providing against conflict of two public authorities in
commitments to “ houses o f reform.”
Providing for the examination and treatment and care o f
children made wards of the State, the cost o f treatment
to be charged to the county when it can not be borne by
the parents.
An adult probation law providing for the appointment of
probation officers in 'a n y court in the discretion o f the
judges, and prescribing their powers and duties.
A special act providing for the appointment o f a permanent
State commission on juvenile courts and probation.
An act amending the child labor act by—
Rewriting the section on street trades.
Requiring the return of duplicate certificates by the is
suing officer to the State department of labor.
An act consolidating and amending the laws relating to
abandonment, desertion, and nonsupport.
An act establishing the legal status o f abandoned children
with reference to adoption.
The final recommendation was for an act authorizing the governor
to continue and enlarge the work o f the Kentucky Children’s Code
Commission.
O f the measures proposed the amendment to the desertion law was
enacted, and the other bills failed. A bill was passed that incorpo
rated the commission’s recommendations for the continuance of its
work, creating the Kentucky Child-Welfare Commission.
In commenting on the results of its work, the commission says in
its report that the net result, however, in terms o f educational public
ity, was most gratifying. In the next two years, through continuing
to stimulate the public interest which had been aroused, the com
mission hoped to prepare Kentucky for a larger and more compre
hensive program o f child-welfare legislation. The information now
in hand can be used as a basis for drafting bills for 1924.
K entucky Child-W elfare Commission, created by act o f the
general assembly in March, 1922 (Laws 1922, ch. 107).
The membership of this commission was specified as nine citizens
of the State, who were to serve without compensation. The mem
bers were to be appointed by the governor, three for a period o f one
year, three for two years, and three for three years from the date
of appointment; thereafter all appointments were to be made for
the full term o f three years. The commission was thus to be a
continuing one. As stated in the act, the duties of the commission
were to continue the survey of child welfare begun by the children’s

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code commission and “ to investigate and study the needs o f Ken
tucky children and present to the governor and the general assembly,
prior to each legislative session, a report of their findings and rec
ommendations based thereon; to prepare data upon the subject, and
be ready at all times to advise the governor or any member of the
general assembly concerning the bills relating to children which may
be introduced at any session o f the general assembly.”
The members o f the commission were appointed by the governor
on February 15, 1923. No State appropriation was granted for the
work. The commission is preparing recommendations to be sub
mitted to the 1924 session o f the legislature.
Maryland.

Children's Code Commission, appointed by the governor January
1, 1922, at the request o f the Maryland League o f Women Voters,
and composed of nine members.
The commission attempted to get together for the legislature then
in session proposals concerning the most urgent needs in the field
o f child welfare. The initial statement o f the report 19 made to the
governor in January explained that, although the name o f the com
mission suggested that its primary function might be to prepare a
code o f laws of Maryland relating to minors, such a task had not
been undertaken, partly for the reason that the governor had ex
pressly excluded it from the work he asked the commission to do,
and for the further reason that the commission did not regard such
a separate codification o f laws as desirable. It was pointed out that
laws relating to minors are in many instances hardly separable from
laws relating to adults, and separate codification would not serve
to remedy defects in child-welfare laws. The commission therefore
undertook to review existing laws in order to discover defects, and
to recommend remedies for such defects. The time at the disposal
o f the commission was so limited that it was able to review only
a part o f the laws relating to minors.
The commission included in its recommendations the following
measures:
The protection of the State against the importation o f de
fective children from other States and against the place
ment by other States of normal children in unsuitable homes
in Maryland.
The repeal o f the law providing for apprenticing of children.
Extension o f the organization o f juvenile courts in the
counties.
Support o f illegitimate children to 14 years of age, and
abolition o f the maximum amount o f money payable.
1 » Report of the Children’s Code Commission to the Governor.

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January, 1922.

(Typed.)

ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

Changes in the law relating to issuing o f work permits in
the counties.
Increasing the penalty for failure o f midwives to report in
fants’ sore eyes.
Prohibiting the separation o f young children from their
mothers before they are 1 2 months o f age (amending the
present law specifying 6 months). •
Extending the law relating to desertion and abandonment o f
children to include mothers abandoning children more than
3 years of age.
Provision for a payment by the State o f a minimum wage of
$ 1 a day to convicts confined at hard labor in the penal
institutions, in cases where the convicts have dependents,
in order that the present law relating to allotment of earn
ings of convicts may be made effective.
Two other proposals were also included in the commission’s re
port to the governor, with the statement that they were proposed
by the league o f women voters, but the commission was not in agree
ment in regard to the need for them. These related to equal guar
dianship o f children by husband and wife, and changes in the age of
consent law.
The report closed with a statement recommending a that pro
vision be made for a study of the laws relating to children, extended
over the entire two years between the present session o f the general
assembly and the session of 1924. The investigations have impressed
the members with the fact that some perplexing problems, not
touched upon in this report, should be committed to a group who
can have the advantage o f longer inquiry and study.” It was also
the suggestion o f the commission that the name be changed to one
more expressive o f the function of the body.
Maryland Commission on Laws o f Minors, created by a joint reso
lution passed by the 1922 session of the general assembly. The gov
ernor appointed seven members. No appropriation was made. The
commission, through a questionnaire sent to those familiar with
<mild-welfare needs in the State and through studies of laws, is gath
ering material for a report to the 1924 session of the legislature.
Michigan.

Child-W elfare Commission, created by law, May 10, 1917. (Laws
1917, No. 293.)
This was a continuing commission, the three members to be ap
pointed by the governor every two years. The law provided that the
members should “ be selected from the recognized organized bodies
formed for the study of child welfare, and the promotion o f educa
tion, hygiene, health, good morals, and physical and mental welfare

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

o f children and their parents and guardians,” preference being given
to members o f organizations whose work is state-wide in scope.
The duties o f the commission were defined as follows : u To study
and investigate the social and economic environment o f children,
with particular reference to their home and neighborhood surround
ings; the influences to which children are subjected in and about their
homes and schools; the conditions under which children are forced
or permitted to perform labor in their homes or elsewhere, with or
without remuneration ; the relationships between children and parents
and the fitness and ability o f parents to care for children, supervise
their education, control their morals and fit them to become useful
and law-abiding citizens, and the remedies that should be applied by
State and other public bodies for the amelioration and improvement
o f such conditions as may indicate the need for alteration and correc
tion.” The commission was to report to the governor at least 30 days
prior to the assembling o f each successive legislature a a résumé of
the work o f the commission together with recommendations for such
legislation as the commission may consider necessary to advance the
welfare and promote the education, good morals, and mental and
physical well-being o f children.” The commission was given power
to examine records of State institutions, boards, commissions, or
officers of the State, and o f local public agencies and institutions and
incorporated private bodies.
In the fall o f 1917 the National Child Labor Committee began
studies o f institutions, juvenile courts and mothers’ pensions, and
child labor, and a general study o f the laws of Michigan. The re
sults of these four studies were submitted to the commission. The
commission laid before the governor a brief (unpublished) report,
which included recommendations relative to creation o f a child-wel
fare department in the State board o f corrections and charities;
appointment and removal o f county agents to be conferred upon the
State board of corrections and charities, and the provision o f five
traveling supervisors; treatment of cripples at the State University
Hospital, and, pending treatment,, pro vision in their homes; a more
adequate system of care for dependent children ; county health officer?
and trained nurses ; an appropriation o f $1 ,0 0 0 for the child-welfare
commission. No legislative action resulted.
Because o f the fact that no appropriation was made by the legisla
ture to enable the commission to carry out the broad program
intrusted to it, no further action was taken by the commission.
.According to the law, the term of office o f the members appointed in
1917 expired in 1919, and early in 1920 the governor made the neces
sary appointment for the continuance o f the work o f the commission.

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

A letter from the secretary o f the commission stated that the childwelfare commission had been abolished in connection with the reor
ganization o f the State departments and commissions in 1921.
Minnesota.

Child-W elfare Commission, consisting o f 12 members, was ap
pointed by the governor, August, 1916, to revise and codify the laws
o f the State relating to children.20
No appropriation was made by the State, but private funds were
secured, and an executive secretary was employed. The personnel
o f the commission included nine men and three women, their inter
ests being defined as follow s : 21 “ O f the men three were judges—
two members o f the district bench, assigned to the juvenile court,
and the third a former justice o f the supreme court; two were mem
bers o f the legislature, one from each house; and the remaining
four were an assistant secretary o f a civic and commerce association
o f long professional training in philanthropic work, a member of
the State board o f control, which manages the institutions o f the
State, the superintendent o f the State school for dependent children,
and a Jewish rabbi who had taken an active interest in civic affairs.
O f the women, one was active in the management o f a social settle
ment in the largest city o f the State, another was the director of the
bureau o f women and children o f the State labor department, and
the third was a woman o f broad civic interests.” The executive sec
retary was a lawyer.
The study undertaken by the commission was divided as follow s:
1. Defective children, with reference to the blind, the deaf, the crippled, and
deformed, the feeble-minded and epileptic, and— as related matter— the protec
tion of children from transmissible disease and the regulation of marriage.
2. Dependent and neglected children, touching upon courts, and procedure,
illegitimacy, adoption, public relief at home, maternity hospitals, lying-in
places, baby farms, placing-out agencies, institutional homes, abandonment,
and desertion.
3. Delinquent children, including courts and procedure, correctional institu
tions, moral safeguards, and adults contributing to delinquency.
4. General child welfare, including birth registration, vital statistics, regula
tion of midwives, school attendance, regulation o f employment, and crimes
against children.

Four committees were appointed to cover the subjects as outlined,
and to report their findings to the whole commission. After six
a F0r a description of the organization and methods of work of this commission, see
“ The Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission,” by W . W . Hodson, in Standards of Child
W elfare : A Report of the Children’s Bureau Conferences, M ay and June, 1919. U. S.
Children’s Bureau Publication No. 60. Washington, 1919.
a Ibid., p. 420.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOE CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

months o f work the commission submitted its report to the governor,
43 bills being proposed. The secretary states :
The findings of the commission were adopted in almost every instance by a
unanimous vote of that body. Where there was a division, a substantial ma
jority had approved.

The legislature passed a resolution (Laws 1917, p. 874, Resolution
No. 1 ) authorizing the appointment o f a special committee of seven
members o f the house and five o f the senate to consider the bills to be
recommended by the child-welfare commission and other bills intro
duced that concerned child welfare. This joint committee was
authorized to hold public hearings and “ introduce and recommend
to the house and senate such bills as in its judgment will bring about
the proper revision o f the laws o f this State relating to children.”
O f the 43 measures recommended to the legislature, 35 were enacted
into law. These 35 measures repealed 114 sections and amended
60 sections o f previously existing law.
The bills recommended to the legislature, with synopses of changes
from the existing law, were published in the report o f the Minnesota
Child-Welfare Commission, 1917.22 The changes that were made by
the legislature pursuant to the recommendations o f the commission
are indicated in the Compilation o f the Laws o f Minnesota Relating
to Children, published by the State board o f control in 1917, and in
later editions containing the laws through 1921. The results attained
through the work o f the commission have been summarized by the
executive secretary in the article previously cited. He states that
“ time did not permit the assembling o f these measures in such a way
as to make possible their passage as a code rather than as individual
laws, but the existing statutes are now for the most part coherent, con
sistent, and interdependent. They seek to express the State’s respon
sibility for its handicapped children as far as it seems possible to go
at this time.” One o f the new laws centralized in the State board o f
control the administration o f all laws for the care and protection of
children and authorized the creation o f a special division of the board
for this purpose and the organization o f county child-welfare boards.
The gains through the passage o f laws recommended by the com
mission were summarized by the executive secretary as follows :
There has been created as a bureau of the board of control a regularly
organized State agency charged with the fulfillment of the State’s obligation to
all children in need of care and guardianship, with special reference to the
illegitimate child. The laws relating to illegitimacy have been revised, and the
father o f a child born out o f wedlock is subject to the same degree o f responsi
bility as though the child were legitimate. Supplementary to this, it has been
made a felony to abscond where issue is born of fornication. Safeguards have
32 Report of the Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission, with bills recommended and
synopses of all changes from present law. St. Paul, 1917.

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

been thrown about the adoption and placing out of children; lying-in hospitals
must now be properly licensed and subjected to wise regulation. The law
relating to abandonment and nonsupport has been revised and strengthened. The
so-called mother’s pension law was rewritten, its provisions enlarged, and
standards of administration established in the light of the experience of our
own and other States. The juvenile-court law has likewise undergone a thor
ough process o f recasting at the hands of persons intimately acquainted with
juvenile-court problems. The scope of the law, the machinery o f its procedure,
and the spirit o f its text have been put on a sound and liberal foundation.

Missouri.

Children's Code Commission, appointed by the governor, June,
1915.
No appropriation was made by the State; funds were secured from
private sources, and an executive secretary was employed. The com
mission, which consisted o f 23 members, took the place o f a com
mittee o f three senators authorized by the Missouri senate in 1915,
which did not undertake any work because its appropriation was
found to be invalid.
The commission was appointed to “ revise the existing laws re
lating to children, to prepare such new legislation as might seem
desirable, and to bring together in one code all the laws relating to
children.”
The following committees were formed:
1 . General laws for the protection o f children.
2. Public administration.
3. Delinquent and neglected children.
4. Defective children.
5. Destitute children.
6 . Child labor and education.
7. Health and recreation.
As one o f the first steps, an analysis was made o f the Missouri
laws relating to child welfare, and an index o f this legislation was
published.
In 1917 a report 23 was issued, containing the changes recom
mended, with the reasons for the same. The report stated: “ All
the members o f the commission do not concur in all the recom
mendations. No minority reports, however, have been submitted,
and all the chief measures have received the approval of a majority
o f the commission.”
O f the 54 bills recommended, covering all phases o f child welfare,
the following were enacted into law in 1917:
Relating to juvenile courts for the smaller counties o f the
State. (A substitute bill.)
28 Missouri Children’s Code Com m ission; a complete revision of the laws for the welfare
of Missouri children. Second edition, with additional bills, January, 1917. Jefferson
City.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

Authorizing mothers’ pensions on a state-wide basis.
Requiring court decree for adoption.
Providing treatment for incorrigible minors over the juve
nile-court age.
Requiring county clerks to report deaf and blind children to
the State institutions.
Establishing a State detention home for dependent children.
Repealing the laws relating to apprenticeship o f children.
Amendments to the act relating to commitments to the indus
trial home for negro girls.
Providing for the admittance o f blind children under 6 years,
and deaf children under 8 years, to the State schools.
A second child-welfare commission was appointed by the governor
in 1917.' This was also financed through private contributions. The
29 members o f the commission included “ 9 State and local officials,
8 social workers in private organizations, 4 members o f the legisla
ture, 5 lawyers, and 3 officers of State associations o f women. ” 24
The executive secretary o f the first commission acted in the same
capacity for the second, and the plan o f work was substantially the
same as before.
The report published in 1918, for submission to the general assem
bly o f 1919, contained explanations o f 51 proposed bills. 25 O f these
recommended bills, 25 passed the legislature, but 5 of these were
vetoed by the governor.
The commission bills enacted into laws covered the following
subjects:
Prohibiting the employment o f women three weeks before and
three weeks after childbirth.
Establishing the minimum age o f marriage for girls at 15
years.
Amending the present law by raising the legal age o f consent
for girls from 12 to 15 years.
Making the child abandonment law applicable to children born
out o f wedlock.
Providing that a person must be at least 21 years o f age and
o f sound mind to be an executor or administrator.
Providing for an appropriation of $2,000 a year by the city of
St. Louis for the purpose of extraditing wife deserters.
24 Missouri— A New Children’s Code Proposed. The Survey, vol. 41 (Dee. 28, 1 9 1 8 ),
pp. 406—407.
26 Report of the Missouri Children’s Code Com m ission; a complete revision of the laws
for the welfare o f Missouri children. Jefferson City, 1918.

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

Providing for the separation o f feeble-minded and epileptic
at the Missouri Colony for Feeble-minded, also for segrega
tion o f delinquent, and making separate provision for the
colored.
Relating to jurisdiction in commitment o f deaf children to the
State school for the deaf.
Reducing the age of delinquency for boys from 18 to 17 years,
thus making it conform to the general laws relating to neg
lected and delinquent children.
A third Missouri Children’s Code Commission was appointed in
1919 and reported to the legislature in 1921. Laws or amendments
which it recommended were enacted as follow s:
Relating to treatment or abandonment o f child by parent or
foster parent.
Raising age o f consent for girls from 15 to 16 years.
Relating to inheritance o f children born out o f lawful wed
lock.
Relating to services and earnings o f minor children whether
born in lawful wedlock or not.
Requiring married or unmarried women to be 21 years o f age
to devise or bequeath property.
Relating to illegal solemnization o f marriages between per
sons who are insane, imbecile, feeble-minded, or epileptic.
Prohibiting marriages o f mental defectives, certain relatives,
and the intermarriage o f certain races.
Abolishing common-law marriages.
Authorizing county courts to appoint county superintendents
o f public welfare.
Providing for appointment o f boards of public welfare in
cities o f second and third class.
Relating to persons who contribute to the delinquency of
children.
Relating to persons who contribute to the delinquency o f chil
dren over 17 years o f age.
Requiring maternity hospitals to be licensed.
Requiring child caring and placing institutions to be licensed
and supervised.
Providing for State receiving home for dependent and neg
lected children.
Relating to special classes in public schools for blind, deaf,
and feeble-minded children.
Relating to treatment o f eyes o f newborn babies.
Relating to county juvenile courts.
Relating to child labor—ages, hours o f work, and labor
permits.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Montana.

Committee to Standardize Children's Laws, appointed by the gov
ernor in 1917 as a result o f a special campaign for the creation o f a
commission to study child-welfare conditions in the State and revise
legislation.
No report was made to the legislature of 1919. During that year
correspondence with members o f the committee indicated that it was
hoped that a report could be made in time for the 1921 legislature.
No appropriation was made for the work o f the committee.
So far as can be ascertained, no report has been made by this com
mittee, and it has not been possible to secure any information in re
gard to its activities.
Nebraska.

Children's Code Commission, created by law, April 15,1919. (Laws
1919, ch. 178.)
The governor was directed to appoint for a period to terminate
May 11,1921, “ a special investigating committee to be known a s1The
Children’s Code Commission.’ ” This commission was designated as
an “ independent branch ” o f the State child-welfare bureau estab
lished under the same act, which was taken over by the State depart
ment o f public welfare.
An appropriation o f not to exceed $7,500 was made available for
the work o f the code commission. The commission had 15 members
and employed an executive secretary. The members o f the commis
sion were to receive no salary but might be reimbursed for actual
traveling expenses within the State. The appointment o f a secretary,
at a salary not to exceed $150 a month, was authorized, and also the
employment o f stenographic and other assistance.
The duties o f the commission were thus defined in the law :
The Children’s Code Commission of the Child W elfare Bureau shall make a
careful study of the subject o f child welfare with special reference to the prob
lems presented in Nebraska, and, as part of its duties, shall investigate social
and other conditions affecting child welfare in Nebraska, shall make a study of
comparative legislation relating thereto, to point out and make recommenda
tions for removal of inconsistent, obsolete, or otherwise undesirable laws, and
recommend new legislation for promotion of child welfare in said State; and
shall embody said recommendations and the results of said investigation in a
written report to the governor on December 1, 1920, which report the governor
shall transmit to the legislature next convening.

The commission was empowered to have access to all books and
records o f State, county, and municipal institutions and agencies,
and o f all private agencies having the custody o f or the placing out
o f children, and was authorized to call upon the legislative-reference
bureau for assistance.

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O R G A N IZ A T IO N

AND

PLANS.

In accordance with this act the governor appointed a commission
o f 15 members, and a secretary was employed. The members o f
the commission were persons specially qualified to deal with the
problems relating to child welfare in the State. The commission
divided its work into five groups, for each of which a committee was
named. The following outline submitted by the secretary gives the
name and scope o f work o f each committee.
1 . Special classes o f children.
A ll legislation relating to dependent, neglected, defective, and
delinquent children, including administration and supervision of
State institutions for such children.

2. Education and child labor.
(а ) School attendance, term, etc.
Continuation schools.
Vocational guidance and training.
Scholarship funds.
County library system.
(б ) Hours and conditions of child labor.
Physical examination.
Accidents and disease.
Street trading— a constructive plan for news selling.
Mothers’ pensions.

3. Health and recreation.
(а ) Birth registration and other vital statistics.
Regulation of midwives.
Maternity hospitals.
Prenatal care and care at birth.
Infant-welfare stations.
Community nursing.
Pure-milk control.
Control of communicable diseases.
Teacher training in health.
State and local hospitals for or admitting children.
Cigarette law.
(б ) Movie censorship.
Universal physical education.
Community centers.

4. General child welfare.
Crimes against children.
Marriage and divorce regulations.
Sterilization.
Illegitimacy.
Guardianship.
Minors’ rights and liabilities.

5. Administration and law enforcement.
Machinery to administer laws (outside State institutions), with
especial emphasis on rural and town communities.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

The commission decided to accept the broader meaning of the term
“ child welfare,” and “ to consider generally matters affecting the
welfare o f children which can be a proper subject for legislation.”
It was agreed that “ the needs o f normal children in normal homes
should not be neglected in considering the needs o f special classes
o f children.” The word “ children ” was interpreted to include all
persons under 21 years o f age. In making its report the commission
summarized its recommendations under two heads: First, laws to
meet immediate needs; second, administrative machinery which
would make these laws effective. Special attention was given to rural
conditions because of the fact that a large majority o f the children,
o f Nebraska live in rural communities.
The measures recommended to the legislature o f 1921 included
14 new and independent laws, 9 acts that would repeal existing laws
and enact new legislation on the same subject, and 30 amendments.
The report 26 issued by the commission includes, besides the text of
the bills proposed, summaries o f legislation recommended and data
substantiating the desirability o f the recommendations.
The purposes o f the child-welfare legislation proposed by the com
mission are summarized as follow s : 27
The underlying thought of the legislation which is. recommended is that the
State is ultimately responsible for the care of all children. It is interested in
the moral, mental, and physical development of the children o f the State be
cause to the extent that they so develop, they will contribute to the material
prosperity and spiritual strength of the community; and to the extent that
they fail to develop they will become a menace and a burden to society.
The responsibility for the .care and education of children belongs primarily
to the family. * * * In child-welfare legislation, which so closely affects
the integrity of the home, it is especially necessary to avoid policies which
will have a tendency to weaken the home or the family.
W ith the growing complexity of modern life, however, it is necessary for the
State to supplement the home in certain activities. In the field of education
the State school system supplements the efforts of the family almost to the
exclusion of the latter. The State charitable institutions for children in the
past have been an open door for the care of such dependent, neglected, and
wayward children as are brought to the attention of the State * * *.
To these two functions of the State the children’s code commission would
add a third important feature. It would provide through the State childwelfare bureau and the county boards of child welfare means by which the
State may search out every child who needs its aid or protection. The com
mission considers this a fundamental addition to our child-welfare system
* * * . I f the laws recommended in this report are adopted there will be
provided in every school district of the State, not only the opportunities for
school training, but also through the State child-welfare bureau cooperating
with the county boards of child welfare, the necessary machinery for securing
to every child the school opportunities which the State affords. Local attend28 Report of the Nebraska Children’s Code Commission, 1920.
W elfare, Lincoln, Nebr.
» Ibid., p. 14.

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Department of Public

ORGANIZATION" AND PLANS.

ance officers are provided for in all cities and county attendance officers or
superintendents of child welfare are provided for in every county. The work
of the county board of child welfare and the State child-welfare bureau are so
coordinated as to assure that every child throughout the State shall be
reached.

The “ new and independent ” acts recommended were as follow s:
An act to establish a bureau o f juvenile research for the pur
pose o f providing mental and physical examinations for
minors brought before courts.
An act to provide for the education of mentally subnormal
children in special classes in the public schools.
An act to provide for and establish a court o f domestic rela
tions in each county o f this State having a population o f
upward o f 50,000, which shall be a court o f record.
An act to limit and regulate the employment o f women be
fore and after childbirth in industrial establishments and
in beet fields.
An act to protect the health, morals, and welfare of women
and minors employed in industry by establishing a mini
mum-wage commission and providing for the determination
o f minimum wages for women and minors.
An act to limit and regulate certain occupations of children
in streets and public places.
An act to define, license, and regulate children’s homes.
An act to provide for the licensing o f midwives.
An act relating to motion-picture films, reels, and views, pro
viding a system o f examination, approval, and regulation
thereof * * * creating a bureau o f inspectors o f motion
pictures in the department of public welfare.
An act relating to and defining offenses against public morals.
An act to provide for an examination and investigation of
the physical and mental condition and personal and family
traits and history of prisoners convicted of forcible rape
or o f the rape o f a girl under 14 years o f age, and to require
in certain cases the castration o f such prisoners.
An act to make wife desertion in certain cases a felony
(In cases of marriage to escape prosecution for sex crimes.)
An act to provide compulsory institutional care for women
immediately before and after confinement [intended to
apply especially to unmarried mothers] and for the tem
porary care of the mother and child * * * in cases where
the mother is unable to provide properly for herself, where
no relatives or friends have provided care, and where the
mother has refused proper care when offered by a public
or private institution or organization.
52668°—24-----5

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

An act to consolidate the child-welfare work in each countj
o f the State; to establish county boards of child welfare;
to provide for county superintendents o f child welfare, to
prescribe their powers and duties, and to fix their com
pensation.
The nine bills repealing existing laws and enacting new laws
related t o : Children in poorhouses, child-placing organizations, juve
nile courts, school health law, child labor law, maternity homes,
filiation proceedings, and a State child-welfare bureau.
Only three o f the new laws were enacted, two of them after amend
ment by the legislature—the act to establish a bureau of juvenile
research, the act relating to offenses against public morals, and the
act providing for compulsory care o f unmarried mothers. The act
repealing the existing law relating to children in poorhouses was
passed, county authorities being required to provide care for de
pendent children under the juvenile court and mothers’ pension laws,
and being prohibited from keeping pregnant women in poorhouses.
Fourteen o f the proposed amendments passed. These related to
commitment to the institution for the feeble-minded; children in
immoral surroundings; compulsory education law (amended by
legislature); part-time schools; longer school terms and State aid
to weaker districts; pool halls; divorce; kidnaping; abandonment;
advertising cures for venereal diseases; incest; pandering; raising
age o f majority for girls; guardianship.
New Hampshire.

Children's Commission, created by law, April 15, 1913. (Laws
1913, ch. 72.)
The members served without compensation, but the governor was
authorized to draw his warrant for necessary expenses o f the com
mission, $1,350 being thus expended. Private contributions were
secured in order to defray the expenses of a field worker.
The governor and council were given the authority to appoint
“ three suitable persons who shall investigate all matters relating to
the welfare o f the dependent, defective, and delinquent children of
the State, especially the questions o f orphanage, juvenile courts,
detention homes, desertion, physical and mental degeneracy, infant
mortality, accidents, and diseases.” The commission was ordered to
report to the legislature of 1915.
The commission organized into three committees:
1. Infant mortality.
2. Physical and mental degeneracy, orphanages, and desertion.
3. Juvenile courts and detention homes.
In addition to these subjects, child labor and conditions surround
ing children in the public schools were also investigated. A field

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

worker was employed to investigate the prevalence o f feeble-minded
ness. One public hearing was held for discussion of legislation to be
recommended to the legislature.
As directed, the commission reported to the legislature o f 1915 on
existing conditions, and presented a digest o f existing laws. 28 The
main recommendations made were for : ( 1 ) State board o f children’s
guardians; (2) colony for feeble-minded girls; (3) probation-truant
officers; (4) supervision o f public schools.
New York.

State Commission to Examine La/ws Relating to Child W elfare,
created by law, May, 1920. (Laws 1920, ch. 699.)
The act creating the commission specified that the membership of
the commission was to consist of three members o f the senate, three
members o f the assembly, five persons to represent the State depart
ments of education, labor, health, State board of charities, and State
probation commission. The governor was authorized to appoint five
other persons to represent the public at large.
The members of the commission were to serve without compensa
tion, but an appropriation of $5,000 was made for employment of
assistants and for other necessary expenses.
The dutiès o f the commission, as outlined in the act, were: To
“ collate and study all laws relating to child welfare, investigate
and study the operation and effect o f such laws upon children,
ascertain any overlapping and duplication o f laws and o f the
activities o f any public office, department, or commission thereunder,
and make recommendations to the legislature of remedial legislation
which it may deem proper as the result of its investigations.”
The commission was to have “ all the powers o f a legislative com
mittee ” in having access to records and taking testimony in order
to carry on the investigation. A report of proceedings was to be
made to the legislature at its next session, “ and also at such other
times as may be required by the governor or by the president o f the
senate and speaker o f the assembly.”
In 1921 the act creating the commission was amended to provide
for a report by the commission to the legislature annually. The
unexpended balance o f the preceding year’s appropriation ($4,686.16)
and a new appropriation of $7,500 were made available for the
commission’s work. (Laws 1921, chs. 342,176, and 650.)
In 1922 the legislature appropriated $7,500 to the commission for
“ expenses of maintenance and operation, incltiding personal service.”
(Laws 1922, ch. 397.) In 1923 $15,000 was appropriated.
28 Report oi the Children’s Commission to the Governor and Legislature, January, 1915.
Concord, N. H ., 1914.

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The commission met for organization in New York City on
October 18, 1920. An executive secretary was appointed in July,
1921, and the commission was granted office room in the Manhattan
Children’s Court Building without expense.
The work o f the commission was divided among eight subcom
mittees on— ( 1 ) education; (.2 ) health; (3) labor; (4) institutional
care o f children; (5) delinquent children; ( 6 ) dependent, neglected,
and defective children; (7) mothers’ allowances; ( 8 ) child protec
tion. The task o f preparing a compilation o f the provisions o f law
relating to children was undertaken by two private agencies, assisted
by two State departments, and the commission was furnished by
them with 1 0 typewritten sets containing the full text o f the laws,
arranged topically and indexed, and summarized in chart form.
In the act creating the commission no age limitation was specified,
and the commission defined as its jurisdiction the laws affecting
minors. The report issued by the commission in March, 1922, says
in regard to the type of work undertaken by the commission : 29
Inasmuch as the commission was primarily created to do certain research
work, it was felt that it would be too far afield to undertake any general in
vestigation of the administration or the’ enforcement of laws relating to chil
dren. It was recognized from the start, however, that the administration of
particular laws might readily demand the attention of the commission, but
only in so far as is necessary to ascertain their defects and shortcomings.

The scope of work o f the subcommittees was as follow s :

Education.
Compulsory-school attendance.
Administrative supervision and control.
Finances and support.
Miscellaneous provisions.
Special schools.

Health.
Administrative and enforcing agencies.
Blindness of infants and prevention.
Hospitals for children.
Midwives.
Vital statistics.
Miscellaneous health laws.
Recreation.

Labor.
Child labor laws.
Apprenticeship.
(
Employment agencies.
Workmen’s compensation.
29 Preliminary Report of the New York State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to
Child W elfare, Mar. 14, 1922, p. 4. Albany, 1922.
80 The classification of child-welfare laws published by the Federal Children’s Bureau
w as used as a guide. See p. 100 o f this publication.

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Institutional care o f children.
Institutional care of dependent, neglected, delinquent, and defective chil
dren, including blind, deaf, dumb, crippled, deformed, feeble-minded,
and epileptic. -

Delinquent children.
General provisions.
Treatment apart from juvenile courts and institutional laws.
Juvenile courts.

Dependent, neglected, and defective children.
General provisions for dependent, neglected, and defective children.
Placing-out agencies and after-care of children placed in foster homes.

Mothers’ allowances.
Mothers’ allowances and child welfare board law.

Child protection.
Duties and liabilities of parents.
Rights of parents and child.
Marriage and divorce.
Adoption.
Illegitimacy.
Guardian and ward.
Offenses against the child.
Minor’s capacity or incapacity to acquire rights and incur liabilities.

The committee did not attempt to cover the entire field in time to
submit a complete report to the legislature o f 1922 but determined
“ to direct the attention o f the legislature this year to but a few of
the more pressing questions which the inquiries o f the commission
have thus far shown to require legislative action.” The report 31
states that—
only a start has been made in an intensive study of the various laws within
the scope of the respective subcommittees, to discover where elimination of
duplicate or obsolete provisions should be suggested, or changes recommended
to bring about better coordination between laws or possible merging of certain
provisions for the sake of simplicity and brevity. No investigation, moreover,
has as yet been undertaken of the overlapping of the activities of public offices,
departments, or commissions as called for in the act establishing the com
mission.

In 1921, and also in 1922, the commission held numerous con
ferences and public hearings regarding the measures under con
sideration. The conferences were arranged under the auspices of
the commission in cities in different parts of the State. To these
were invited representatives of local child-welfare agencies. The
meetings were informal, permitting freedom of discussion, and sug
gestions as to needed changes in the laws or defects found in their
31 Preliminary Report of the New York State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to
Child W elfare, Mar. 14, 1922, p. 7. Albany, 1922.

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administration were thus brought to the attention of the commis
sion. Public hearings o f the commission were held in various
places, under the auspices of one or more o f the subcommittees, for
the consideration of the question o f county children’s courts, the
laws relating to placing-out, boarding-out, and adoption, and cer
tain questions relating to institutional care o f children. Confer
ences were also held with local groups of superintendents and other
representatives o f child-caring institutions, in order to obtain their
ideas regarding certain measures. Representatives o f the commis
sion attended conventions o f State organizations having to do with
children, presented the objects o f the commission, and appealed for
cooperation and suggestions.
The following proposals were recommended to the legislature o f
1922:
That adequate machinery be provided through the estab
lishment o f county children’s courts for hearing cases o f
child offenders and neglected children.
That the powers o f existing boards o f child welfare be ex
tended, unifying the care o f various classes o f children in
need o f public aid. (The county boards o f child welfare
were, except in two counties, concerned only with the ad
ministration of the mothers’ allowance act.)
That State aid be provided for deaf and dumb children
prior to their twelfth birthday.
That provisions be repealed legalizing binding out o f chil
dren under indentures.
That a 48-hour week limitation for employment o f minors
16 years of age be provided.
That the education law be amended with respect to the issu
ance o f employment certificates for children.
That the education law be amended to permit school authori
ties to require children 15 years of age to remain in school
until their sixteenth birthday, unless graduates o f an eightyear elementary school course.
Four o f these measures were enacted into law— the first, second,
third, and sixth.
The commission made a second report to the 1923 session o f the
legislature and made 14 recommendations, grouped under 9 heads
as follows:
I. That the power o f existing boards o f child welfare be
extended. Three bills amending the law regulating
granting o f mothers’ allowances to permit giving aid
where the father is permanently incapacitated; when
the mother has resided in the United States for at least

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

five years and her children are born here; and when the
mother is dead and the child is being cared for by a
blood relative within the second degree. One bill grant
ing State aid to local boards o f child welfare, to the
extent o f 25 per cent.
II. That a 48-hour week limitation be enacted for employ
ment o f males 16 to 18 years o f age.
III. That the law provide double compensation for children
illegally employed.
IV. That provisions o f the law be repealed authorizing bind
ing out o f children.
V. That the children’s court act be amended to make its en
forcement more effective. (Two bills.)
VI. That the children’s court law for New York City be re
written.
V II. That the provisions o f the law passed in 1922 relating
to the instruction o f the deaf and the blind be rear
ranged.
V III. That the provisions o f the State charities law regard
ing the placing out of children be rewritten.
IX . That the provision regarding legal adoption be strength
ened, by requiring investigation, the personal appear
ance, without exception, o f the parties involved, and
a six-month trial period; granting authority to the
court to seal all papers; and eliminating the provision
o f the existing law granting authority to hospital
superintendents under certain conditions to give con
sent for the adoption o f illegitimate babies.
A bill for apprentice training courses was also proposed.
O f the 14 bills, 9 were passed by the legislature—the three firstnamed mothers’ allowance bills, the bill relating to the blind and
deaf, one of the children’s court amendments, the repeal of the binding-out laws, the bill relating to placing out and boarding out, the
adoption bill, and the double-compensation bill. The adoption bill
was vetoed by the governor, but the others received his approval.
North Dakota.

Children's Code Commission,*created by act o f 1921 legislature
which provides for a commission composed o f one person from each
o f seven organizations. (Session Laws, 1921, ch. 29.)
The commission was instructed “ to study social' conditions touch
ing upon the welfare o f children in the State of North Dakota and

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to recommend necessary revision and codification o f existing laws
and such new laws as may be found necessary.” It was authorized
to make a comprehensive and detailed report containing its findings
and proposals to the next legislative assembly and to each legislative
assembly during the period o f its existence. Power was given the
commission to appoint a secretary either from within or without its
membership, with a salary not to exceed $2 , 0 0 0 to be paid out of the
appropriation o f $2,500 granted the commission. No executive secre
tary was employed, but the chairman o f the commission acted in this
capacity without a salary.
Upon organizing for work the commission divided the field o f
child welfare as follow s:
1. Dependent and neglected children.
2. Delinquent children.
3. Mentally defective and physically handicapped children.
4. Education.
5. Children in industry.
6. Health and recreation.
7. General child welfare.
The chairman of the commission makes the following statement in
regard to legislation in this largely rural State:
The child-welfare problems in this State are affected somewhat by the sparse
ness of the population. The standards for child welfare have application here
as much as elsewhere, but the legislation through which these standards are to
be given vitality must be adapted to the existing conditions and to the spirit of
the people. A law which may be effective in Ohio or Massachusetts may be
entirely unsuited to conditions here.
For this reason it was felt that the recommendations of the commission,
either legislative or administrative, should be preceded by a survey or detailed
study of the conditions in the State.

The commission requested the cooperation of the Federal Chil
dren’s Bureau in making studies o f conditions in the State. The
bureau’s field studies included juvenile courts, mothers’ pensions,
delinquency, dependent and neglected children, recreation, and child
labor and school attendance. Detailed surveys were made in a num
ber o f counties, and general data were secured for the entire State.
Throughout these studies the State commission brought into coopera
tion groups in the various counties, with the double purpose of
securing information from them and educating all the localities in
the State in regard to child-welfare needs. The Federal Children’s
Bureau in July, 1922, presented to the commission in manuscript its
findings and recommendations.
A t the invitation of the commission the National Committee for
Mental Hygiene conducted a survey in the State, which was made in
the fall of 1922.

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On the basis o f information acquired by the commission at first
hand and data presented to it by cooperating agencies a report was
made to the legislative assembly in January, 1923, accompanied by
drafts o f bills recommended.
The report considered each of the seven divisions o f child welfare
enumerated above by discussing : 32
First. The standards which should be recognized and embraced in our legis
lation and administrative policies.
Second. Conditions found to exist within our State.
Third. Legislation and administrative policies recommended to meet the
conditions existing in the light of the accepted standards.

The report stated:
The recommendations are made after careful consideration of existing legis
la tio n , its lack o f coordination, the special needs of our State, and the legis
lative and administrative experience of other States. And withal we have
taken into account the need at this time of economy in our proposals. Our
S3rstem of dealing with children in many of its aspects has grown up without
legislative sanction. In many particulars our slate is clean, but we believe
the time has come to adopt a comprehensive child-welfare policy. There is
little to undo. W e have an ideal basis for a wholesome, efficient, and eco
nomical child-welfare program.
Most of the proposals relate to subjects upon which legislation has been
enacted, but there has been rapid development in the child-welfare movement.
Many experiments have been tried. Experience has shown what in the
earlier legislation is obsolete. To bring our State abreast of the times in its.
provision for our childhood we have redrafted some of our earlier laws and
believe that in their amended forms they will prove more effective and helpful
than they now are. In addition, certain regulatory measures are recommended
as the only means of vitalizing laws existing and suggested.

The standards resulting from the Children’s Bureau conference of
191933 were used as a basis o f discussion and as a test for the ade
quacy of existing laws and administration.
A total of 25 bills were submitted to the legislature as a result
o f the recommendations o f the commission, and 2 0 were passed.
The most important o f these, including provisions for making
effective the child-protective measures existing or recommended for
enactment, relates to an extension o f the powers and duties o f the
State board o f administration, the agency controlling State institu
tions. Under this act the board is given power to—
(a) License and supervise “ hospitals and lying-in places which
receive women for maternity care, homes and institutions
receiving children for temporary or permanent care, and all
other child-helping and child-placing organizations,” except
82 State of North Dakota, Report of Children’ s Code Commission to the Legislative A s
sembly, 1922, pp. 8—9.
33 Minimum Standards for Child W elfare Adopted by the Washington and Regional Con
ferences on Child W elfare, 1919. Conference Series 2. United States Children’s Bureau
Publication No. 62. Washington, 1919.

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those under the direct control o f the State; (b ) investigate
homes in which children are placed for permanent care or
adoption; (c) investigate petitions for the adoption o f chil
dren; (d) accept the guardianship o f the persons of chil
dren who may be committed to its care by courts as neglected,
delinquent, dependent, or defective, and make necessary pro
vision for their care and protection; (e) cooperate with the
juvenile courts of the State in the investigation o f all cases of
delinquency, dependency, and neglect; act, upon the request
o f such courts, as probation officers, and assist in establishing
investigation and supervision, and establish standards o f ad
ministration ; ( / ) cooperate with the county courts in the
administration o f the mothers’ pension law by assisting in
investigation and supervision, and establish standards of ad
ministration ; ( g ) secure the enforcement of laws relating to
the establishment of the paternity o f illegitimate children and
the fulfilment o f the maternal and paternal obligation toward
such children; ( h) secure the enforcement o f child labor laws,
► and laws relating to sex offenses involving children, cruelty
to and abuse o f children, and contributing by adults to the
delinquency and neglect o f children, and laws relating to de
sertion and nonsupport o f children; (i ) cooperate with the
superintendent o f public instruction and the county superin
tendent o f schools in the enforcement of the compulsory educa
tion law; {j) receive and provide for feeble-minded persons
committed to its guardianship by courts; (k ) cooperate with
the boards of county commissioners in the selection o f childwelfare workers and boards; (l) act as parole officers o f
juveniles upon the request o f courts or superintendents of
institutions; (m) secure the enforcement o f all laws for the
protection of neglected, dependent, delinquent, illegitimate,
and defective children, and those in need of the special care
and guardianship o f the State, and take the initiative in pro
tecting and conserving the rights and interests o f such chil
dren, inquire into such home and community environmental
conditions as tend to create delinquency and neglect, and pro
mote such remedial or preventive measures as will strengthen
parental responsibility and stimulate wholesome community
life.
Under this act the board is authorized to employ and fix the salary
of an executive officer and such agents as shall be necessary to carry
out the purposes of the act.
The provisions under (k ) and many o f the other items related
directly or indirectly to another bill which was designed to authorize

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

the appointment o f county child-welfare boards, having power to
appoint an executive secretary with training and experience in
social work. The county board was to act as the county agent of
the State board o f administration and take the initiative in further
ing the interests and welfare o f all children in the county. This
bill failed of passage in the senate, but with one other exception (a
bill creating a bureau o f child research in the State university)
all the measures proposed by the commission were carried in the
upper house of the legislature.
Other bills o f special importance which were passed related to the
following subjects:
Providing for enforcing parental responsibility for support of
children born out o f wedlock—substantially the “ uniform
illegitimacy act ” drafted by the National Conference of Com
missioners on Uniform State Laws.
Amending the law relating to the support of needy women who
are mothers of, or compelled to support, one or more children
under 16 years of age, raising the age from 14 years, changing
the application to exclude desertion, providing for investiga
tion into conditions in each case, and placing upon the board
o f administration the duty o f promoting efficiency and uni
formity in the enforcement o f the act.
Prohibiting the assumption o f permanent care and custody of
children under 18 years o f age by any person other than the
parents or relatives of a child, or any partnership, voluntary
association, or corporation, unless authorized to do so by an
order or decree o f a district court having jurisdiction.
Amending the laws relating to adoption of minor children, pro
viding for notice to be sent to the State board of administra
tion, the board to investigate “ the conditions and antecedents
o f the child for the purpose of ascertaining whether he is a
proper subject for adoption; and to make proper inquiry to
determine whether the proposed foster home is a suitable home
for the child.”
Defining and regulating maternity hospitals, providing for licens
ing, and prohibiting maternity hospitals from disposing of
infants, directly or indirectly, by placing them in family homes
for adoption or otherwise. Another act also prohibited ma
ternity hospitals, lying-in hospitals, or any private midwife or
nurse from placing children in family homes without a license
to do so from the board o f administration.
Providing for the licensing and regulation o f homes and insti
tutions caring for more than three children under 18 years
o f age.

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state commissions eoe child-welfare laws.

Providing for the licensing and regulation o f persons or corpora
tions engaged in the placement o f children in family homes
for temporary or permanent care.
Amending the law relating to the bringing of dependent children
into the State or taking children from the State, placing the
jurisdiction in the hands o f the State board o f administration
instead o f the local county officials, as before.
Providing for the care and treatment of crippled children through
arrangements made by the State board of administration with
hospitals within the State equipped to give the necessary
medical and surgical service.
Amending the laws regulating the employment of child labor,
defining the conditions under which children may be em
ployed, the requirements in regard to employment certificates,
and providing for enforcement o f the law. The new law
changes the employment-certificate provisions of the previous
law by raising the educational standard for work during
school hours to completion of the eighth grade or nine years’
school attendance, by requiring standard evidence of age, and
by strengthening the administrative provisions. The mini
mum age for employment in mining is raised from 14 to 16
years. The workmen’s compensation bureau is made the
administrative agency, and is given power to fix the maximum
hours and minimum wages and standard conditions of labor
for minors, to investigate and determine reasonable classifica
tions o f employments for minors, and to prohibit their em
ployment in occupations dangerous to life, health, safety, or
welfare.
Other acts resulting from the commission’s recommendations re
lated to prohibiting the placing o f children in almshouses, or in insti
tutions where delinquent children are kept ; incorporation o f societies
for the care and placement o f children; abandonment or neglect o f
wife or child and the desertion and nonsupport of family; penalty
for indecent liberty with the person o f a child ; an amendment o f the
act relating to the rights o f both parents to the custody, services, and
earnings o f a legitimate, unmarried, minor child; and amendment
o f the act relating to abandonment o f children.
In addition to the bill previously referred to authorizing county
boards o f public welfare, the following bills proposed to the legis
lature failed o f passage: Bill providing for a juvenile-research bu
reau in connection with the State university; bill regulating street
trades ; bill relating to the commitment and care of the feeble-minded ;
and the bill amending the juvenile-court act.

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Ohio.

Commission to Codify and Revise the Laws o f Ohio Relative to
Children, created by law, May 18, 1911. (Laws 1911, p. 123.)
The act provided for the appointment of “ a commission to revise,
consolidate, and suggest amendments to the statute laws o f the State
o f Ohio which pertain to children.” The governor was authorized
to appoint two competent commissioners to carry out this work, their
duties to commence not later than July 1, 1911, a report to be made
to the governor within a year after this date. The commissioners—
two lawyers—served without compensation; but a sum not to exceed
$3,000 was appropriated to cover the expenses o f the commission,
including the services o f clerks and experts.
The commissioners were specifically instructed to “ unify the
present laws pertaining to illegitimate, defective, neglected, depend
ent, and delinquent children, and to their treatment, care, mainte
nance, custody, control, protection, and reformation,” and to “ sug
gest such amendments and additions as, to them, may seem best
calculated to bring the statute laws o f this State into harmony with
the best thought on this subject.”
In regard to their work, the commissioners reported : 34
W e have visited the Eastern States; we have corresponded all over the
United States and with some o f the officials of European countries and have
studied the laws of the various States ; we have met with the theorist and the
practical worker. In the State of Ohio we have consulted and corresponded
with children’s home officials, juvenile judges, probation officers, officials of
the State boards and institutions, and with private charity workers.

Ah article 35 on the children’s code o f Ohio, by H. H. Shirer, sec
retary of the board of State charities, gives further information in
regard to the methods o f work :
Conferences were held in the large cities of the State, at which time there
were held informal discussions of the matters under consideration. Meetings
were held in connection with the children’s home section of the State conference
of charities and correction, at which time criticisms were solicited in respect
to many of the proposals under consideration. Because of this public way of
* treating the problem, the work o f the commission soon commanded'the respect
of all persons liable to be affected by the recommendations to be made in their
final report. * * * The Ohio commission took under consideration all the
laws of the State which in any way pertain to children. This included the
management of public and private children’s homes, the compulsory education
law, the child labor law, compensation to mothers under certain social condi
tions, the juvenile court, truancy, the State institutions that care for children,
and all other related subjects.
** Report of the Commission to Codify and Revise the Laws of Ohio Relative to Chil
dren, p. Î .
86
Shirer, H. H . : “ The Children’s Code of Ohio.”
The Ohio Bulletin o f Charities and
Correction, vol. 20 (January, 1 9 1 4 ), pp. 16—23.

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In 1912 the report was made to the governor, who transmitted it
to the legislature o f 1913. The recommendations. o f the commis
sioners resulted in the passage o f the so-called Children’s Code o f
1913.86
Oklahoma.

Children's Code Commission, created by law, March 2 2 , 1919.
(Laws 1919, ch. 58.)
The governor was authorized and required to appoint three com
petent persons as commissioners, to enter upon their duties not later
than July 1, 1919, and to report to the governor not later than July
1, 1920, their report to be transmitted by the governor to the next
session o f the legislature.
The commission was empowered to “ revise, consolidate, and sug
gest amendments and additions to the statute laws of the State of
Oklahoma which pertain to children.” It was instructed to “ unify
the present laws pertaining to illegitimate, defective, neglected, de
pendent, and delinquent children, and to their treatment, care, main
tenance, custody, control, protection, and reformation,” and to sug
gest “ such amendments and additions as to them may seem best
calculated to bring the statute laws of this State into harmony with
the best thought on this subject.”
The commissioners were given access to the records o f the depart
ments o f the State, county, and municipal governments. W ith the
consent o f the governor they were authorized to employ stenog
raphers and clerks and to secure such expert advice and assistance
as might seem advisable.
Inquiries Concerning the work o f the commission and its results
have met with no response.
Oregon.

F irst Child-W elfare Commission, appointed by the governor Janu
ary 7, 1913.
The membership was composed o f three women and two men.
No appropriation was made by the State. The commission was
created “ to study conditions affecting childhood, to ascertain the
best way to remedy existing evils, and to endeavor, through legis
lation and education, to throw necessary and proper safeguards
about the children of the State.”
This commission in 1915 made a report 37 on existing conditions
and submitted the following recommendations to the legislature as
covering the most urgent needs:
« “ Children’s Code, 1913.” Laws 1913 (act o f Apr. 2 8 ) , pp. 8 6 4 -9 1 4 .
87
First Biennial Report of the Oregon Child-W elfare Commission to the Governor and
the Legislative Assembly, 1 9 15. Salem, Oreg., 1915.

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That the superintendent o f public instruction be made ex officio
a member o f the governing board o f each o f the State institutions
having charge o f children and minors, so that these institutions may
be brought into organic relation to the educational system o f the
State, o f which they are and ought to be a part.
That the heads o f all these institutions be chosen expressly; and
solely with reference to expert qualifications.
Regular physical and psychological examinations in all o f our
institutions for children.
A juvenile probation commission, to standardize and supervise
the probation work of the State, with the governor and State super
intendent o f public instruction as ex officio members.
Local day schools for teaching speech to normal deaf children
whenever there are six children over the age o f 3 years.
A commitment law for the feeble-minded, including both sexes,
over 1 0 years o f age.
A separate cottage at the school for the feeble-minded, to be used
for epileptics.
The enactment o f a law to prevent infant blindness, caused by
the preventable disease known as ophthalmia neonatorum.
The enactment o f a law giving the illegitimate child the father’s
support and right o f inheritance, when paternity has been adjudi
cated by the court.
Bureau o f vital statistics and the enactment o f the “ Model Law ”
on birth registration.
Establishment o f a parents’ education bureau or department in
cities o f 5,000 and over, under the supervision o f the local board of
education, the State department cooperating with the local board.
Two o f the above recommendations were adopted and resulted in
the passage o f laws to prevent blindness and to provide for birth
registration.
In 1915 the governor reappointed the commission. Funds were
raised from private sources. The commission was authorized to
study and report on “ the care and treatment of indigent, crippled
children,” and “ modern methods on the care o f dependent and neg
lected children.” They also studied “ the value o f health education
in preventive work, and kept in touch with the activities o f the
State schools.” A child-legislation exhibit, giving information re
garding child welfare and the need o f preventive work, was sent
through the State for the purpose o f arousing public sentiment in
favor o f improved legislation. 88
88
“ Oregon’s Duty to the Children,” in Second Biennial Report of the Child-Welfare
Commission, 1917, p. 3. Salem, Oreg., 1917.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

In 1917 the commission reported,39 making a number o f recom
mendations for the State institutions and urging the passage of
legislation covering seven specific child-welfare needs :
u Provision for the care and surgical treatment o f indigent
sick, crippled, and deformed children.
_wPermanent custodial care for the feeble-minded over the age
of 1 2 .
MProvide that the care, education and support of illegitimate
and legitimate children be identical as nearly as possible.
u State care and supervision for dependent and neglected chil
dren.
“ Public-school kindergartens.
“ A more effective cigarette law.
“ Eight months’ session in every school district.”
Six o f the commission’s recommendations were embodied in laws
passed by the 1917 session of the legislature.
In February, 1917, the legislature, through a resolution (Laws
1917, Senate resolution No. 21, p. 941), authorized the appointment
by the State board of control o f a committee of five members. This
committee was instructed to 11visit all private and public institutions
o f this State having charge and control o f minors and dependent,
delinquent, incorrigible, and subnormal children,” to the end that
ameliorative measures might be taken by the next legislature.
The extension division o f the University of Oregon undertook to
finance the work o f the committee. The five members o f this com
mission were all members of the faculty o f the University o f Oregon.
The assistance of the department of child helping of the Russell
Sage Foundation was secured and a study was made along the fol
lowing lines: Public institutions, private institutions, child-placing
in families, child care in institutions, supervision of child-welfare
work, preventive measures and agencies, and State action past and
prospective. A proposed child-welfare bill was included in the
report o f the study which was published for the child-welfare com
mittee by the extension division. This report was presented to the
State board of control in 1918.40
One o f the results o f the recommendations o f the commission was
the law creating a permanent supervisory bureau called the “ ChildWelfare Commission,” whose duties included the inspection and
supervision of all child-caring and child-placing agencies.
The Oregon Child-W elfare Revision Committee was created by
law, March 4,1919. (Laws 1919, ch. 299.)
»>“ Oregon’s Duty to the Children,” in Second Biennial Report of the Child-Welfare
Commission, 1917. Salem, Oreg., 1917.
40 Slingerland, W . H . : Child-Welfare W ork in Oregon. A study o f public and private
agencies and institutions for the care of dependent, delinquent, and defective children.
July Bulletin, Extension Division, University of Oregon, 1918.

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

The act provided for a commission o f three members experienced
in legislative work, to be appointed by the governor for a term o f
two years from the date o f the approval o f the act.
The committee, also referred to in the act as a commission, was
directed to “ codify, classify, and index all the laws o f the State of
Oregon defining Ghild dependency and delinquency, providing for
court commitments and guardianship o f the persons of dependent,
delinquent, and feeble-minded children, authorizing private agencies
and institutions for the care of dependent and delinquent children
and the commitment and care of feeble-minded and defective chil
dren, arranging consent to the adoption o f children, regulating child
placing in families, and providing for the supervision, records, and
reports for such child-welfare work, the code of the committee to be
reported directly to the legislature for approval.”
The committee was to serve without compensation, but the sum of
$500 was appropriated to cover “ the expenses o f actual traveling
and clerical work necessarily incurred in complying with the fore
going provisions and rendering said report, together with the expense
o f printing the same.”
The child-welfare revision committee in 1920 compiled the “ ChildWelfare Laws of the State of Oregon,” and a pamphlet containing
these laws was published by the Oregon Child-Welfare Commis
sion—the supervisory State bureau created as a result of the recom
mendations o f the similarly named commissions created for the pur
pose o f considering legislation needed. In 1922 a revised edition was
printed, including later amendments and laws.
Pennsylvania.

Commission to Suggest Revisions and Amendments to the Stat
utes which Relate to Children, created by act of the legislature,
July 11, 1923. (Laws o f Pennsylvania, 1923, Act 411.)
The commission was directed to study the laws, conditions, and
practice o f the State relating to child welfare, to revise and consoli
date such laws, and to recommend such amendments and such ad
ditional laws as may be needed, having special reference to the laws
relating to the dependent, defective, delinquent, neglected, incorri
gible, or illegitimate children or to their treatment, care, mainte
nance, custody, control, or protection and reformation.
The law authorized the governor to appoint seven citizens as mem
bers o f the commission, three o f whom must be women. The mem
bers are to receive no compensation for their services but are to be
allowed traveling and other expenses. An appropriation of $5,000
is made for the work of the commission, which is to report to the
1925 session o f the legislature. In December, 1923, members of the
commission had been appointed, and plans o f work were being made.
52668°—24-----6

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOE CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

South Carolina.

Child-W elfare Commission, appointed by the governor, May 15,
1919.
The commission consisted of 1 0 members, as follows : One judge of
a juvenile court, 2 members of the legislature, 3 persons connected
with State boards, 2 representatives of private child-caring agencies,
1 teacher,T labor representative. It was arranged that the commis
sion should work in conjunction with the State board o f charities
and corrections (which later became the department o f public wel
fare) .
In the act creating the board o f charities and corrections (acts
1915, No. 100, sec. 13, pp. 132-138), the board is instructed to make
a report to the governor, which shall include “ such recommendations
as may be deemed proper to be submitted to the general assembly.”
The work o f the commission was planned with the view to facilitate
the work o f the board in making such a report.
The commission planned to make a general survey o f the State
along specified lines and, after the conclusion of the survey and con
sideration and acceptance of the report resulting from it, to draw up
a code of laws for children. The studies were planned according to
the following classification :
1 . General protection (including such subjects as parentage,
property, marriage, etc.).
2. General social welfare. (State, county, and city agencies
for social welfare.)
3. Public health.
4. Dependent children.
5. Delinquent children.
6 . Defective children.
7. Child labor.
8 . Administration.
9. Formulating code.
10. Facilitating legislation.
In 1921, at the request o f the commission, the National Committee
for Mental Hygiene made a state-wide survey o f the prevalence of
mental defect and disease. The report o f this survey was trans
mitted to the legislature in February, 1922, under the auspices of the
South Carolina Mental Hygiene Committee.
The commission made no report and has not functioned since 1921.
South Dakota.

State Child-W elfare Commission, created by law in 1919. (Rev.
Code, 1919, sec. 2, ch. 134.)
The law designated the membership as follows : The superintend
ent of public instruction, the superintendent o f the State board of

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

health, the president of the woman’s board of investigation, the pa
role officer o f the State board o f charities and corrections, and one
citizen o f the State to be appointed by the governor for a two-year
term. An appropriation o f $500 was made for expenses. A member
o f the commission was elected executive secretary, to serve without
compensation.
The duties as outlined in the law dealt primarily with child labor,
but the commission interpreted broadly the provision to “ investigate
the condition o f children and advise pertaining to their care and
instruction.”
In December, 1920, the commission issued a report, including
recommendations for legislative action,41 specifying 2 2 items, some of
which might be met by legislation, others referring to methods of
administration. This report was presented to the legislature in 1921,
and a few of the items suggested were embodied in laws enacted.
The commission was recreated by the 1921 legislature and was
granted an appropriation of $3,000 to carry on its work.
A t the request o f the commission the Federal Children’s Bureau
in 1921—22 made a series o f studies of child-welfare conditions in the
State, particularly with reference to the care and protection of
dependent, defective, and delinquent children.
The commission became inactive in 1921, apparently because o f
the failure o f the governor to appoint a member to take the place of
the secretary, whose term expired. The four other members were
ex officio and continued in office.
Early in 1923 one member o f the commission undertook active
work in organizing county child-welfare boards, which had been
authorized by a law passed in 1921. A bulletin was issued describing
the duties o f county boards and giving the text of laws relating to
child welfare. The commission recommended to the legislature that
the law creating the commission be amended to permit the appoint
ment by the governor o f a new commission o f three members, none
o f them ex officio and two o f them women. The amendment was
passed and the new commission has been appointed. The chairman
is a juvenile-court judge, and the secretary o f the old commission
has been named secretary o f the new one. An appropriation o f
$500 was made for the work o f the commission, which will report to
the 1925 session o f the legislature.
Tennessee.

Child-W elfare Commission^ appointed by the governor in Janu
ary, 1920, for the purpose o f cooperating with the National Child
Labor Committee in their survey o f child-welfare needs of the State.
41 F irst Biennial Report o f the Sonth Dakota Child-W elfare Commission, 1 9 1 » -1 9 2 0 ,
Issued by the Child-Welfare Commission, the Capitol, Pierre,

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

The 16 members o f the commission represented the State depart
ments o f education, charities, health, and the State industrial and
judicial interests, as well as private social agencies. No appropria
tion was made for the work of the commission.
The commission outlined its purposes as follows:
“ 1 . To find out what are the actual conditions affecting
child life in Tennessee.
“ 2. To examine critically the existing system o f law and
administration so far as it concerns children.
“ 3. To prepare a report of findings and recommendations to
be submitted to the governor and the legislature.
“ 4. To assist in getting old laws amended and new laws
passed in cases where such legislative action is found to be
desirable.”
It was further stated that a children’s code was the goal toward
which the commission was working.
A letter from the former secretary o f the commission stated that
up to the end o f 1922 the commission had not been active, except in
sponsoring the survey mentioned. No special report was made to the
legislature by the commission. Presumably the authority o f the com
mission has lapsed.
Texas.

Texas Ghild-Welfa/re Commission, appointed by the governor in
June, 1919.
This commission, which had a membership of 50, was designed to
be “ a clearing house o f all child-welfare problems.” No appro
priation was made for the work of the commission. The commission
was divided into the following committees: Legislative, survey of
child-welfare organizations, finance, publicity, child hygiene, work
ing children, public education, rural children, dependent children,
erring children, child welfare in the church.
The secretary stated that the commission planned “ to make a
study o f all State, county, and municipal laws relating to children,
also of the State, local, and private institutions and agencies dealing
with children, and of general conditions surrounding childhood in
Texas, and to prepare a report o f its findings, together with recom
mendations o f legislation and other measures looking to the better
ment o f the condition of childhood in Texas.”
It has not been possible to secure from the commission information
concerning work done or measures proposed.
Utah.

State W elfare Commission, created by the 1921 legislature (Laws
1921, ch. 56, secs. 1-6).

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O R G A N IZ A T IO N

AND PLAN S.

This commission was not limited to child welfare, but considered
the wider field o f social-welfare legislation. It was appointed “ to
study and investigate the laws, conditions, practices, and institutions
of this and other States and countries, relating to public health and
to the dependent, neglected, defective, and delinquent classes, and
on the basis o f such study to prepare amendments to and codifica
tion o f the laws of Utah pertaining to health, to the dependent,
neglected, delinquent, and defective classes.” The commission con
sisted o f the governor, the State superintendent o f public instruc
tion, and the secretary o f the State board o f health as ex officio mem
bers, and eight members appointed by the governor. He also ap
pointed an advisory committee o f five members, who undertook the
full responsibilities o f membership. The law creating the commis
sion carried no appropriation, and the work was done entirely with
out funds ; stationery and stamps were supplied by the State board
o f education. The executive secretary was an attorney, who was a
member o f the commission.
The commission was divided into five committees, each having
from three to five members, to deal with the following subjects:
Health, the dependent and neglected, the defective, the delinquent,
public recreation. Meetings were held once a month at the State
capitol. The executive secretary, in April, 1922, gave the following
information in regard to work being done by the committees :
The committees have all undertaken survey work during the past year, in
which they are still engaged. The work, however, has had to be done largely
through the questionnaire method because of the lack of funds. A ll the health
agencies of the State of Utah have been organized in what is known as the
State health council, to which each health organization of the State of Utah
sends a representative. - The health committee is securing its information
through this State health council, and its problem is largely one of correlating
the health açtivities of the State.
The dependency and neglect committee has sent out questionnaires to all
of the counties o f the State and is securing very good response to the same.
This committee has worked out a plan also, which it has submitted to the
State board of health, through which it is hoping that part of the SheppardTowner appropriation for the State of Utah will be used in making a survey
of maternity homes and the eare of the illegitimate child and its mother in the
State.
The committee on delinquency has secured the cooperation of the State
board of education and is attempting to secure, through the district superin
tendent of each school district in the State and the teachers under him, a
social study of each child in the district who needs special care in the school
system. This seems feasible in our State because of the fact that all children
under the age of 18 years must be enrolled in the school system. Our work
in this committee is largely for the purpose of determining how far the school
system can take over the activities and functions connected with the care of
the juvenile delinquent

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STATE

C O M M IS S IO N S

FOR

CH ILD -W E L F A R E

LAW S.

The committee on defectives has made a rather extensive study of the
problems o f the feeble-minded in the State.
The committee on public recreation is making a survey in all the counties
o f the State through a system of volunteer workers whose cooperation has
been secured, also through the aid of the public-school system.

Early in January, 1923, a report was made to the governor.42 In
this report the commission stated that it realized that it had by no
means completed the work for which it was created, and that it felt
that the “ effort thus far expended by the commission in developing
a permanent State welfare policy in accordance with approved
standards, justifies and demands a continuance o f the work.”
The recommendations made by the commission included the
following relating especially to child welfare:
A permanent State welfare board with supervisory powers over
all institutions and agencies doing welfare work and sup
ported in whole or in part by the State. This board would
also continue the work done by the temporary State welfare
commission. I f such a board was deemed inadvisable at the
time, continuance o f the present commission with a small
appropriation was recommended.
Measures relating to the State industrial school—providing for
segregation of feeble-minded wards, placing the control of
the institution under the State board of education, permitting
the transfer of deliquent children to the industrial school by
the school authorities without court committment, reserving
to the parents the right to appeal to the juvenile court against
the ruling o f the school authorities.
Adding to the jurisdiction o f the juvenile court o f the district
including Salt Lake City, and designating this court as a
family court.
Authorizing commissioners, councils, and boards of trustees to
provide “ all manner of recreational facilities deemed needful
in their respective jurisdictions, and to provide a system of
proper organization and supervision of play and recreation
activities, to provide for a method o f cooperation among
them, and to provide funds for facilities and for supervision.”
The appropriation o f sufficient funds to enable the State board
of health to carry out the necessary measures for the conserva
tion o f the public health and safeguarding the lives of the
people, including specifically appropriations required to
match the Federal funds available under the SheppardTowner Act, and funds to maintain the venereal-disease
bureau in an efficient manner.
« Report of the State W elfare Commission o f the State of Utah, 1 9 2 1 -2 2 .
City, 1923.

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Salt Lake

O R G A N IZ A T IO N

AND

PLAN S.

Requirement o f higher educational qualifications and special
training as a condition o f licensing midwives.
Continuance o f the “ widows’ pensions,” with increased attention
to cooperation with approved private charity organizations
and “ in conformity with enlightened standards for the con
duct of this work.”
In the letter transmitting this report to the governor the chair
man o f the commission stated that the time did not appear to be
opportune for the creation o f a permanent State welfare board, and
no bill would be presented on this subject. The continuance of the
State welfare commission was recommended.
The legislature passed the following bills relating to subjects o f
recommendation :
Providing for the regulation o f the placing out o f children
and requiring a license therefor from the State board of
health.
Accepting the provisions of the Sheppard-Towner Act and
meeting the Federal funds available under the act.
Authorizing local officials to provide recreational facilities
and to provide a system of proper organization and super
vision o f play and recreation.
Continuing the Utah State Welfare Commission for another
two years,, without an appropriation.
Virginia.

Children's Code Commission o f Virginia, appointed by the gov
ernor April 1,1921, and consisting o f nine members.
The commission was given no State appropriation and received no
funds from private sources, but it had special assistance from the
State legislative-reference bureau, the director o f which served as
secretary o f the commission. Because o f the lack of funds and the
brief time available, it was not possible to conduct any field inquiries
or hold any public hearings. The work proposed to be covered
by the commission was assigned in the following manner, each
group of subjects being dealt with by one or two members:
1 . Crimes against children, delinquent children, court pro
cedure, correctional institutions, adults contributing to delin
quency, abandonment, desertion, adoption, dependency, and
neglect.
2. Defective children, deaf, blind, crippled and deformed
children, feeble-minded, epileptic, protection of children from
transmissible disease, regulation o f marriage.
3 . Child welfare, birth registration, vital statistics, regula
tion o f midwives, health, lying-in and maternity institutions.

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STATE COMMISSIONS EOE CHILD-WELFAEE LAW S.

4.
Institutional homes, placing-out agencies, baby farms,
public relief at home, school attendance, employment, parental
schools.
The commission published a report containing abstracts o f the
28 bills to be recommended to the general assembly.43 The follow
ing outline o f proposed measures is given in the report:
I. Agencies for the enforcement of child-welfare legislation :
A new bill continuing the State board o f charities and
corrections as the State board o f public welfare, creat
ing a children’s bureau, and providing for local
boards o f public welfare in cities and counties.
A bill revising the section o f the code relating to pro
cedure in children’s cases.
A bill revising the section o f the code relating to the
establishment o f juvenile and domestic-relations
oourts in cities of 25,000 inhabitants or over.
A new bill providing for the establishment o f juvenile
and domestic-relations courts in cities of less than
25,000 inhabitants and in counties.
II. General laws for the protection o f children:
A new bill regulating issuance o f marriage licenses, re
requiring male applicant to present certificate of
licensed physician showing freedom from any
venereal disease and female to present certificate
showing freedom from syphilis.
A bill amending the section of the code, relating to
issuance of marriage licenses, so as to require ap
plicant for marriage license to give notice o f his in
tention to apply therefor 2 0 days prior to date of
such application, and requiring publication o f such
notice.
A bill revising the existing statute relating to desertion
and nonsupport.
A new bill prohibiting the selling of children and pro
tecting them from cruel treatment, etc.
A bill revising the section o f the code, as amended on
March 19, 1920, relating to adoption proceedings.
A new bill providing for the establishment o f the
paternity o f illegitimate children and for their pro
tection.
A bill revising a section o f the code, raising the age
o f consent for marriage to 16 for males and 15 for
females.
43 Digest of bills submitted to tbe General Assembly of Virginia by the Children’s Code
Commission and other agencies.
(No date.)

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ORGANIZATION AND PLANS.

II. General laws for the protection of children—Continued.
A bill reenacting a section of the code, fixing age of
consent in rape cases at 16.
A new bill prohibiting the separation o f infants under
9 months of age from their mothers, with exceptions.
A new bill prohibiting the employment o f women in
factories, etc., just before and just after childbirth.
Revising the section o f the code relating to the sale of
cigarettes, pistols, etc., to minors, fixing prohibited
age at 18 years instead o f 16.
A new bill concerning the custody and guardianship of
children.
A new bill prohibiting admission o f minors to pool
• ' rooms, etc.
A new bill regulating public dance halls.
A bill providing local recreation centers and for teach
ing home crafts.
III. Laws relating to special classes o f children (dependent
and neglected children) :
A new bill regulating child-placing and child-caring
institutions and agencies.
A new bill regulating maternity hospitals.
A new bill regulating boarding hbuses and nurseries for
children under 6 years o f age.
A new bill providing public relief for children in their
own homes.
(Commonly called “ Mothers’ Pen
sions.” )
IV . Children in industry:
A new child labor bill.
V. School children:
A new compulsory school attendance law.
A bill amending the section of the code regulating the
construction o f school buildings, and requiring fire
escapes on certain school buildings hereafter con
structed.
A new bill providing for occupational therapy in hos
pitals and other institutions (optional).
The commission did not undertake to revise the laws relating to
the four State industrial schools for the reason that there was a
special committee at work on this subject. The laws relating to
the feeble-minded and to the deaf and the blind were also being
given consideration by special commissions or committees and the
children’s code commission did not go into this field.

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STATE

(X )IM M IS S IO N E

FOR

C H IL D -W E L F A R E

LAW S.

Eighteen o f the bills proposed by the commission were passed by
the general assembly in 1922. They were summarized as follows by
the chairman o f the commission:
“ 1 . A bill providing for changing the name o f the State
board o f charities and corrections to State board of public
welfare, making that board the State board of children’s
guardians, creating within that board a children’s bureau, and
providing for the establishment o f local boards o f public wel
fare in each county of the State, was passed in substantially
the form in which it was presented.
“ 2. The juvenile court procedure bill provides for chancery
proceeding, instead o f the old semicriminal procedure, which
has previously existed. A new bill extending the juvenile and
domestic-relation courts system to the counties o f the State,
giving those courts practically the same jurisdiction now exer
cised by these courts in cities.
“ 3. A group o f bills providing for (a) public relief for chil
dren in their own homes to be administered by the local boards
o f public welfare; (b) regulating child-placing and child
caring institutions and agencies; (c) regulating maternity
hospitals; (d) regulating boarding houses and nurseries for
children under 6 years o f age.
“ 4. A new child labor bill which is a decided improvement
over the existing law was adopted. However, it still permits
children between the ages o f 1 2 and 16 to work in fruit- and
vegetable-canning factories during the summer vacation.
“ 5. A new compulsory school attendance law requiring
children between the ages of 8 and 14 to attend school.”
A number of minor measures were also passed.
W est Virginia.

State GM id-W elfare Commission, created by a law passed April
11,1921, effective after 90 days. (Laws 1921, ch. 135.)
The commission was authorized u to study and investigate the laws
and conditions existing in the State relating to dependent, neglected,
defective, and delinquent children, and the entire question o f child
welfare, and such other subjects as it finds in the course o f its investi
gation to be connected therewith.” An appropriation o f $4,750 was
provided to pay the secretary and necessary expenses incurred by the
commission. (Laws 1921, extra session, ch. 1.) In July, 1921, the
governor appointed the nine members o f the commission. The com
mission was to report the results of its investigation with its recom
mendations to the 1923 legislature and to submit such bills as might
be necessary in the carrying out o f its recommendations. The heads
o f State departments dealing with children served as an advisory

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O R G A N IZ A T IO N

AND

PLA N S.

council to the commission, the following being members of this
council: The president o f the State board o f control, the State com
missioner o f health, the State superintendent o f schools, the State
labor commissioner, the executive secretary o f the board o f children’s
guardians.
The first piece o f work undertaken was a digest o f all the laws of
the State relating to minors. The studies o f the commission were
carried on through personal investigation o f conditions, and through
correspondence and conferences with officials and citizens who had a
practical knowledge of the problems under consideration. One of
the members o f the commission was appointed executive secretary.
An office was maintained in the capitol building.
In the report 44 prepared by the commission in July, 1922, the fol
lowing new legislation was proposed:
The creation o f homes in each o f the congressional districts
o f the State for the care and support of the poor (designed to
take the place o f 45 county almshouses and the contract system
used in 1 0 counties).
The creation o f county welfare boards to advise with and
assist the State board of children’s guardians in the perform
ance of its duties in the county, and to act in a general advisory
capacity to the county and municipal authorities in dealing
with questions of dependency, delinquency, and distribution of
poor funds.
Amendments were recommended to existing laws relating to the
powers and duties o f the State board o f children’s guardians, increas
ing the allowances that might be granted to mothers o f dependent
children, raising the age limitation, and enabling mothers who own.
property to receive the benefits o f the act. .Another amendment pro
vided that the county court (i. e., county commissioners) should annu
ally reconsider all cases that had been receiving county aid. An
amendment to the marriage law was suggested, providing for ex
amination for venereal disease before the granting o f marriage li
censes, and an interim o f 1 0 days between the issuance of the license
and the marriage.
The commission also made certain recommendations in regard to
the care o f the feeble-minded, the need for a survey of the practice
o f midwifery in the State, the creation by the State board o f health
of full-time health units in the counties, provision for physical
examinations o f children entering State child-caring institutions, the
need for promotion o f the maternal and child hygiene work under
the State board o f health, the enactment o f a street trades law and
better enforcement o f the school attendance law in rural communities,
Report of the W est Virginia State Child-Welfare Commission, 1922.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

making the county the unit for school taxation, and provision for
delinquent boys and girls who are over the age for admittance to the
two industrial schools.
The commission pointed out that the specific recommendations
made to the legislature comprised “ only a few fundamental princi
ples which must be woven into the fabric o f our State to meet the
present exigencies and to form a foundation to alleviate future
needs.” Therefore the commission in its report submitted also a
statement o f the “ rights of childhood,” enumerating under the fol
lowing headings principles that should be found in the laws o f the
State : 4S
The right to be born in honor, sound in body and mind ; the right to pro
tection from disease and to promotion of health.
The right to education and training sufficient to develop his capacity for
knowledge and achievement.
The right to be safeguarded from neglect, abuse, exploitation, and other
injustice.
The right to play, recreation, and companionship.
The right to care, food, shelter, and clothing.

Laws were passed relating to county child-welfare boards (created
at the option o f the county), the powers and duties of the State
board o f children’s guardians, and mothers’ pensions.
Wisconsin.

Child-W elfare Committee, appointed by the governor, December
12, 1918.
The committee o f 13, o f which the State reviser o f statutes was
chairman, was composed o f judges, legislators, members o f State
boards, and social workers.
The duty imposed upon the committee was to codify and examine
laws relating to child welfare, to eliminate dead-letter laws, to study
the needs for revision, and to formulate proposals for new laws.
The legislature made an appropriation to cover the exact cost of
stenographic work for the committee.
The committee reported to the legislature o f 1919. The report
included a number of recommendations which were enacted into law.
At the request o f the commission the laws o f the State relating to
child welfare were compiled by the Juvenile Protective Association
o f Milwaukee.46
In 1919 a bill was introduced in the legislature providing for the
appointment o f “ a committee to codify and suggest new legislation
concerning children, their welfare and employment.” This bill
failed o f passage.
45 Report of the W est Virginia State Child-Welfare Commission, 1922.
48 Statutes Relating to the Protection, Reformation, and W elfare of Children. Compila
tion by Miss Edith Foster, Juvenile.Protective Association, Milwaukee. Printed by the
legislature of 1919, Madison.

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SPECIAL STATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES.

The foregoing sections have dealt with official State commissions
for the study and revision of child-welfare laws. Precise definition
o f the inclusion is difficult, but the basis has been: (1) The limitation
o f such a commission to activity directly relating to child-welfare or
social-welfare legislation, and not including administrative func
tions; ( 2 ) recognition of the commission as an official State body;
(3) creation by act of legislature or authorization and appoint
ment by the governor; (4) representation on the commission o f
various interests concerned with child welfare, and not limita
tion to one group or type o f activity. In a number of States there
are organizations for the purpose of promoting social legislation,
such as the women’s legislative councils and similar organizations
representing a group of women’s clubs, legislative committees of
State conferences o f social work, or special committees with state
wide representation working in the interest of child welfare. Fre
quently the State board o f charities or department of public welfare
is authorized by the law which creates it to keep informed concern
ing social-welfare legislation and to make recommendations regard
ing necessary changes, but the field o f such a board is restricted. It
has been mentioned that official commissions have sometimes been
secured through the efforts o f state-wide or local committees; in some
cases these unofficial committees have worked along the same lines
as the later commission, preparing the way for it. Any attempt to
cover a subject of this kind adequately is beset with many difficulties
because o f the diversity existing in the 48 governmental units of this
country, which makes classification very difficult even in an appar
ently clear field such as this. There will, therefore, inevitably arise
differences o f opinion as to inclusion and method o f analysis. In
some instances it is undoubtedly true that interpretation has been
colored by the possession of first-hand knowledge of the situation or
by the absence o f it and reliance upon printed information or corre
spondence.
Three outstanding “ special committees” for child-welfare legis
lation, not included in the foregoing, are treated separately, in order
to keep as clear-cut a definition as possible of official State commis
sions for the study and revision of child-welfare laws, and also
because o f the fact that in at least one case this committee may be
considered as a preliminary step in securing the creation by law of
an official commission to consider child-welfare or social-welfare
legislation,

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOE CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

Alabama.

The act creating the Alabama State Child-Welfare Department
(the controlling board o f which is called the Alabama Child-Welfare
Commission), authorized this department to “ make surveys for thô
purpose o f promoting the welfare of children.” The Alabama ChildWelfare Commission in August, 1921, appointed from its member
ship a committee o f five to make a study o f child-welfare problems
in the State and to make recommendations for the removal of incon
sistent, obsolete, or otherwise undesirable laws, and the enactment o f
new child-welfare legislation needed. The commission empowered
the committee to employ such expert service as it deemed necessary
for such a study, and the committee contracted with the National
Child Labor Committee for agents to do this work. The report of
the three agents so employed was adopted by the committee in May,
1922, and was printed by the State welfare department in its official
bulletin,47 in the form submitted. The foreword states that the re
port was submitted by the department to “ the League o f Women
Voters, Federation o f Women’s Clubs, the school authorities, and
such members o f the medical, legal, and other groups as have mani
fested their interest in the coordination of children’s laws in Ala
bama and in the better development o f child-welfare programs.”
The report included a number o f suggestions for legislative action,
most o f which were for amendments to existing laws.
Colorado.

The Governor o f Colorado in 1920 “ called a meeting at his office
at the State capitol of some of the county judges o f the larger coun
ties, as representing the County Judges’ Association o f Colorado, to
discuss the situation and what might be done to remedy the defects ”
in the children’s laws of the State, and to secure needed changes and
additions.48 As a result o f this conference the governor appointed
a committee o f eight judges to report to the governor and to the legis
lature in 1921 on legislation needed for the protection o f the children
o f the State. The committee endeavored to secure the advice and
cooperation o f individuals and agencies throughout the State in
terested in child-welfare legislation, and public meetings were held
under the auspices o f the committee for discussion o f measures that
were under consideration. Eight o f the 14 bills proposed by the
committee received the official indorsement o f the legislative council
o f the State Federation o f Women’s Clubs o f Colorado. Practically
all of the legislation recommended related to the care and protection
o f dependent and delinquent children, and juvenile-court jurisdic« Alabama Childhood.

The Official Bulletin o f the State Child-Welfare Department of

Alabama. June, 1922, vol. 1, No. 4.
«R e p o r t of Governor Shoup’s Committee on Child-Welfare Legislation for Colorado,
1921, p. 1.

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SPECIAL STATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES.

tion. The legislature of 1921 did not pass any o f the bills recom
mended by the committee.
The governor reorganized the committee in June, 1922, on a d if
ferent basis. He requested the presidents of the following organi
zations to appoint members: The Colorado Federation o f Women’s
Clubs, five members; the Colorado Parent-Teacher Association, four
members; the Colorado Education Association, four members; the
Colorado League o f Women Voters, four members; the Council of
Jewish Women, three members; and the Catholic Daughters of
America, three members. The presidents of these organizations were
also to be included as members, making a total of 29 women. This
committee was called the Colorado Committee on Child-Welfare Leg
islation. A committee o f seven was appointed to consider the report
of the former committee on child-welfare legislation and make recom
mendations to the general committee. In October, 1922, the general
committee adopted the recommendation of the subcommittee approv
ing eight of the bills included in the report o f the former committee.
The subcommittee was directed to “ prepare in pamphlet form the
text of the eight bills recommended, together with such explanations
thereof as they might care to add; said pamphlet to include also the
excerpts from the party platforms o f the two principal political
parties with reference to their attitude on legislation for women and
children.” 49 A resolution was passed by the general committee “ to
see to' the mailing of copies of the report to candidates for State
offices and the State legislature, with the request that such candi
dates be questioned concerning their attitude regarding such legisla
tion and the bills prepared to cover it.” The committee stated in its
report that the failure to include six of the bills o f the earlier com
mittee was not to be interpreted as opposition to them, but that the
committee was desirous of reducing to a minimum the number of
measures to be presented to the legislature, retaining only those of
most pressing importance.
In March, 1923, four of the seven bills sponsored by the committee
were passed by the legislature:
1. Providing for compelling parents and guardians to care for
children.
2 . Raising the age of delinquency and dependency from the
sixteenth birthday to the eighteenth birthday. (O rigi
nally considered as two bills.)
3. Extending the jurisdiction of the juvenile court to adults
guilty o f offenses against children. (Restoring a provi
sion o f an earlier law declared unconstitutional.)
4. Providing for aid to mothers before and after childbirth.
49 1922 Report of Governor Shoup’s Committee on Child-Welfare Legislation for Colo
rado, p. 2.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Illinois.
In January, 1920, the director o f the Illinois Department of
Public Welfare appointed a “ children’s committee ” for “ the pur
pose o f setting forth a program o f adequate child care, of corre
lating efforts o f existing boards and departments in the interests of
children, o f codifying the laws relating to children, and establish
ing throughout the State minimum standards o f child welfare.”
Fifty-seven persons were invited to serve on the committee, five
o f them being ex officio members representing the State department
of health, the State department o f labor, the State department of
public welfare, the State welfare commission, and the State depart
ment o f public instruction. The committee was divided into 10
subcommittees, as follows, each with from 3 to 10 members:
The delinquent child.
The dependent child in institutions.
The dependent child in families.
Family relief.
Child labor.
The illegitimate child.
Medical aspects o f child care.
The feeble-minded child.
The colored child.
Standards for children’s institutions.
The report 50 of the committee points out that no subcommittee was
formed for crippled children, as the report o f the State survey of
the handicapped would embody recommendations for the care and
training of these children.
The entire committee held three meetings (in January, May, and
December, 1920), and the subcommittees and the executive commit
tee (which was composed o f the chairmen) met frequently. The
following special studies were incorporated in the reports o f sub
committees, included in the published report of the committee: The
State training school for boys; The State training school for girls;
Suggested systems of parole for boys, and girls committed to State
training schools for delinquents; Mental survey at Illinois Soldiers’
Orphans’ Home; Physical, educational, social, and recreational pro
gram for the wards o f the State in the Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home;
Comparative studies o f children in several institutions and schools.
Because o f the very representative nature o f this committee and the
great amount o f authoritative opinion and the careful consideration
that was given the various problems dealt with, the recommendations
o f the subcommittees are o f special value and are quoted herewith:
80 Report of the Department of Public W elfare, Children’s Committee,
authority of the State of Illinois. December, 1920,

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Printed by

SPECIAL STATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES.

The delinquent child.
Nine juvenile-protective officers, to be field workers on the staff of the
division of child welfare, department of public welfare.
Recommendations for the correctional schools at Geneva and St. Charles.
An adequate system of parole for boys and girls from St. Charles and Geneva.
Suitable places of detention for children awaiting hearings of their cases
in the juvenile courts.
An amendment to section 9 of the juvenile court act to make the director
of public welfare guardian of certain delinquent children.
A representative of the department of public welfare to file a petition for
delinquency, dependency, or neglect in any local court of proper jurisdiction.
That the circuit, county, and juvenile courts be given original and exclusive
jurisdiction in all cases coming within the act entitled, “An act to regulate
the treatment and control of dependent, neglected, and delinquent children.”

The dependent child in institutions .
A survey of institutions for dependent children to be made by the de
partment of public welfare in 1921.
Encouragement of placing in the fam ily home the normal dependent child
and discouragement of further multiplying of institutions for the care of the
dependent child.
That the program for the care of the normal dependent child in institutions
be educational and not custodial.
More rigid enforcement of registration, certifying, and licensing regulations
and laws referring to all institutions, organizations, and “ homes ” ; sufficient
appropriation to carry out provisions o f law.
More thorough supervision of training schools for boys and industrial schools
for girls and o f all institutions and associations for dependent children, and
the adoption of minimum standards.
The license or certificate to be issued to institutions to have printed upon it
the essential requirements for such license and the section of law giving
penalties for violation.
Conferences to be arranged at specified intervals by the department of
public welfare with representatives of all child-caring agencies.
Standards for care of children in institutions, as part of a state-wide pro
gram for child welfare.
Development of the Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home at Normal as a clearing
house for dependent children and as a standard institution by which others
may be measured.
Detailed recommendations for developing standards in the Soldiers’ Orphans’
Home at Normal.

The dependent child in families.
Amendments of existing laws and enactment of additional laws to enable
the department of public welfare to license and supervise—
(а ) Unincorporated organizations caring for or placing children.
(б ) Incorporated organizations not receiving support from public-tax
funds and not receiving children upon juvenile-court commitment.
(c) Individuals who may care for or place children in foster homes.
( d ) Institutions or agencies that may receive children upon juvenilecourt commitment, but do not receive public funds, and who place
children in foster homes.
52668°— 24------7

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Recommendations for a division of child welfare within the department of
public welfare, with a subsection having the supervision of the State’s pro
gram of child placing and supervision, with standards for such service.
Recommendations for standards of service to be adopted and followed by
all agencies placing out children.

Fam ily relief.
Amendments to the pauper law, the mothers’ pension law, and all other laws
relating to relief and pensions; to provide for State supervision of mothers’
pensions and outdoor relie f; State aid to counties complying with certain regu
lations ; and the placing of the administration of all relief and pensions in the
hands of one county official.
Amendment to the mothers’ pension law to leave the amount to the discretion
of the court and to increase the tax.
Six inspectors o f the department o f public welfare to supervise the work.

Child labor.
National indorsement of the minimum standards adopted at the Children’s
Bureau conference, and recommendations for adoption of an amendment to
the United States Constitution making possible direct legislation in this field.
Legislation recommended for Illinois:
(а ) That the minimum age'for employment of children and the educa
tional standard be raised to 15 years and completion of sixth
grade in 1921, and 16 years and completion of seventh grade in
1922.
(б ) That a child must be of “ sound health and normal physical de
velopment ” as well as (present law) “ physically fit for the work
at which he is to be employed ” before he can receive a work
permit.
(c) That the age period for special protection against long hours, acci
dent, disease, etc., be made 15-17 in 1921 and 16-18 in 1922.
( d ) That compulsory school attendance and certificating laws be en
forced according to the special recommendations o f the subcom
mittee.
(e) That an expert on child labor shall be appointed in the office of the
factory inspector.
( f ) That a state-wide and State-enforced law regulating street trades,
and enforced according to the recommendation o f the subcom
mittee, be passed.
Investigations: That special investigations be made by the Illinois Depart
ment of Labor of—

(а ) Employment of children in agriculture.
(б ) Home work.
Illegitim acy.
An amendment to the bastardy law which shall omit the words “ in open
cou rt” (referring to the testimony of the father) in the new provision of the
bastardy law as amended in 1919.
That Illinois await action of the National Conference of Commissioners on
Uniform State Laws, which is at work on the draft of a new law, before making
recommendations for further legislation.

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SPECIAL STATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES.

Medical aspects o f child care.
More adequate enforcement o f the law for birth registration.
Special encouragement of the use of silver nitrate in the eyes of the newborn
infants.
The educational supervision of midwives to be promoted by the State, in
addition to the present law requiring their licensing.
Adoption of the minimum standard of the Children’s Bureau for the care
and protection of maternity, infancy, and the child of preschool age.
Legislation to establish a special commission with adequate appropriation,
to investigate the causes of maternal and infant mortality in the State.
Licensing and supervision of medical institutions, traveling clinics, etc.
Indorsement of bill prepared by State department of health providing for
full-time county health officers in counties and in cities of 25,000 and over.
Supervision of all health centers and of public-health nursing, with adequate
appropriation and personnel.
Mandatory legislation for medical inspection of all children in public and
private schools.
Adoption of the minimum standards of the Children’s Bureau for the care
o f the child of school age.
A system of medical care and remedial treatment for all children in State
institutions and private institutions and associations licensed and certified
by the State.
Cooperation of the State departments of public health and welfare and o f the
State University in the adoption of health programs for children.

Feeble-minded.
Segregation of the defective delinquent in a separate institution.
Amendment to the law for the commitment and permanent segregation of the
feeble-minded to regulate the discharge and parole (other than habeas corpus).
An appropriation for research into the nature and treatment of mental dis
orders and deficiencies.

Legislation providing for identification, registration, instruction, supervision,
and segregation of the feeble-minded.
Colored children.
The development of resources favorable to the normal growth and activities
of colored children ; the enforcement of standards set up by the subcommittee
on standards on behalf of the colored child who is in institutions now existing ;
the right of colored children to enjoy the same resources for education and
nurture as other wards of the State.

Standards for licensing and supervision.
Children’s homes and orphanages.
D ay nurseries.
Maternity homes.
Children’s hospitals.

The report o f the general committee was signed by 44 members.
It closed with a recommendation for legislation to provide for a chil
dren’s code commission :
There is a general, nation-wide movement to-day to coordinate and harmonize
the laws touching the lives and welfare of childrep from the social rather than

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

purely legal or business point of view. * * * A children’s code is the em
bodying of the laws relating to children in simple, workable form. It means
the revision of the present statutes, which are inconsistent or in conflict, the
repealing o f obsolete or undesirable provisions, and the recommendations for
new legislation incidental to these purposes. Laws of health, education,
labor control, recreation, relief, institutional care and correction really form
one general program for work. I f a child is to enjoy the fullest measure of
care, the interrelation of the laws and their wise administration must be
recognized. The children’s code commission would be expected to make sug
gestions of further legislation embodying a well-defined policy which should
represent the best thought and experience on child problems.

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LIST OF STATE COMMISSIONS FOR THE STUDY AND
REVISION OF CHILD-WELFARE LAW S .1
Connecticut.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1919.
Chairman, W illiam P. Ladd, Dean, Berkeley Divinity School, Middletown.
Executive secretary, Henry P. Fairchild.

Delaware.
Children’s Code Commission, 1918.
Reconstruction Commission of the State of Delaware (W ilm ington), 1919.
Director, Mrs. Ina J. N. Perkins.
Commission to Suggest a Revision of the Existing Laws o f the State Relating
to Minor Children, 1923.*’ *

District of Columbia.
Public W elfare Commission, 1921.*
’
< "<\ V
Chairman, Hon. Frederick L. Siddons, Associate Justice,\Supr%me Court of
the District of Columbia.
Secretary, Frank F. Nesbit, Wilkins Building, Washington,:

Florida.
Children’s Code Commission, 1923.*’ *

Georgia.

^ Vr

Children’s Code Commission, 1922. (Continuing)^*'
Chairman, Mrs. Alonzo Richardson, 682 ¡W est ^Peachtree Street, Atlanta.
Executive secretary, Burr Blackburn, 6i% 'North Forsyth Street, Atlanta.

Indiana.
Commission on Child W elfare and Social Insurance, 1919.
Chairman of subcommission on child welfare: Mrs. Albion Fellows Bacon,
Evansville.
Executive secretary, Mrs. Edna Hatfield Edmondson, extension division,
Indiana University, Bloomington.

Iowa.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1923.
Chairman, J. B. Weaver, Iowa National Bank Building, Des Moines.
Secretary, Mrs. Francis E. Whitley, Webster City.

Kansas.
Children’s Code Committee, 1918.
Chairman, Dr. Lydia Allen De Vilbiss.
Children’s Code Commission, 1920, 1922.
Chairman, Judge Ralph H. Gaw, Topeka.
Secretary, 1920, Dr. Florence Brown Sherbon,

University of Kansas,

Lawrence.
Secretary, 1922, Mrs. Henrietta Mayfield.
1 Addresses not given when persons are no longer in the State.
* Active in 1923—24.
»Members not appointed at date of writing (September 10, 1 9 2 3 ).

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STATE C O M M IS SIO N S FOR C H IL D -W E L F A R E L A W S .

Kentucky.
Children’s Code Commission, 1920.
Chairman, Frances Ingram.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1922 (continuing).4
Chairman, Frances Ingram, 428 South First Street, Louisville.

Maryland.
Children’s Code Commission, 1922, 1923.
Chairman, Judge Carroll T. Bond.
Secretary, 1922, George L. Jones, 130 South Calvert Street, Baltimore.
Commission on Laws of Minors, 1922.4
Chairman, Judge Carroll T. Bond, Courthouse, Baltimore.

Michigan.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1917.
Secretary, Fred M. Butzel, 1012 Union Trust Building, Detroit.

Minnesota.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1916.
Chairman, Judge Edward F. W aite, Courthouse, Minneapolis.
Executive secretary, William Hodson, 1016 Security Building, Minneapolis.

Missouri.
Children’s Code Commission, 1915, 1917, 1919.
Chairman, Judge Rhodes E. Cave, St. Louis.
Secretary, 1915, 1917, Mrs. Lucille B. Lowenstein.
Secretary, 1919, Mrs. Harriet M. Robertson, State Board of Charities,
Jefferson City.

Montana.
Committee to Standardize Children’s Laws, 1917.

Nebraska.
Children’s Code Commission, 1919.
Chairman, Howard Kennedy, Omaha.
Executive secretary, C. E. Prevey, Lincoln.

New Hampshire.
Children’s Commission, 1913.
Chairman, Mrs. Lilian C. Streeter, Concord.

New York.
New York State Commission to Examine Laws Relating to Child Welfare, 1920.
(Annual appropriations, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923.) 4
Chairman, Salvatore A. Cotillo, 231 East Fourteenth Street, New York.
Executive secretary, George A. H all, 137 East Twenty-second Street, New
York.

North Dakota.
Children’s Code Commission, 1921.
Chairman, C. L. Young, City National Bank Building, Bismarck.

Ohio.
Commission to Codify and Revise the Laws of Ohio Relative to Children, 1911.

Oklahoma.
Children’s Code Commission, 1919.
Secretary, Henry Snyder, 608 Terminal Building, Oklahoma City.
4 Active in 1 9 2 3 -2 4 .

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LIST OF STATE COMMISSIONS,

Oregon.
Child-Welfare
Chairman,
Child-Welfare
State Board
Chairman,
Child-Welfare
Chairman,

Commission, 1913, 1915.
Mrs. Robt. H. Tate, 181 East Fourteenth Street, Portland.
Commission, 1917 (acting as a committee appointed by the
of Control).
George Rebec, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Revision Committee, 1919.
W m . L. Brewster, Gasco Building, Portland.

Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Commission to Suggest Revisions and Amendments to the Statutes
Which Relate to Children, 1 9 2 3 /’ *
Chairman, Charles Edward Fox, Flanders Buliding, Philadelphia.
Secretary, J. Prentice Murphy, Executive Secretary, Children’s Byreau of
Philadelphia, 1432 Pine Street, Philadelphia.

South Carolina.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1919.
Chairman, W alter B. Wilbur, Charleston.
Secretary, G. Croft Williams, Columbia;

South Dakota.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1919.
Chairman, Fred L. Shaw, Department of Public Instruction, Pierre.
Secretary, Mrs. H. R. Kenaston, Bonesteel.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1923.“
Chairman, Judge Lewis Larson, Sioux Falls.
•
Secretary, Mrs. Franklin D. Smith, Deadwood.

Tennessee.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1920.
Secretary, C. C. Menzler, Tennessee Industrial School, Nashville.

Texas. .
Child-Welfare Commission, 1919.
Chairman, Mrs. E. A. Watters, Fort Worth.
Secretary, Mrs. Stanley Boykin, 1709 South Adams Street, Fort Worth.

Utah.
State W elfare Commission, 1921 (continued), 1923.“
Chairman, Milton Bennion, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Executive secretary, Judge Hugo B. Anderson, 1021 Kearns Building, Salt
Lake City.

Virginia.
Children’s Code Commission, 1921.
Chairman, Judge James Hoge Ricks, Juvenile and Domestic Relations
Court, Richmond.
Secretary, C. H . Morrissett, State Legislative Reference Library, Richmond.

West Virginia.
Child-Welfare Commission, 1921.
Chairman, L. J. Forman, Petersburg.
Executive secretary, Hettie L. Hazlett.

Wisconsin.
Child-Welfare Committee, 1918.
Chairman, J. L. Nash, Revisor of Statutes, State Capitol, Madison.
8 Active in 1923—24.

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REPORTS AN D ARTICLES RELATING TO WORK OP
COMMISSIONS.
COMMISSION REPORTS.
Connecticut.
Report of the Commission on Child W elfare to the Governor. Hartford, 1921.
Volume 1. Legislation recommended. Volume 2. Reports of special studies:
The placing-out of dependent and neglected children in Connecticut. The legal
handling o f juvenile offenders in Connecticut.
The institutional care of
children in Connecticut, handicapped children in school and court, life histo
ries of young men in Connecticut’s reformatory.

Delaware.
Child-welfare recommendations of the Reconstruction Commission of Delaware,
December, 1920, in The Chance of a Delaware Child, prepared by Mrs. Ina
J. N. Perkins, director of child welfare, p. 41 ff.

Georgia.
First Annual Report o f the Georgia Children’s Code Commission to the Gov
ernor and General Assembly. Mrs. Alonzo Richardson, chairman. Atlanta.

Indiana.
Child-Welfare Legislation. W ork of the Indiana subcommission on child welfare
of the Commission on Child W elfare and Social Insurance. Bulletin of the
Extension Division, Indiana University. Vol. V II, No. 1. September, 1921.
Bloomington.

Kansas.
Bulletin of the Kansas State Board of Health, February, 1920. The Kansas
Women’s Committee on Child Welfare. Topeka.
Report o f the Kansas* Children’s Code Commission, January, 1921. Proposed
Child-Welfare Legislation. Dr. Florence Brown Sherbon, Secretary. State
House, Topeka.
Proposed Child-Welfare Legislation. Preliminary Report of the Kansas Chil
dren’s Code Commission. May, 1922. State House, Topeka.
Report of the Kansas Children’s Code Commission, “ Laying the Foundation
for the Rising Generation.” December, 1922. Topeka.

Kentucky.
Outline of Legislation Recommended for Enactment in 1922. Submitted to the
governor and general assembly of Kentucky, by the Kentucky Children’s
Code Commission.
Report of the Kentucky Children’s Code Commission Covering Child-Welfare
Legislation Prior to and Through the Legislative Session of 1922. Louisville.

Maryland.
Report o f Children’s Code
(Typed.)

Commission

the

Governor.

January,

1922.

Minnesota.
Report of the Child-Welfare Commission. W'ith bills recommended and synop
sis of all changes from present law. 1917. Office of the commission, State
capitol, St. Paul.
96

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REPORTS AND ARTICLES ON WORN OP COMMISSIONS.
Hodson, W illiam W . For the children of Minnesota.
(M ay 12, 1917), p. 147.

The Survey, Vol. 38

*---------- >. Securing a children’s code for Minnesota. Proceedings of
sin State Conference o f Social Work, 1918, pp. 44-54.
-----------. The Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission. Standards of
fare. A report of the Children’s Bureau Conference, May and
pp. 420-427. Conference Series No. 1. U. S. Children’s Bureau
No. 60. Washington, 1919.

the Wiscon
Child W el
June, 1919,
Publication

Missouri.
Children’s Code Commission; a complete revision o f the laws for the welfare
o f Missouri children. Second edition, with additional bills, January, 1917.
Jefferson City (1917).
-----------. References to Missouri Statutes Relating to Children. An annotated
and classified reference list of all statutes-and constitutional provisions in
Missouri relating to children. Supplement to the Report of the Missouri
Children’s Code Commission, January, 1917.
-----------. Report of the Missouri Children’s Code Commission; a complete revi
sion of the laws for the welfare of Missouri children. Jefferson City, 1918.
Mangold, George B. Committee report. The Children’s Code.- Monthly Bulle
tin (Missouri) State Board of Charities and Corrections, Vol. 3 (M ay, 1917),
pp. 19-22.
Lowenstein, Lucille B. Report of Committee on Children. Monthly Bulletin,
(Missouri) State Board of Charities and Corrections, Vol. 9 (June, 1918),
pp. 37-40.
-----------. Lobbying for an ideal at Jefferson City.
1 (August, 1919), pp. 119-122.
A New Children’s Code Proposed.
406-407.

The American Child, Vol.

The Survey, Vol. 41 (Dec. 28, 1918), pp.

Children’s Code Bills Proposed to the Fifty-first General Assembly by the
Children’s Code Commissions. Monthly Bulletin, State Board of Charities
and Corrections, Jefferson City. December, 1920.
Children’s Code Bills Passed by the Fifty-first General Assembly. Monthly
Bulletin, State Board of Charities and Corrections, Jefferson City, March,
1921.

Nebraska.
Report o f the Nebraska Children’s Code Commission, 1920.
Public Welfare, State capitol, Lincoln.

Department of

New Hampshire.
Report o f the Children’s Commission to the Governor and Legislature, January,
1915. Concord, 1914.
Streeter, Lilian Carpenter. The Relation o f Mental Defect to the Neglected,
Dependent, and Delinquent Children of New Hampshire. National Confer
ence of Charities and Corrections, Proceedings, 1915, pp. 340-352.

New York.
Preliminary Report and Second Report of the New York State Commission to
Examine Laws Relating to Child Welfare. March 14, 1922; April 30, 1923.
Hall, George A. The Children’s Code Commission. Fifteenth Annual Report
of the New York State Probation Commission for the year 1921, pp. 107-111.
Albany, 1922.
Report to the Legislature of the State o f New York by the New York State
Commission to Examine Laws Relating to Child Welfare. 1923. (In manu
script. When published the report will include a manual of laws.)

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STATE C O M M IS SIO N S EOE, C H IL D -W E L F A R E L A W S .

North Dakota.
Report of the North Dakota Children’s Code Commission to the Legislative
Assembly. 1922.

Ohio.
Report of the Commission to Codify and Revise the Laws of Ohio Relative to
Children. (Columbus, 1912 ( ? ) .)
-----------. Republished in The Ohio Bulletin of Charities and Corrections, Jan
uary, 1913. Ohio Board of State Charities, Columbus.

Oregon.
Oregon Child-Welfare Commission, First Biennial Report, 1915, to the Gov
ernor and the Legislative Assembly, 1915.
Oregon’s Duty to the Children. Second biennial report of the Child-Welfare
Commission, 1917. Salem, 1917.
Child-Welfare Work in Oregon. „ A Study of Public and Private Agencies and
Institutions for the Care of Dependent, Delinquent, and Defective Children.
By W . H. Slingerland, for the Oregon Child-Welfare Commission. July Bul
letin. Extension Division, University o f Oregon. Salem, 1918.

South Dakota.
First Biennial Report of the South Dakota Child-Welfare Commission, 19191920. Issued by the Child-Welfare Commission. State capitol, Pierre.
Bulletin of the State Child-Welfare Commission of South Dakota, 1923. Pierre.
South Dakota.

Utah.
Report of the State ^Welfare Commission o f the State of Utah, Salt Lake City,
1921-22.

West Virginia.
Outline of the Recommendations to the Legislature, W est Virginia State ChildW elfare Commission. 1922.
Report of the W est Virginia State Child-Welfare Commission. Recommendations
to be submitted to the 1923 session of the legislature to promote the welfare
of the children of W est Virginia. State capitol, Charleston, 1922.

REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES.
Alabama.
A Study of Alabama Laws Affecting Children and Suggestions for Legislation.
(A study made by the National Child-Labor Committee for the special
committee of the Alabama Child-Welfare Commission.)
“Alabama Child
hood,” Official Bulletin of the State Child-Welfare Department of Alabama.
June, 1922.

Colorado.
Report of Governor Shoup’s Committee on Child-Welfare Legislation for
Colorado. To which is added the full text of the 13 bills recommended, with
notes, explanations, and answers to objections. Denver, 1921.
Report of Governor Shoup’s Committee on Child-Welfare Legislation for
Colorado. Denver, 1922.

Illinois.
Report of the Department of Public Welfare, Children’s Committee.
lished by the Illinois Department of Public W elfare. December, 1920.

Pub

GENERAL ARTICLES.
American Child, The.
(Published by the National Child Labor Committee.)
Children’s codes. Vol. 2, No. 1 (May, 1920), pp. 39-57.
-----------. New legislation. Vol. 3, No. 1 (May, 1921), pp. 15-16.

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REPORTS A N D ARTICLES O N W O R K ÔF C O M M IS S IO N S .

American Child, The. Children’s code legislation in Nebraska. Vol. 3, No. 2
(August, 1921). pp. 110-111.
-----------■. Legislation. Vol. 3, No. 3 (Nov., 1921), pp. 219-222.
-----------. Notes on children’s code commissions now at work (compiled Feb. 1,
1921). Vol. 2, No. 4 (February, 1921), pp. 307-309.
Baldwin, Roger N .: A State children’s code and its enforcement. The Survey,
Vol. 37 (Dec. 30, 1916), pp. 356-357.
-----------. How shall we frame a consistent public policy for children? * Pro
ceedings of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, 1914.
pp. 189-194.
Carstens, C. C .: The development of State programs for child welfare. Pro
ceedings of the National Conference of Social Work, 1917, pp. 307-315.
---------- . Children’s codes for the various States. The Child Labor Bulletin.
Vol. V I (M ay, 1917),~pp. 15-22.
■----------. The Method of Procedure. Standards of Child Welfare. A report of
the Children’s Bureau Conferences, May and June, 1919, pp. 416-419. Con
ference series No. 1, U. S. Children’s Bureau Publication No. 60. W ash• ington, 1919.
Child Labor Bulletin, The (National Child Labor Committee). The Missouri
Children’s Code. Vol. 7, No. 4 (February, 1919), pp. 238-239.
-----------. Children’s code movement growing. Vol. 7, No. 4 (February, 1919),
pp. 237-238.
-----------. State programs for legislation.
B. N. Clopper.
Vol. 7, No. 4
(February, 1919), pp. 263-281.
Clopper, E. N .: A children’s charter. Proceedings of the National Conference
of Charities and Correction, 1915, pp. 106-111.
--------- . The development of the children’s code. Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science.
Vol. 98, No. 187, Nov., 1921,
pp. 154-159.
Conference on Child-Welfare Legislation, May 19 and 22, 1923, Washington,
D. C. Report of Proceedings (in manuscript at date o f writing). William
Hodson, Chief, Division o f Child-Welfare Legislation, Department of Child
Helping, Russell Sage Foundation.
1016 Security Building, Minneapolis, Minn.
Haynes, F. B . : Progress and problems of children’s code making. Proceedings
of the Iowa State Conference of Social Work, 1917, pp. 78-85.
Lathrop, Julia C .: Uniform legislation.
Proceedings of the National Con
ference of Charities and Correction, 1915, pp. 111-114.

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OUTLINE FOR IN D EX OF EXISTING LEGISLATION
AFFECTING CHILD W ELFARE.

The following outline was prepared by the Children’s Bureau for
use in indexing the laws for the various States and is presented here
because it has been found by a number o f State commissions to be of
service in analyzing their laws.
This outline is merely a list of topics which have been found to be
actually covered by the existing laws o f a number o f States. In cer
tain cases two distinct though related subjects are connected in the
laws as they now stand upon the statute books, as, for example, in
the case o f laws relating to dependent and to delinquent children
(see “ H ” ), and this connection has been preserved in the index out
line wherever necessary to avoid a large amount of duplication in the
references. The outline is not based upon any logical or ideal analy
sis o f child-welfare laws, nor does it contain a model list o f topics
which should be covered by legislation.
(A )

PARENT AND CHILD:
1. D U T IE S A N D L IA B IL IT IE S OF PAR E N T S—
Abandonment— Neglect— Nonsupport.
Abuse and cruelty.
Acts committed by child, parental liability for (liability for torts
of child, etc.).
Care and support, duty to provide—
Duty of father to provide; when duty o f mother.
(In cases of divorce or separation, see “A -3 , Divorce.” )
(For illegitimate children, see “A -5 .” )
Maintenance, allowance for, out of child’s estate.
Protection (o f child from injury; justifiable homicide, etc.)
Miscellaneous.
2. R IG H T S OF PAR EN T A N D C H ILD —
Actions (for injury to person of child, etc.).
Custody and control of child’s person and property.
(S ee also
“A -3 , Divorce.” )
Legal settlement o f children. ( See also “ H -6 , Poor relief.” )
Parental rights, termination of— Emancipation, etc.
Services and earnings.
Support of parent by child. (S ee also “ H -6 , Poor relief.” )
Miscellaneous.
3. M A R R IAG E A N D D IVO R C E—
Divorce—
Grounds for, etc.
Custody and support of children.
Effect on legitimacy of children, etc.

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101

(A ) PARENT AND CHILD—Continued.
3. M A R R IA G E A N D D IV O R C E — Continued.
Marriage—
Age o f consent to marriage, consent of parents, guardians, etc.
Marriage of feeble-minded, epileptic, insane, etc.
Void and voidable marriages, what constitutes; effect of on
legitimacy of children.
(F or annulment of marriage, see
“A -3 , Divorce.” )
Miscellaneous (licenses, etc.).
4. AD OPTIO N —
W ho may adopt; who may be adopted.
Consent of parent, guardian, etc.
Court jurisdiction, procedure, records, etc.
Effect of adoption—
Change of name of child.
Liabilities of adopting person.
Inheritance and property rights of adopted child and others.
Abrogation of adoption.
Advertising, etc., for adoption; penalty.
State control over adoption.
(F or adoption through and from institutions, see “ H - 4 ” ; from
boarding homes for infants, see “ D -3 ” and see also “ H -3 ,”
“ H -5 ,” and “ G.” )
5. IL L E G IT IM A C Y —
Illegitimate children, who are. (S ee also “A -3 .” )
Responsibility of fath er; of mother.
Illegitimacy proceedings—
Disclosure of father.
Complaint, warrant, arrest.
Bond for support, etc.
Methods of legitimation—
Acknowledgment by father.
Subsequent intermarriage o f parents, etc.
Inheritance and property rights and disabilities of parent and child.

M ISCELLAN EO U S.

(B ) GUARDIAN AND WARD;
Appointment and kind of guardian—
“ Joint guardianship.”
Testamentary guardianship, right of father, and o f mother to
appoint.
Miscellaneous.
Duties, powers, and responsibilities of guardian.
Rights and liabilities of the ward.
Termination of guardianship, etc.
State guardianship; guardianship of institutions and agencies, etc.
(For this subject, see “ G,” “ H -3 ,” “ H —4,” and “ 1-1.” )

SP EC IFIC O FFEN SES—
Abandonment and neglect.
(For same by parents, see A - l . ” )
Abduction— Kidnapping— Child stealing.
Abortion and prevention of conception.

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102

STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

(C ) O F F E N S E S A G A IN S T T H E C H IL D — Continued.
X. SPECIFIC O FFEN SES— Continued.
Abuse and cruelty. (For same by parents, see “ A - l . ” )
Admittance to dance halls, saloons, etc.
A ge of consent.
(For this subject, see “ Sexual crimes,” here
under.)
Begging.
Contributing to dependency and delinquency of child. (S ee also
“ H —1, Adult responsibility for delinquency and dependency,”
and “ H -3 .” )
Corrupting and depraving morals. For this subject see “ Endan
gering life, morals, etc.,” hereunder.)
Cruelty, societies for prevention of.
(For this subject, see
“Abuse and cruelty,” hereunder, and also “ C -2 .” )
Disposing of child for unlawful purposes.
(For this subject, see
“ Endangering life, morals, etc.,” hereunder.)
Endangering life, morals, health, or limb.
(S ee also “ F - l , Child
labor laws.” )
Foeticide. (For this subject, see “ Abortion, etc.,” hereunder.)
Gaming.
Indecencies with children.
Infanticide.
Medicines and poisons, distribution of.
Misdemeanor (definition and general penalty for.)
Obscenity (literature, plays, pictures, etc.)
(For this subject, see
“ Endangering life, morals, etc.,” hereunder. )
Prostitution, procuring girls for, etc.
Receiving goods from minor unlawfully.
Sales, gifts, etc., unlawful (cigarettes, weapons, liquor, etc.)
Sexual crimes (age of consent, etc.)
Substitution of children.
Trials, indecent, etc. (exclusion of child, and of public when child
testifies. )
Miscellaneous—
Pregnant women, suspension of execution.
Blindness o f infants, failure to report. (For this subject, see

“ D -2” )
Concealment of birth. (S ee also “A - 5 ” and “ D -5 , Births,
concealment of.” )
Unlawful employment of child. (For this subject, see
“ F -l.” )
2.

EN FO RC EM EN T A N D EN FO RCING AG EN CIES.

(D ) H E A L T H A N D S A N IT A T IO N :
1. A D M IN IS T R A T IV E A N D EN FO RCING AG EN C IES.
(Boards of health— Health officers— Miscellaneous.)
2. B L IN D N E SS OF IN F A N T S,
NEONATORUM .

P R E VEN TIO N

OF — O P H TH A LM IA

a H O SP ITA LS FOR C H IL D R E N (for defectives, see “ 1 - 1 ” ) —
Boarding homes for infants.
Children’s hospitals.
County and municipal hospitals (provisions for children in, and
also where indigents are specified.)

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O U T L IN E FOR IN D E X OF C H IL D -W E L F A R E L A W S .

103

( D ) H E A L T H A N D S A N IT A T IO N — Continued.
3. H O SPITA LS FOR C H ILD R EN — Continued.
Maternity hospitals.
Tuberculosis hospitals.
(Provisions for children are specified.
For schools for tubercular children, see “ 1-1, Diseased, general
provisions for.” )
Other hospitals, provisions for children in.

Miscellaneous.
4. M ID W IV E S —
Registration of.
Regulations for practice of profession ; licensing, etc.
Duty to report cases o f infected eyes.
(For this subject, see
v D -2 .” )
Duties relative to reporting births.
(F or this subject, see ‘‘ D -5 ,
Births and deaths, registration of.” )
5. V IT A L ST A T IST IC S (birth registration, etc.)—
Births and deaths, registration of—

State and local authorities (registrars, etc.), charged with col
lecting and recording vital statistics ; enforcement.
Duty of midwives, physicians, householders, etc., to report
births.

Certificate of birth, contents ; illegitimacy, stillbirths, infantile
blindness, etc., reportable. (S ee also “ D -2 ” and “ D -4 .” )
Births, concealment of.
(S ee also “A - 5 ” and “ C -l, Miscellane
ous.” )
Miscellaneous.

M ISC ELLAN EO U S H E A L T H L A W S —
Adulteration of candy.
specified.)

(Provisions are given where children are

Antitoxins, etc., free to indigent.
Communicable diseases, where children are specified.
Divisions of child hygiene, establishment of.
(S ee also “ D - l . ” )
Milk regulations.
Public health or visiting nurses.
Vaccination of pupils, etc.
Venereal diseases.
(F or alcoholics and narcotics, teaching effect of, see “ E -3 ” ; medi
cal and dental examination of pupils, see “ E -3 ” ; health and
sanitation in schoolhouses, etc., see “ E -3 ” ; health and sanita
tion in institutions, see “ H - 4 ” and “ 1-1.” )
7. R E C R E ATIO N —
Civic and social centers (use of schoolhouses, pubiic buildings, etc.,
Dance halls, theaters, etc., regulation of.
minors, see also “ C - l .” )
Playgrounds and recreation centers.
Public baths.

Miscellaneous. '

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(For admittance to of

104
(E )

STATE COMMISSION'S FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

EDUCATION LAWS:
1. A D M IN IS T R A T IV E

SU PER VISIO N

AND

CONTROL

(indexed

briefly)—
Boards of education, school officers, etc.
School meetings.
Administrative units : Districts, consolidation of districts, etc.
2. F IN A N C E S AN D SUPPORT— GROUNDS AN D B U ILD IN G S.
(These laws are not included.

For sanitation of schoolhouses,

etc., see “ E -3 .” )
3. M ISC ELLAN EO U S PRO VISION S A N D REG U LATIO N S—
Age of children entitled to educational facilities; other require
ments.
Arbor day and other holiday provisions.
Alcoholics and narcotics, teaching effect of.
Colored children, separate provisions for.
Exclusion and expulsion of pupils.
Fire drills; fire escapes.
Health provisions and sanitation in schoolhouses.
Liquor traffic ; sale of intoxicants within certain distance from
schools.
Medical and dental examination of pupils.
School discipline.
Subjects taught.
Subnormal children, special provisions for.
Teachers, special qualifications of ; attendance at institutes.
Textbooks, free.
Term, length of.
Transportation of pupils.
(F or compulsory school attendance, school census, and truant and
parental schools, see “ F -2 ” ; civic and social centers and play
grounds, see “ D -7 ” ; school children, special aid to, see “ H -6 ” ;
schools for tubercular children, see “ I—I, Diseased, general pro
visions for ” ; vaccination of pupils, see “ D -6 .” )
4.

SP EC IAL SCHOOLS—
Agricultural schools.
Continuation schools.
Domestic science.
(S ee also “ Vocational, trade, and industrial
schools,” hereunder.)
Evening schools.
Kindergartens.
Manual training. ( See also “ Vocational, trade, and industrial
schools,” hereunder.)
Trade and industrial schools.

(S ee also “ Vocational, trade, and

industrial schools,” hereunder.)
Vocational, trade, and industrial schools.

Miscellaneous.
(F )

CHILD-LABOR LEGISLATION (indexed briefly) :
1.

C H ILD -LA B O R L A W S —
Minimum age (specifying occupations).
Employment certificates and records.
Hours of labor (specifying occupations).

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OUTLINE FOR INDEX OF CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

105

(F ) CHILD-LABOR LEGISLATION—Continued.
1. C H ILD -LA BO R L A W S — Continued.
Street trades.
Public exhibitions.
Enforcement.
Violations and penalties.
2. COM PULSORY SCHOOL A T TE N D A N C E —
Ages between which attendance is compulsory.
Attendance required.
Attendance of working children (day, evening, and continuation
schools included).
Enforcement ; attendance and truant officers, etc.
School census.
Violations and penalties.
Truant and parental schools.
( See also “ H -4 .” )
(For employment during school hours, etc., see “ F - L ” )
(For compulsory school attendance of defectives, see “ 1-1.” )
3. A P P R E N TIC E SH IP —
W ho may bind children as apprentices.
Terms of indenture (including schooling while employed, etc.).
Duties of parent, guardian, master, and apprentice.
Penalties for violation ; master, apprentice.
Apprenticing by institutions; by overseers of the poor. (F or this
subject, see “ H -4 ” ; “ H -6 , Almshouses, children in ” ; and
“ H -6 , Poor relief.” )
4. W O R K M E N ’S COM PEN SATION — EM PLO YER ’S L IA B IL IT Y .
(A ll provisions in which minors are specified; minor employed,
illegally employed, etc.)
5. M ISCELLAN EO U S.
(In indexing preference is given to title “ F - l . ” )

EM PLO YM EN T AG EN C IES.
(Provisions for children are specified.)

7. EM PLO YM EN T OF W O M E N (see also “ F -l* ” ) —
Before and after childbirth.
Hours of labor.
Minimum wage.
Seats, etc., provisions for.

(G) STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL CARE OF CHILDREN; GEN
ERAL PROVISIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION, SUPERVISION,
AND MAINTENANCE:
1. STA TE B O ARDS OR D E P A R T M E N TS (names of boards, etc., speci
fied, and each treated separately)—
Creation and organization.
Jurisdiction, powers, and duties—
Children under direct control of. (S ee also “ H -5 .” )
State and other institutions and agencies uuder control and
jurisdiction of.
52668°— 24------8

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106

STATE COMMISSIONS FOE CHILD-WELFARE LAW S.

(G) STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL CARE OF CHILDREN, ETC.—
Continued.
1. STA TE BO ARDS OR D E PAR TM EN TS— Continued.
Miscellaneous—
Charitable institutions, exemption of, from taxation
Constitutional provisions.
Provisions for creating, etc., funds for maintenance.

2. COUN TY A N D M U N IC IP A L B O ARD S OR AG EN C IES.

(H ) DELINQUENT, DEPENDENT, AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN (see
also “ G ” ) :
1. G EN E RAL—
Acts which render child delinquent (certain specific acts, smoking
cigarettes, carrying weapons, etc.). (S ee also “ H-2.” )
Adult responsibility for delinquency and dependency.
(S ee also
Capacity to commit crime.
Delinquent and dependent, bringing into State.
Dependent and neglected, commitment and care of—
Court having jurisdiction, etc.
Certain provisions apart from juvenile court and institutional
laws, which do not properly fall under subjects given below.
Miscellaneous.
2. T R E A T M E N T OF D E L IN Q U E N T M IN O RS A P A R T FROM JUVE
N IL E COURT A N D IN S T IT U T IO N A L L A W S ( see also “ H - l ” ) —
Court having jurisdiction.
Provisions for treatment of minors—
Above juvenile-court age (generally between 16 and 21).
In States having no juvenile-court law.
3. JU V E N ILE COURTS—
Creation, designation, and organization o f court;

appointment,

term, and qualifications of judge, etc.
Jurisdiction—
Children of certain a ges; delinquent and dependent as defined.
Of parents, guardians, e tc .; of contributory delinquency and
dependency, etc.
Extent of jurisdiction in general.
Probation officers—
Appointment, duties and powers, compensation, etc.
Referees, etc., appointment and duties of.
Procedure—
Petition; summons; trial, how conducted, e tc .; appeal, etc.
Release pending hearing; recognizance, detention homes, etc.
Final disposition of child—
Placing under probation— leaving child in own home, placing
in a family home, etc., or committing to detention home, etc.
Commitment to an institution; powers and duties of in
institution to which committed.
Advisory board, appointment, organization, and duties of, etc.
Disqualification of child.

Contributory delinquency and dependency.

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(H )

107

DELINQUENT, DEPENDENT, AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN—Con.
3. JU V E N ILE COURTS— Continued.
Miscellaneous—
Civil liability of child ; medical care of child during proceed
ings, etc.
4. IN S T IT U T IO N S FO R D E LIN Q U E N TS A N D D EP E N D E N T S—

(N am e and kind o f institution — State, county, municipal, semi
public, or private— are specified, and each is treated separately.)
Institutions for delinquents (State) —
Establishment, organization, management, and maintenance.
Supervision and inspection by State board, etc.
(S ee also

“ G.” )
Health and sanitation— Regulations and inspection.
Object and jurisdiction o f institution—
Age limitations.
Classes of children committed and received.
Courts or judges committing—
Procedure.
Term of commitment.
Jurisdiction and supervision after commitment.
Examination on entering institution ; provisions for treatment.
Expenses and support, liability for (parent, county).
Treatment of inmates—
Exceptional offenders, special provisions for.
Defective children, transfer and removal of.
Correctional methods.
Education and training.
Employments in institutions.
Placing out and apprenticing of children.
Parole— Transfer— Discharge.
Miscellaneous.
( County, municipal, semipublic, and private institutions are treated

sim ilarly; provisions for financing, State aid, etc., and for
licensing o f private institutions are specified.)
Institutions for dependents (State) —
Establishment, organization, management, and maintenance.
Supervision and inspection by State board, etc.
(S ee also

“ G ”)
Health and sanitation— Regulations and inspection.
Admission— Commitment—
Procedure.
Classes of children received.
Age limitations; how long retained, etc.
Physical and mental examinations upon entrance.
Delinquent children, transfer and removal of.
Expenses and support of child; payment by county,
parent.
Education and training; employment in institution.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

( H ) D E L IN Q U E N T , D E P E N D E N T , A N D N E G L E C T E D C H IL D R E N -C o n .
4. IN ST IT U T IO N S FOR D ELIN Q U EN TS A N D D EPEN D EN TS— Con.
Institutions for dependents (S ta te)— Continued.
Placing out— Apprenticing— Adoption.
Miscellaneous.
( County , municipal, semipublic, and private

institutions and
agencies are treated sim ilarly; provisions for financing, State
aid, etc., and for licensing o f private institutions and agencies
are specified.)

Institutions for delinquents and dependents—
(In indexing preference is given to the two preceding titles,
unless the law clearly indicates that both classes are re
ceived in an institution. For subjects covered, see “ Institu
tions for delinquents ” and “ Institutions for dependents,”
hereunder.)
Institutions in general—
(Certain constitutional and other provisions applying to in
stitutions in general are specified.)
5. PLACING OR B O AR D IN G OUT OF C H IL D R E N (by State, county.
or municipal boards) —
Classes of children received.
Age limitations.
Authority of board over various classes.
Method of placing.
Placement agents, investigation, supervision, etc.
Provisions for temporary care.

STA TE, COUNTY, A N D M U N IC IP A L R E L IE F , PEN SION S, ETC.—
Almshouses, children in.
Children born in institutions, disposition of.
Legal settlement of child. (For this subject, see “ Poor relief,”
hereunder.)
Mothers’ pensions.
Pensions, miscellaneous.
Poor relief.
School children, special aid to.
Soldiers’ and sailors’ dependents.
Support of family of inmate of penal or other institution.
Miscellaneous.

(I)

D E F E C T IV E C H IL D R E N (s ee also “ G ” ) :
1. G EN E R AL PRO VISIO N S
FO R D E F E C T IV E S—

FO R

D E F E C T IV E S— IN STITU TIO N S

(Nam e and kind o f institution — State, county, municipal, semi
public, or private— are specified, and each is treated separately.)
Blind, general provisions for—
State commission for.
State aid to, within their homes.
Education of, in public schools.
Compulsory school attendance.
Books and readers for the blind, provisions for, by State,
Enumeration of, etc,

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O U T L IN E FOR IN D E X OF C H IL D -W E L F ARE L A W S .

(I)

109

D E F E C T IV E C H IL D R E N — Continued.
1. G EN E R AL

PRO VISION S

FO R

D E F E C T IV E S — IN ST IT U T IO N S

FOR D E F E C T IV E S— Continued.
Blind, institutions for (S ta te)—
Establishment, organization, management, and maintenance.
Supervision and inspection by State board, etc. ( See

also “ G.” )
Health and sanitation— regulations and inspection.
Admission or commitment—
Procedure.
Age limitations.
Classes of children received.
Compulsory commitment, etc.
Custodial powers.
Expenses and support of child ; payment by county, by parent.
Education and training; employment in institution.
Expulsion— Transfer— Parole— Discharge.
Supervision or aid after leaving institution.
Miscellaneous.
( County, municipal,

semipublic, and private institutions are
treated sim ilarly; provisions for financing, State aid, etc., and for
licensing o f private institutions are specified.)

Crippled and deformed, general provisions for—
Education in public schools ; State aid to, etc.
Compulsory school attendance.
Crippled and deformed, institutions and hospitals for ( State hos
p ital; State university hospital, etc.) —
Duties of hospital official.
Assignment of competent surgeon to case.
W ho may receive treatment— indigent and other children.
Expenses and support of child ; payment by city, county,
parent.
Miscellaneous.
(For provisions for treatment and separate departments in
institutions for dependents, see “ H -4 , Institutions for de
pendents.” )
D eaf and dumb, general provisions for—
Education in public schools ; State aid to, etc.
Compulsory school attendance.
D eaf and dumb, institutions for—
(F or subjects covered, see “ Blind, institutions for,” here
under.)
Diseased, general provisions for—
Education of tubercular children in open-air schools; State
aid to, etc.
Miscellaneous.
Diseased, institutions for.
(For this subject, see “ D -3 .” )
Feeble-minded and epileptic, general provisions for—
Commissions for studying treatment, needs, and care of.
Statistics relating to, etc.
Miscellaneous.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOE CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

(I) DEFECTIVE CHILDREN—Continued.
1. G EN E R AL PRO VISIO N S FO R
FO R D E F E C T IV E S— Continued.

D E F E C T IV E S — IN ST IT U T IO N S

Feeble-minded and epileptic, institutions for.
(For subjects covered, see “ Blind, institutions for,” here
under. )
Insane, hospitals for—
General provisions for admittance.
Provisions for children.

Miscellaneous.
Institutions in general.
(Certain constitutional and other provisions applying to all
institutions for defectives are specified ; in indexing prefer
ence is given to “ Institutions in general,” under Title
“ H -4 .” )

Miscellaneous.
2. P R E V E N TIO N OF T R A N SM ISSIO N OF D E FE C T—

Asexualization.
Miscellaneous.
(For marriage and divorce of feeble-minded, epileptic, etc.,
see “A -3 ;” for sexual crimes committed with defectives, see
“ C - l , Sexual crimes.” )

(J) MINOR’S CAPACITY OR INCAPACITY TO ACQUIRE RIGHTS AND
TO INCUR LIABILITIES:
1. R IG H T S A N D D IS A B IL IT IE S

G EN E R AL

(M IN O R ’S C IV IL

STA TU S, ET C .) —
Age of majority.
Capacity in which minor may act.
Capacity to appoint others to act.
Capacity to make a will.
Legal disability, what constitutes.
Legal disability, removal of.
Witnesses, minors as.

Miscellaneous.
2. M ISC ELLAN EO U S R IG H T S A N D L IA B IL IT IE S —
Actions.

(For real actions, see “ Real property,” hereunder.)

Right of action, who has.
Capacity to sue and be sued ; guardian ad litem, necessity and
purpose of appointment, etc.
Procedure: Summons, how served, etc.
Effect of attaining majority during action.
Judgment ; review of action, appeal, etc.
Limitation of actions.
Citizenship of minor.

Contracts.
Inheritance and testimentary rights.

(F or adopted and illegitimate

children, see “A -4 ” and “A -5 .” )
Personal property.
Real property, (F or care of property by guardian, see “ B ” )
T o rts: Wrongs, liability for.

Miscellaneous.

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CHILD-WELFARE STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR UNIFORM LEGISLATION.
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.
Uniform State Laws in the United States, Fully Annotated, by Charles T.
Terry. (Edited and published under the offices and for the purposes of the
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.)
Baker,
Voorhis and Co., New York, 1920.
In clu des:
Uniform
Uniform
Uniform
Uniform
Uniform

Annulment of Marriage and Divorce Act, 1907, pp. 296—304.
Desertion and Non Support Act, 1910, pp. 357—362.
Child Labor Act, 1911, pp. 365—383.
Marriage and Marriage Licenses Act, 1911, pp. 3 9 0 -4 0 0 .
Marriage Evasion A ct, 1912, p. 404.

Uniform vital statistics a c t : D raft of an act to provide for and make uniform
the registration of all births, stillbirths, and deaths. Approved and recom
mended for enactment in all the States. Report of the Committee on Vital
and Penal Statistics. Thirtieth Annual Meeting of the National Conference
of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, Handbook and Proceedings, 1920,
pp. 266-286.
Uniform illegitimacy act. Drafted by the National Conference of Commis
sioners on Uniform State Laws, and by it approved and recommended for
enactment in all the States, at its conference at San Francisco, Calif.,
August 2-8, 1922.
(The uniform acts are also published separately in pamphlet form and
furnished upon application to the secretary, George G. Bogert, Dean, Cornell
Law School, Ithaca, N. Y .)
Report of the Committee on Joint Parental Guardianship of Children to the
Thirty-Third Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Commissioners of
Uniform State Laws, Minneapolis, Minn., including second draft of a uni
form act relating to joint parental guardianship of children, 1923.
(M ay
be obtained from the secretary, George G. Bogert, Dean, Cornell Law School,
Ithaca, N. Y .)

Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce.
Legal Importance of the Registration of Births and Deaths. Report of the
special committee on vital statistics to the National Conference of Commis
sioners on Uniform State Laws. Pamphlet No. 108. Washington, 1908.
Registration o f Births and Deaths. D rafts of laws and forms of certificates.
Second Edition.

Washington, 1906.

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department o f Labor.
Standards of Child W e lfa r e : A report of the Children’s Bureau Conferences,
May and June, 1919. Publication No. 60. Washington, 1919.
Separates which comprise the same material are as follow s:
Separate No. 1. The Economic and Social Basis for Child-Welfare
Standards.
Separate No. 2. Child Labor.
Separate No. 3. The Health of Children and Mothers.
Separate No. 4. Children in Need o f Special Care and Standardiza
tion of Child-Welfare Laws.

I ll

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112

«TATE COMMISSION'S FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Minimum Standards for Child W elfare adopted by the Washington and Re
gional Conferences on Child Welfare, 1919. Publication No. 62. Washing
ton, 1919.
Birth Registration: An aid in preserving the lives and rights of children.1
Publication No. 2. Washington, 1914.
An Outline for a Birth-Registration Test.
1919.

Publication No. 54.

Washington

Physical Standards for Working Children: Preliminary report o f the commit
tee appointed by the Children’s Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor
to formulate standards of normal development and sound health for the use
of physicians in examining children entering employment and children at
work. Publication No. 79, Second Edition, 1922. Washington, 1923.
Standards of Legal Protection for Children Born Out of W edlock: A report
of the regional conferences held under the auspices of the U. S. Children’s
Bureau and the Intercity Conference on Illegitimacy. Publication No. 77.
Washington, 1921.
Proceedings of the Conference on Juvenile-Court Standards held under the
auspices of the U. S. Children’s Bureau and the National Probation Asso
ciation, Milwaukee, W is., June 21-22, 1921.
Publication No. 97.
W ash
ington, 1922.
Juvenile-Court Standards: Report o f the committee appointed by the Children’s
Bureau, August, 1921, to formulate juvenile-court standards. Adopted by a
conference held under the auspices of the Children’s Bureau and the National
Probation Association, Washington, D. C., May 18, 1923. Publication No. 121.
Washington, 1923.

U. S. Public Health Service.
Model State Law for the Registration of Births and Deaths. Public Health
Reports, Supplement No. 12. April, 1914, Third Edition, pp. 83-92. W ash
ington, 1915.

Other Sources.
W h y Should Births and Deaths be Registered? A. summary of the history and
present condition of vital statistics laws, including the text of the model law.
American Medical Association, 535 North Dearborn Street, Chicago 111
1917.
’
Model Health Code for C ities: Report of the committee on model health legis
lation.
American Public Health Association, 169 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, 1921.
Model Legislation for Saving Sight (outline). National Committee for the
Prevention of Blindness, 130 East Twenty-second Street, New York, 1920.
(Prepared for Cleveland Hospital Health Survey.)
-----------. Cleveland Hospital Health Survey, Part 2, pp. 195-196.
Hospital Council, 308 Ainsfield Building, Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland

Proposed model juvenile-court law, and suggested act for contributing to
delinquency and neglect. Juvenile Courts and Probation, by Bernard Flexner and Roger N. Baldwin, pp. 256-278. The Century Co., New York, 1916.
Handbook on the Regulation of Motion Pictures. Including a model ordinance
based on the report of the special committee on motion-picture regulation
of the New York State Conference o f Mayors and Other City Officials.
Issued by The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, 70 Fifth
Avenue, New York, 1921.
1 Out of print.

Available in libraries.

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STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATION.

113

Suggestions for a model ordinance for regulating motion-picture theaters.
Prepared by the National Board o f Censorship o f Motion Pictures, 50 Madi
son Avenue, New York City. (No date.)
A suggested model law on public-health nursing. Included in A review of
State laws on public-health nursing, by James A . Tobey. The Public Health
Nurse, Vol. 15 (April, 1923), pp. 179-187.

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COMPILATIONS AND SUMMARIES OF LAW S ON SPECIAL
SUBJECTS.
Adoption.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor.
of Adoption L a w s: Selected Texts of Laws.

Analysis of Certain Phases
In preparation.
(In Social

Service Division.)

Age of consent.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor.
Against Children.

Laws Relating to Sex Offences

In preparation.

Includes Summary of age of consent laws ; texts of laws on 'age of consent and
sex offences.

Summary of age o f consent laws.

Social Hygiene Bulletin, March, 1920, pp.

8- 10.
Age of consent. In Tabular analysis of social hygiene legislation, Parts
1, 2, 3. Social Hygiene, Vol. 6, No. 4 (October, 1920), pp. 557-568.
State Laws Concerning White-Slave Traffic, Keeping Disorderly Houses, and
Age of Consent. American Social Hygiene Association, Publication No. 74.
1916.

Birth registration.
See Child-Welfare Standards and Recommendations for Uniform Legislation.

• Child hygiene.
U. S. Public Health Service. A Synopsis of the Child Hygiene Laws of the
Several States, Including Medical Inspection Laws, by Taliaferro Clark and
Selwyn D. Collins. Public Health Bulletin No. 110, Washington, 1921.
Includes list of Public Health Service Reprints on Child Hygiene.

_______. Health Provisions for State Laws Relating to Children. Report of the
Advisory Committee o f the National Child Health Council on Health Pro
visions for Laws Relating to Children. Public Health Reports, February 18,
1921, pp. 298-301.

Includes : Prenatal care ; care at birth— midwives, ophthalmia neonatorum, vital
statistics, maternity hom es; infant and preschool c a re ; care of children in school;
children in industry ; general.

Infant-welfare legislation: Inquiry into the extent and character of legislation
for the protection of infant life in the British Dominions, United States, and
other foreign countries, by R. Newton Crane. The Journal o f Comparative
Legislation and International Law, Third Series, Vol. 1, Part 1 (April, 1919),
pp. 58-66.
Includes : Paternity proceedings ; Education of prospective mothers ; Marriage of
the unfit ; Sterilization.

Child labor.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department o f Labor. Child Labor in the United
States. Ten Questions Answered. Publication No. 114. Washington, 1924.
114

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COMPILATIONS AND SUMMARIES OF LAWS,

115

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Child Labor. Separate No. 4
from Child Care and Child Welfare, Outlines for Study, prepared in coopera
tion with the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Publication No. 93.
Revised to 1924. In press.
Includes : History of the movement for the prohibition and regulation o f child
labor— State child-labor legislation, Federal regulation of child labor ; The present legal
status of child labor in the United States (Jan. 1, 1923) ; Minimum standards for
children entering employment.

---------- . Charts: No. 1. State Child-Labor Standards, Jan. 1, 1921.
(W ith
addenda covering more recent laws.) No. 2. State Compulsory School-At
tendance Standards Affecting the Employment of Minors, Jan. 1,1921. (W ith
addenda covering more recent laws.)
---------- . Important Changes Made by the Legislatures of 1921-1923 in ChildLabor Standards, and in Compulsory School Attendance Standards Affecting
the Employment of Minors. Nov. 1, 1923. Mimeographed. (In .Ind u strial
Division. )
-----------. The States and Child Labor. Lists of States with certain restrictions
as to ages and hours.1 Children’s Year Leaflet No. 13. Publication No.
58. Washington, 1919.
---------- . Child-Labor Legislation in the United States,1 by Helen L. Sumner
and Ella A. Merritt. Publication No. 10. Washington, 1915.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. Labor Laws in the
United States Series : Labor Laws in the United States, with Decisions of the
Courts Relating Thereto. Parts 1 and 2, Bulletin 148. Washington, 1914.
A compilation of labor laws to date, published in 1914.
annually, containing a cumulative index.

A supplement is published

National Child Labor Committee Publications. Notes on compilation of childlabor and compulsory-attendance laws as they affect the employment of chil
dren in agriculture. The American Child, Vol. 2, No. 4 (February, 1921), pp.
310-319,105 East Twenty-second Street, New York.
-----------. State Laws and Minimum Standards for Child Protection, 1920.
---------- . Child Labor, Education, and Mothers’ Pension Laws in Brief. Com
piled by Florence I. Taylor. Pamphlet 249, Revised to 1919.

County boards of public welfare.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. County Organization for Child
Care and Protection. Publication No. 107. Washington, 1922.
Includes : Laws and bills relating to the establishment of county boards of child
welfare and public welfare.

Dependent children.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department o f Labor. Laws Relating to Interstate
Placement of Dependent Children. Through 1923. In press.
---------- . Laws Relating to Placing Out. In preparation. (In Social Service
Division.)
-----------. Governmental Provisions in the United States and Foreign Countries
for Members of the Military Forces and Their Dependents. Prepared under
the direction of Captain S. Herbert W olfe. Publication No. 28. Washing
ton, 1917.
1 Out of print.

Available in libraries.

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

116

STATE COMMISSION'S FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Education.
Bureau of Education, U. S. Department o f the Interior. Digest of State Laws
Relating to Education in Force Jan. 1, 1915. Compiled by William R. Hood,
with the assistance of Stephen B. Weeks and A. Sidney Ford. Bulletin, 1915,
No. 47. Washington, 1916.
-----------. State Laws Relating to Education, Enacted in 1915, 1916, 1917. Com
piled by William R. Hood. Bulletin, 1918, No. 23. Washington, 1919.
Enacted in 1918-1919. Bulletin, 1920, No. 30.
Enacted in 1920-1921. Bulletin, 1922, No. 20.
These bulletins include references to State laws on general administrative control
and supervision of elementary education; State finance and support; buildings and
site s; teachers, professional training and education; school population and attend
ance— compulsory attendance; tru an cy; truant officers ; child la b o r; health regula
tions ; special types of school; education o f special classes— blind, deaf and dumb,
crippled and deformed, feeble-minded, tuberculous children ; welfare of dependents and
delinquents.

----------- . Review of Educational Legislation, 1917-1918, by W illiam R. Hood.
Bulletin, 1919, No. 13. Washington, 1919.
1919^1920. Bulletin, 1922, No. 13.
---------- . A Manual of Educational Legislation for the Guidance of Committees
on Education in the State Legislatures. Prepared under the direction of the
rural division, U. S. Bureau of Education. Bulletin, 1919, No. 4. Washing
ton, 1919.
-----------. Recent Legislation for Physical Education, by Thomas A. Storey and
W illard S. Small. Bulletin, 1918, No. 40. Washington, 1919.
-----------. Recent Legislation for Physical Education, by Thomas A. Storey,
W illard S. Small, and Elon G. Salisbury. Bulletin, 1922, No. 1. Washington,
1922.
*---------- . Kindergarten Legislation, by Louise Schofield. Bulletin, 1916, No. 45.
Washington, 1917.
Federal Board for Vocational Education. Compulsory Part-time School A t
tendance Laws. Bulletin No. 55, Trade and Industrial Series No. 14. W ash
ington, D. C., August, 1920.
-----------. Part-time Schools—-A Survey of Experience in the United States and
Foreign Countries, with Recommendations. Bulletin No. 73, Trade and In
dustrial Series No. 22. Washington,. 1922.

Guardianship.
W ife and Husband as Guardians: States recognizing the principle of
equality in guardianship. Suggestions for a model guardianship law. Com
mittee on Uniform Laws Concerning Women, National League of Women
Voters, Literature Headquarters, Peru, Indiana. (No date. Latest laws
cited, 1921.)
Report of the Committee on Joint Parental Guardianship of Children to the
Thirty-third Annual Meeting o f the National Conference of Commissioners
on Uniform State Laws, Minneapolis, Minn., including second draft of a
uniform act relating to joint parental guardianship of children. 1923. (May
be obtained from the secretary, George G. Bogert, Dean, Cornell Law School,
Ithaca, N. Y .)

Illegitimacy.
See Child-Welfare Standards and Recommendations for Uniform Legislation.

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COMPILATIONS AND SUMMARIES OE LAWS.

117

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Illegitimacy Laws in the
United States and Certain Foreign Countries,1 by Ernst Freund. Publica
tion No. 42. Washington, 1919.
-----------. Illegitimacy Laws of the United States : Analysis and Index, by Ernst
Freund. Excerpt from Publication No. 42. Washington, 1919.
-----------. Illegitimacy Laws of the United States, passed during the Years 1919
to 1922, inclusive. Washington, 1922.

Juvenile courts and probation.
Children’s Bureau, U. S/ Department of Labor. Summary o f Juvenile-Court
Legislation in the United States, by Sophonisba P. Breckinridge and Helen
R. Jeter. Publication No. 70. Washington, 1920.
-----------. The Legal Aspect of the Juvenile Court, by Bernard Flexner and
Reuben Oppenheimer. Publication No. 99. Washington, 1922.
Juvenile Court Laws in the United States; A summary by States, by Thomas
J. H om er; A topical abstract, by Grace A bbott; and The new juvenile court
law of Monroe County, New York. Edited by Hastings H. Hart. Russell
Sage Foundation, Charities Publication Committee, New York, 1910.
New York State Probation Commission.
Annual Report, 1914.
Albany,
1915. Citation of all statutes in effect relating to probation, juvenile courts,
adult contributory delinquency, and juvenile detention homes enacted up
to Jan. 1, 1915 (by States), pp. 419-426.
Later laws are cited in Annual Reports for the succeeding years.

Marriage and divorce.
A Treatise on the Law of Marriage, Divorce, Separation and Domestic Rela
tions, by James Schouler. Sixth edition, 1921, by Arthur Blakemore.
Divorce Statutes of all the States in the United States, Alaska, District of
Columbia, Hawaii, and Porto Rico. Bender and Co., Albany, 1921. 3 vols.
Includes : Provisions relative to absolute divorce; annulment, separation, void and
voidable marriages, residence, jurisdiction, alimony, support and custody of children.

Compilation of Laws Relating to Marriage and Divorce, by C. C. Breisch and
B. R. Glidden. Bulletin N o .'22, 1922. Pennsylvania Legislative-Reference
Bureau, Harrisburg, Pa.
American Marriage Laws in Their Social Aspects. A Digest, by Fred S. H all
and Elizabeth W . Brooke. Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1919.
The eugenic marriage laws of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, by Bernard
C. Roloff. Social Hygiene, Yol. 6, No. 2, April, 1920, pp. 227-254.
-----------. Pamphlet. Publication No. 295, American Social Hygiene Associaton, 105 W . 40th St., New York.
State Laws Limiting Marriage Selection Examined in the Light of Eugenies,
by C. B. Davenport. Bulletin No. 9, 1913. Eugenies Record Office, Cold
Spring Harbor, Long Island, N. Y.
Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce. Marriage and Divorce :
1869-1906. Part 1. Summary, laws. Washington, 1906.

Mental defect.
Summaries of State Laws Relating to the Feeble-minded and Epileptic, by
Samuel W . Hamilton, M . D., and Roy Haber. The National Committee for
Mental Hygiene, Publication No. 12. 370 Seventh Avenue, New York, 1917.
See also Education, Bureau of Education, U. S. Department of the Interior,
for references to State laws relating to the education of the feeble-minded.
O ut o f p rin t.

A vailable in libraries.

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118

STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Midwives.
Midwife practice laws of the States and Territories o f the United States, by
John A. Foote, M. D. American Journal of Obstetrics and Diseases of
Women and Children, vol. 80, No. 5, 1919.

Mothers’ pensions.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Public Aid to Children in
Their Own Homes. A tabular summary o f State laws in effect Nov. 1, 1922,
by Lulu L. Eckman. Legal Chart No. 3, Washington, 1922.
-----------. Laws Relating to “ Mothers’ Pensions ” in the United States, Canada,
Denmark, and New Zealand.1 B y Laura A . Thompson.
Publication No.
63. Washington, 1919.
•-------—
Addenda to Laws Relating to “ Mothers’ Pensions,” 1920-1923. (In
press.)
-----------. Principles o f Legislation Providing Aid for Dependent Children in
Their Own Homes.
July 18, 1922.
Mimeographed.
(In Social Service
Division.)
-----------. Summaries of “ Mothers’ Pensions ” Laws. August, 1922.
Mimeo
graphed. (In Social Service Division.)

Ophthalmia neonatorum.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department o f Labor. Summary of State laws and
rulings relating to the prevention o f blindness from babies’ sore eyes. In
cluded in A Tabular Statement of Infant-W elfare W ork by Public and
Private Agencies in the United States, pp. 106-111.
Publication No. 16.
Washington, 1916.
U. S. Public Health Service. Ophthalmia Neonatorum. An analysis of the
laws and regulations relating thereto in force in the United States, October,
1911, by J. W . Kerr. Bulletin No. 49.
Summary of State Laws and Rulings Relating to the Prevention of Blindness
from Babies’ Sore Eyes.
Revised to January, 1922.
Publication No. 9.
National Committee for the Prevention o f Blindness, 130 East Twenty-second
Street, New York.

Physically handicapped children.
See Education, Bureau of Education, U. S. Department o f the Interior, for
compilations of State laws relating to the education o f physically handi
capped children.
Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce. The Blind in the
United States, 1910— Part 4. Summary o f State laws relative to the blind
and the prevention of blindness. Prepared in the Bureau of the Census by
Louis C. Taylor and Abraham Shefferman. Washington, 1919.
Legislation includes Session Laws of 1916.

Model Legislation for Saving Sight (outline). National Committee for the
Prevention of Blindness, 130 East Twenty-second Street, New York, 1920.
(Prepared for Cleveland Hospital Health Survey.)
-----------. Cleveland Hospital Health Survey, Part 2, pp. 195-196. Cleveland
Hospital Council, 308 Ainsfield Building, Cleveland, Ohio.
The B lind; their condition and the work being done for them in the United
States, by Harry Best. The Macmillan Co., New York, 1919.
Inclu des: Legal treatment o f the blind, pp. 2 3 - 4 4 ; present extent of measures
designed to check ophthalmia neonatorum, pp. 1 6 7 -1 7 2 ; public commissions for the
«blind, pp. 6 7 9 -6 9 2 .
» Out of print.

Available in libraries.

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CO M P IL A T IO N S A N D S U M M A R IE S OF L A W S .

119

Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce. D eaf Mutes in the
United States. Analysis of the Census of 1910 with a summary of State laws
relative to the deaf as o f Jan. 1, 1918. Prepared in the Bureau of the
Census by Louis C. Taylor and Abraham Shefferman. Washington, 1919.
The D e a f; their position in society and the provision for their education in
the United States, by Harry Best. Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, 1914.
Includes: Treatment of the deaf by the S ta te ; Discussion o f State legislation;
Citations of State laws, pp. 6 3 - 7 4 ; Provision for education by S ta te s ; Citation of
State laws, pp. 2 0 9 -2 4 1 .

A compilation of State laws relating to provisions for crippled children, by
Douglas C. McMurtrie. American Journal of Care for Cripples, Yol. 5, No.
2, pp. 380-395. New York, 1917.

Protection against neglect and cruelty.
See Age o f Consent.
Legislation for the Protection of Animals and Children. Edited by Samuel
McCune Lindsay. Bulletin of Social Legislation of the Henry Bergh Foun
dation for the Promotion o f Humane Education, No. 2.
bia University, New York.

(May, 1914.)

Colum

Protective social measures.
Curfew : Texts of the ordinances of some o f the cities o f the United States,
by Lucius C. Cannon. St. Louis Public Library. Monthly Bulletin, Municipal
Reference Library, No. 17, August, 1919, pp. 233-253.
The Regulation o f Public Dance Halls, Municipal Legislation, by Andrew L.
Bostwick, St. Louis Public Library, Municipal Reference Branch. St. Louis
Public Library Monthly Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 12, No. 8, 1914.
Motion Pictures: L aw s, Ordinances, and Regulations on Censorship, Minors,
and Other Related Subjects, by Lucius H. Cannpn. St. Louis Public Library,
1920.
Motion Pictures: A study in social legislation, by Donald Ramsay Young.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1922.
Inclu des: Federal legislation, pp. 53—6 0 ; Local legislation— municipal regulation,
pp. 60—6 3 ; State Boards of Censorship, pp. 6 4 -8 1 .

Commercial-recreation legislation. Compiled by Julia Schoenfeld. The Play
ground (Publication of the Playground and Recreation Association of
Am erica), Yol. 7, No. 12 (March, 1914), pp. 461-481.
Includes: Recommendations for constructive legislation for the control of dance
halls, moving-picture theaters, bowling alleys, and pool room s; and model ordinances
for regulating and licensing public dance halls, bowling alleys, and pool rooms.

Public health.
U. S. Public Health Service. State Laws hnd Regulations Pertaining to Pub
lic Health Adopted During the Year 1916. Reprint No. 406, 1918. Public
Health Reports.
Adopted During the Year 1917. Supplement No. 37, 1920.
Adopted During the Year 1918. Supplement No. 38, 1920.
(Later laws are given in monthly issues of Public Health Reports.) *,
-----------. Court Decisions Pertaining to Public Health. Previous to 1916. Re
print No. 342, 1916. Public Health Reports.
1916. Reprint No. 410, 1916.
(Later court decisions are given in monthly issues of Public Health Re
ports.)

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120

STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

U. S. Public Health Service. Organization, Powers, and Duties of Health Au
thorities. An analysis of the laws and regulations pertaining thereto in force
in the United States, by J. W . Kerr and A. A. Moll, August, 1912. Bulletin
No. 54.
A Review of State Laws on Public Health Nursing, by James A. Tobey.
The Public Health Nurse, Voi. 15 (April, 1923), pp. 179-187.
Includes a suggested model law.

State supervision of charities.
State Supervision and Administration of Charitable, Penal, and Correctional
Institutions of the States of the United States, by Martha Block. Legisla
tive Reference Library. Wisconsin (13 pp. photostat), 1922.
Summaries of State Laws Relating Largely to Centralized State Authority or
Supervision over Public and Private Benevolent, Penal, and Correctional In
stitutions. Compiled by the Civic Federation of Dallas. Texas Conference
of Social Welfare, Dallas, Texas, 1918.
State Supervision and Administration of Charities, by Frederick Howland
Guild. Indiana University ’ Studies, Voi. 3, November, 1916, Study No. 33.
Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce. Summary of State
Laws Relating to the Dependent Classes, 1913. Washington, 1914.

Vagrancy.
Laws of the Various States Relating to Vagrancy. Revised edition.
State Library, Legislative Reference Department, Lansing, 1916.

Michigan

Includes laws relating to vagrant children.

Below are sources of information on legislation relating to certain
other subjects affecting children, which have been considered by
various commissions revising child-welfare laws.
E ugenics: Eugenics Record Office, Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, N. Y.
Insane: U. S. Department o f Commerce, Bureau of the Census; National Com
mittee for Mental Hygiene, 370 Seventh Avenue, New Y o rk ; National Con
ference "o f Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.— Secretary, George G.
Bogert, Dean, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, New York.
Labor: Minimum wage, workman’s compensation, women in industry; U. S.
Department of Labor— Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Women’s Bureau;
National .Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State L a w s; American
Association for Labor Legislation, 131 East Twenty-third Street, New York.
Public Protection o f M aternity and In fa n cy: U. S. Department of Labor, Chil
dren’s Bureau.

Social H yg ien e: U. S. 'Public Health Service; U. S. Interdepartmental Social
Hygiene Board

(discontinued in 1922) ; American Social-Hygiene Associa

tion, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York.
Sterilization: American Social-Hygiene Association; Psychopathic Laboratory
of the Municipal Court of Chicago (Eugenical Sterilization in the United
States, by H . H. Laughlin) ; The Bailey and Babette Gatzert Foundation
for Child Welfare, University of Washington, Seattle.
Venereal D iseases: U, S, Public Health Service; American Social-Hygiene Asso

ciation,

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COMPILATIONS AND SUMMARIES OF STATE LA W S R ELAT
ING TO “ CHILDREN IN NEED OF SPECIAL CARE .” 1
Alabama.

Alabama Childhood. Official Bulletin of the State Child-Welfare Department
of Alabama. April-May-June, 1921.
Contains laws o f Alabama relating to child welfare and rulés and regulations gov
erning institutions.
-

(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
California.

A Guide to California Laws Pertaining to Charities and Corrections. Prepared
by the State board of charities and corrections, San Francisco. May, 1916.
California Laws and Rules of the State Board of Control Relating to State Aid
for Orphans, Half Orphans, Abandoned Children, and Foundlings. Issued by
the Board of Control, July, 1919. Sacramento.
California Laws of Interest to Women and Children, 1917. Compiled by the
California State Library, Sacramento.
Ninth Biennial Report of the State Board of Charities and Corrections of the
State of California, from July 1,1918, to June 30,1920. Sacramento, 1922.
Law s affecting the work o f the board, pp. 1 4 0 -1 4 7 ; Index of laws, pp. 1 4 8 -1 4 9 .
Colorado^

The State Board of Charities and Corrections.

Bulletin No. 1. Denver, 1920.

Law s governing the State board of charities and corrections; summary of digest
o f laws relating to social welfare.

Seventh and Eighth Biennial Reports of the Colorado State Bureau of Child
and Animal Protection, December 1, 1912, to November 30, 1916. Denver,
1917.
Contains references to laws of Colorado for the prevention of wrongs to children.

(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
Connecticut.

Statutes and Public Acts Relating to The Connecticut School for Boys, The
Connecticut Industrial School for Girls, County Temporary Homes for
Dependent and Neglected Children, Other Measures Concerning Delinquent,
Defective, and Dependent Children, State and Town Poor, The State Board
of Charities. Revised October, 1914. Public Document No. 28, Special No. 2.
The Child and the Law in Connecticut. Compiled by Mary Selina Foote.
Edited by The Connecticut Child-Welfare Association. 1923.
(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
Georgia.

The Georgia Child Placing Law. Text and full explanation of the act regulat
ing placement of children in foster homes. State Department of Public
Welfare. Atlanta, 1922.
First Annual Report of the State Board of Public Welfare. Atlanta, 1920.
Contains digést of child welfare laws of Georgia, pp. 4 0 6 -4 2 1 .
1 Many o f these publications are not available except in libraries.

52668°— 24----- 9

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122

STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-W ELFARE LAW S.

“ In Loco Parentis.” The Work of the Juvenile Court in Saving Georgia’s
Wards from Lives of Poverty and Crime. A handbook for juvenile-court
judges, advisory boards, probation officers, and civic organizations. State
Department of Public Welfare. Atlanta, 1922.
Illinois.
Manual of Laws Affecting Women and Children. Issued by the Juvenile
Protective Association of Chicago. 1922.
General Information and Laws Effective July 1,1917. Compiled by Edward J.
Brundage. Illinois Department of Public Welfare, Springfield, 1918.
The Charity, Penal, Correctional, and Social Statutes of Illinois. Compiled
by the State Charities Commission to January 1, 1917. Springfield, 1917.
(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
Indiana.
Digest of the Laws of Indiana of Special Application to Women and Children.
Legislative Reference Department, Indiana State Library. Bulletin No. 5.
Indianapolis, Ind., 1912.
State of Indiana Laws Concerning Children. Compiled by the Board of State
Charities, March 1, 1914.
(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
Iowa.
Child Legislation in Iowa, by Frank E. Horack. Studies in Child Welfare,
University of Iowa Studies, Yol. 1, No. 6. Iowa City, 1921.Social Legislation in Iowa, by J. E. Briggs. The State Historical Society of
Iowa. Iowa City, 1914.
Iowa Child-Welfare Legislation Measured by Federal Children’s Bureau Stand
ards, by A. lone Bliss. Studies in Child Welfare, University of Iowa Studies,
Yol. 2, No. 3, Iowa City. December, 1922.
Maine.
Maine Charities and Corrections. Laws of the State of Maine of Special In
terest to Officials of Charity and Correction, Board of Mothers’ Aid and
Children’s Guardians, Overseers of the Poor, Charitable Hospitals, Children’s
Homes, Child-Welfare Agencies, etc. July, 1919. Supplement to Serial No.
21. Quarterly Bulletin of the Maine Department of Charities and Correc
tions.
Massachusetts.
A Manual of Laws Relating to the Department of Public Welfare of Massa
chusetts, July 1, 1922. Boston.
Probation Manual. The Commission on Probation. Boston, July, 1916.
Contains laws relating to probation, and Massachusetts decisions.

Michigan.
Michigan State Board of Corrections and Charities, Twenty-fifth Biennial Re
port, 1919-1920.
C o n tain s: A cts relating to m aternity hospitals, child caring and placing, boarding
homes, Juvenile courts ; report o f the Michigan Child-W elfare Commission ; summary o f
conclusions, and recommendations.

State of Michigan Laws Relating to Juveniles. Compiled under the supervision
of Coleman C. Vaughan, Secretary of State. Lansing, 1916.
Laws of Michigan Relating to Women. Michigan State Library, LegislativeReference Department. Lansing, Mich., 1916.

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COMPILATIONS AND SUMMARIES OF LAWS.

123

Minnesota.
Compilation of the Laws of Minnesota Relating to Children, 1921. Compiled
by William Hodson. Published by the State Board of Control, St Paul.
( See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
Missouri.

(See Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
Nebraska.
Session Laws (1919) on maternity homes, placing dependent and delinquent
children, and child welfare. Child-Welfare Bureau, Department of Public
Welfare, State of Nebraska. Lincoln, 1919.
(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)
New Hampshire.
Laws relating to the State board of charities and correction. Fourteenth
Biennial Report of the New Hampshire State Board of Charities and Cor
rection, for the Biennial Period Ending August 31, 1922, pp. £1-37.
New Jersey.
Law Creating a State Board of Control of Institutions and Agencies and a
Department of Institutions and Agencies. Chapter 147, Laws of 1918, and
amendments and. supplements, 1919.
fc. Guide to the Laws of New Jersey Relating to Children. The New Jersey
Child Labor and Welfare Committee, 50 Munn Avenue, South, East Orange,
N. J. (1917?)
New York.
State Board of Charities of the State of New York. Fiftieth Annual Report,
1916. Yol. III. Manual of Laws and Rules of the Board. Albany, 1917.
( Succeeding annual reports of State board include social legislation passed
each year—1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921.)
Manual for Probation Officers in New York State. Second edition, revised,
1918. The State Probation Commission, Albany, 1918.
Second Report of the New York State Commission to Examine Laws Relating
to Child Welfare, Part I I : Manual of Child-Welfare Laws. April 30, 1923.
North Carolina.
The Bulletin of the North Carolina State Board of Charities and Public Wel
fare, Third Quarter—July-September, 1921. Raleigh, N. C.
Laws Governing Public-W elfare W o r k ; State Board of Charities and Public W elfare,
County Boards of Charities and Public W elfare, County Superintendent of Public W el
fare ; Law s and Agencies for the Protection o f Children; Compulsory School Attendance
and Child Labor Law.

The Bulletin of the North Carolina State Board of Charities and ’‘Public Wel
fare: Laws governing public-welfare work. Yol. 3 (January-March, 1920).
Law s and F acts Relating to the W ork o f the North Carolina State Board of Chari
ties and Public W elfare. Raleigh, 1917.

Ohio.

The Ohio Bulletin of Charities and Correction—Laws of Ohio Relating to
Benevolent and Correctional Institutions, Boards and Officers, and to Kindred
Subjects. Ohio Board of State Charities. Columbus, March, 1920.
Children’s Code—1913. An act; a bill to amend and supplement sections 1349,
1350, etc., * * * of the General Code * * * 1913. Senate bill No. 18.
Social Legislation Enacted by the Eighty-Second General Assembly of Ohio.
Ohio Institute for Public Efficiency, Columbus, April, 1917.
(See also Reports and Articles Relating to Work of Commissions.)

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STATE

C O M M I S S I O N S F O R C H I L D -W E L F A R E

LAW S.

Oklahoma.

Quarterly Bulletin, Department of Charities and Corrections. July, 1920. In
cludes summaries of laws relating to children.
Oregon.

Child Welfare Laws of the State of Oregon. Published by the State ChildWelfare Commission of Oregon. Portland, 1922.
Pennsylvania.

A Compilation of the Laws Relating to the Board of Public Charities, with
Important Provisions of the Laws Relating to the Several State Institutions
and the Rules and Regulations of the Committee on Lunacy. Indexed. Pre
pared by John H. Fertig and Frank M. Hunter, under the direction of James
N. Moore, director. Legislative-Reference Bureau, Harrisburg, Pa., 1916.
Handbook of Social Laws of Pennsylvania. Compiled and edited by Ward
Bonsall. The Associated Charities of Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia So
ciety for Organizing Charity. 1914.
Rhode Island.

Codification of Rhode Island Laws Relating to Children, by Harold S. Bucklin,
Ph. D., Dept, of Social and Political Science, Brown University. Published
by the Rhode Island Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teachers’ Associations.
1922.
Is Rhode Island a Thoughtful Father to Its Little Children? Discussion of
laws relating to the health of babies and of children under school age. Com
piled under the direction of Elizabeth M. Gardiner, M. D. Providence, 1920.
South Carolina.

The Laws of South Carolina Relating to: (I) The Delinquent Classes; (II) the
Dependent Classes. Based upon the State Constitution, 1895, the Code of
1912, Volumes I and II, and the Acts of 1912-1916, inclusive. Compiled and
summarized by Albert S. Johnstone. The State Board of Charities and Cor
rections, Columbia, S. C., 1916. The Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. II (June, 1916).
South Dakota.

Bulletin of the State Child-Welfare Commission of South Dakota. Pierre, 1923.
Tennessee.

Biennial Report of the Board of State Charities. Nashville, 1923. Child Wel
fare Law, Public Acts of 1917, pp. 33-40.
Texas.

The Laws of Texas Relating to Labor, Children, Education, Health and Sanita
tion, Marriage and Divorce, Rights of Married Women, Delinquency, De
pendency and Juvenile Courts, State Institutions, Penitentiaries and Jails,
Gambling and Disorderly Houses, Public Morals, Elections. Compiled and
published by The Civic Federation of Dallas. 1921.
Utah.

Laws of Utah Relating to Juvenile Courts and Laws Governing the Care,
Management, Detention, and Disposition of Dependent, Incorrigible, and
Unruly Children, etc. Published by authority of The Juvenile Court Com
mission, Salt Lake City, 1913.
Vermont.

Handbook of the Board of Charities and Probation.
pelier, 1921.

State of Vermont. Mont

Contains probation laws and child-care and poor-relief laws.

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COMPILATIONS AND SUMMARIES OF LAWS.

125

Virginia.

Juvenile and Welfare Laws as Amended by the General Assembly of Virginia,
1922. Issued by the State Board of Public Welfare, Richmond, Va.
Probation Manual with Analysis of the Probation Laws of Virginia. The State
Board of Charities and Corrections, Richmond, 1918.
—
West Virginia.

A Guide to the Laws of West Virginia Affecting Child Welfare. West Virginia
State Conference of Charities and Correction. L. M. Briston, chairman of
committee. Morgantown.
Includes legislation through 1917.

Wisconsin.

Laws of Wisconsin Relating to Public Charities. Powers and Duties of
Juvenile Courts and Matters Pertaining to the State Board of Control of
Reformatory, Charitable, and Penal Institutions. Compiled by the State
Board of Control of Wisconsin. Madison, 1920.
Statutes Relating to the Protection, Reformation, and Welfare of Children.
Compilation by Edith Foster, Juvenile Protective Association, Milwaukee.
Printed by the legislature of 1919, Madison.
Wyoming.

Biennial Report of the State Board of Charities and Reform of the State of
Wyoming, 1921-1922. Contains laws now in force, pp. 5-8.
Wyoming Laws for the Protection of Children and Animals. 1920. The
Wyoming Humane Society and State Board of Child and Animal Protection,
State Capitol, Cheyenne.

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND LISTS OF REFERENCES ON CHILD
W ELFARE.
Special lists.

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. List of Bureau Publications.
Issued at intervals.
National Conference of Social Work [prior to 1917, National Conference of
Charities and Correction]. Proceedings published annually by the conference,
1874 to date.
---------v A Guide to the Study of Charities and Correction, by means of the
proceedings of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, using
thirty-four volumes, 1874-1907. Compiled by Alexander Johnson. 1908.
Brought to date by the indexes to subsequent volumes.

Russell Sage Foundation. Catalogue of Publications, issued annually. (Lists
publications of all departments of the foundation.) Russell Sage Foundation,
180 East Twenty-second Street, New York.
—------. Library. The Bulletin. A bibliographical bulletin of selected refer
ences on social subjects, issued bimonthly.
---------. Social Workers’ Guide to the Serial Publications of Representative
Social Agencies, by E. M. Rushmore. 1921.
U. S. Library of Congress. Monthly Check List of State Publications.
U. S. Superintendent of Documents. Monthly Catalogue of United States
Public Documents. (Lists current publications of the various Government
departments. Index issued at the end of each fiscal year.)
---------■. Price Lists: Government and other publications on special subjects
for sale by the Superintendent of Documents. Issued at irregular intervals.
General child welfare.

Bascom, Elva L., and Mendenhall, Dorothy Reed, M. D .: Child Welfare: S&
lected list of books and pamphlets.
Third edition, 1920. American Medi
cal Association, 535 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111.
Includes references o n : Birth registration; Maternal and infant m o rta lity ; Rec
reation and physical train in g; Children in need of special c a re ; Children in in dustry;
Public h e a lth ; School hygiene.

Federal Board for Vocational Education. Child Care and Child Welfare.
Outlines for Study. Prepared by the Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department
of Labor, in cooperation with the Federal Board for Vocational Education.
Bulletin No. 65. Home Economics Series No. 5. Issued by the Federal
Board for Vocational Education. Washington, 1921.
Includes reading references under to p ic s: Health problems of mother and in fa n t;
Development, general hygiene, and feeding o f the c h ild ; Problems related to safe
guarding the health o f the c h ild ; Child mentality and m anagem ent; R ecreation;
Child la b o r; Children in need of special care.

Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America. A Bibliography of Social
Service. Prepared by Ernest F. Johnson. New York City. July, 1918.
Mangold, George B .: Problems of Child Welfare. The Macmillan Co., New
York, 1914.
Bibliography, pp. 4 9 3 -6 1 1 .

---------. Child Problems.

The Macmillan Co., New York, 1914.

Selected bibliography, pp. 3 6 4 -3 7 4 .

126

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127

BIBLIOGRAPHIES.

Munro, William Bennett: Bibliography of Municipal Government in the
United States. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1915.
Public health and hygiene, pp. 2 4 4 -2 6 1 ; Probation syste m ; Juvenile courts, pp.
308—3 1 2 ; Education and general betterment, pp. 3 4 0 -3 9 0 .

Young Men’s Christian Association. Classified Bibliography on Boy Life and
Organized Work with Boys, by Ronald Tuttle Yeal and others. Associa
tion Press, 347 Madison Avenue, New York, 1919.
Child labor.

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. List of References on Child
Labor. Compiled under the direction of H. H. B. Meyer, with the assistance
of Laura A. Thompson. Publication No. 18, Washington, 1916.
Includes : Bibliographies— United States and general; foreign countries ; industries ;
educational aspects; juvenile occupations and employment bureaus; health of the
working child.

---------. Child Labor, Separate No. 4, from Child Care and Child Welfare,
Outlines for Study, prepared in cooperation with The Federal Board for
Vocational Education. Publication No. 93. Revised to 1924. (In press.)
Includes reading references under top ics: History of the movement for the pro
hibition and regulation of child la b o r; Present extent and distribution of child labor
in the United S ta te s ; The causes, social cost, and prevention of child la b o r; Present
legal status of child labor in the United States (Jan. 1, 1 9 2 3 ) ; Vocational educa
tion and guidance in the United S ta te s; Minimum standards for children entering
employment.

Clopper, Edward N .: Child Labor in the City Streets.
New York, 1912.

The Macmillan Co.,

Bibliography, pp. 2 4 5 -2 5 4 .

U. S. Superintendent of Documents: Labor, child labor, cost of living, food
control, employers’ liability insurance; list of publications relating to the
above subjects for sale by the Superintendent of Documents. Publication
No. 38, Washington, 1922.
County boards of public welfare.

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. County Organization for
Child Care and Protection. Publication No. 107. Washington, 1922.
L ist of references on county organizations for child welfare or public welfare, pp.
1 6 9 -1 7 3 .

McClenahan, B. A .: Organizing the Community; a review of practical princi
ples. The Century Co., New York, 1922.
Selected bibliography, pp. 2 4 5 -2 5 1 .

Dependent children.

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Children in Need of Special
Care, Separate No. 5 from Child Care and Child Welfare, Outlines for Study,
prepared in cooperation with The Federal Board for Vocational Education.
Publication No. 94. Washington, 1921.
Includes reading references under top ics: Causes and prevention of child depend
ency and n eglect; Causes and prevention of juvenile delinquency; Care of dependent,
neglected, and delinquent children; Children handicapped physically and m en tally;
Community organization for child-helping work.

—-------. Foster-Home Care for Dependent Children.

(In press.)

Includes list o f references, United States and foreign.

Child Welfare League of America. Bulletin, weekly publication of the league.
130 East Twenty-second Street, New York.
Includes a bibliography of current publications on child welfare.

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128

STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Russell Sage Foundation, Department of Child Helping. List of pamphlets
issued by the department. Included in annual Catalogue of Publications.
Russell Sage Foundation, New York.
---------. Round Table Plan for Trustees of Institutions for Dependent Children,
by C. Spencer Richardson. Department of Child Helping. 1916.
Bibliography on institutional care o f children, pp. 1 4 -1 5 .

• Child-Placing in Families; a manual for students and social workers.
By W. H. Slingerland. 1919.
Selected bibliography, pp. 2 4 4 -2 4 6 .

Warner, Amos G.: American Charities. Revised by Mary Roberts Coolidge.
Third Edition. Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, 1919.
Bibliography, pp. 4 9 1 -5 1 5 .

Education.

Bureau of Education, U. S. Department of the Interior. Monthly Record of
Current Educational Publications. Compiled by the library division.
> Library leaflets. - (1919-1922.) Lists of references on special subjects
relating to education.
*-------- • Bibliography of Exceptional Children and their Education. By Arthur
MacDonald. Bulletin, 1912, No. 32, Whole No. 506. Washington, 1913.
. Compulsory School Attendance. Bulletin, 1914, No. 2, Whole No. 573.
Washington, 1914.
Bibliography of compulsory education in the United States, pp. 1 3 1 -1 3 4 .

National Education Association of the United States. Journal of Proceedings
and Addresses. 1858.
. Index by authors, titles, and subjects to the publications of the National
Education Association for its first fifty years, 1857-1906. Compiled by Martha
Furber Nelson. The Association, 1907.
Brought to date by indexes to subsequent volumes.

F eeble-mindedness.

Barr, Martin W., M. D.: Mental Defectives; their history, treatment, and
training. P. Blakiston’s Son and Co., Philadelphia, 1913.
Bibliography, pp. 3 3 8 -3 4 7 .

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. The Social Significance of
Feeble-mindedness. A bibliography of published reports of investigations in
the United States, with abstracts of findings and conclusions. (In prepa
ration.)
Crafts, L. W .: A bibliography on the relations of crime and feeble-mindedness.
Journal of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology. Vol.
7, November, 1916, pp. 544-554.
------- -. Bibliography of Feeble-Mindedness in its Social Aspects. Journal
of Psycho-Asthenics, Monograph Supplements. Yol. i, No. 3,' March, 1917.
Minnesota School for Feeble-Minded and Colony for Epileptics, Faribault,
Minn.
Goddard, Henry Herbert: Feeble-Mindedness; its causes and consequences.
The Macmillan Co., New York, 1914.
Selected bibliography, pp. 5 9 1 -5 9 2 .

Groszmann, Maximilian P. E.; The Exceptional Child.
Sons. New York, 1917.
Bibliography, pp. 7 1 9 -7 4 6 .

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Charles Scribner’s

129

BIBLIOGRAPHIES.

Kelley, Truman Lee: Mental Aspects of Delinquency.
Bulletin No. 1713, Mar. 1, 1917.

University of Texas

Annotated bibliography, pp. 8 5 -1 2 3 .

New York (State). Report of the State Commission to Investigate Provision
for the Mentally Deficient. (Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 272 of
the Laws of 1914.) Transmitted to the legislature Feb. 15, 1915. Albany,
1915.
Bibliography of Eugenics and Related Subjects. Prepared by the bureau o f analysis
and investigation of the State board of charities, pp. 5 1 3 -6 1 6 .

Russell Sage Foundation Library. Feeble-Mindedness: A selected bibli
ography. Annotations by I. Kaplan. Bulletin No. 15, February, 1916.
Russell Sage Foundation, New York.
Backward Children. A selected bibliography. Bulletin No. 57, Feb
ruary, 1923.
Health.
American Child Health Association. Mother and Child, monthly publication
of the association. 532 Seventeenth St., Washington, D. C.
Each issue includes a bibliography o f current publications on child health.

Bureau of Education, U. S. Department of the Interior. Bibliography of Med
ical Inspection and Health Supervision. Bulletin, 1913, No. 16. Washing
ton, 1913.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. The Hygiene of Maternity and
Childhood, Separate No. 1, from Child Care and Child Welfare, Outlines for
Study, prepared in cooperation with The Federal Board for Vocational Edu
cation. Publication No. 90. Washington, 1921.
Includes reading references under top ics: Health problems o f mother and in fa n t;
the development, general hygiene, and feeding o f the c h ild ; problems related to safe
guarding the health of the child.

National Child Welfare Association. Childhood and Health. National Child
Welfare Exhibit Association, Inc., 70 Fifth Ave., New York, 1917.
Books on the physical care of the child, pp. 2 8 -3 0 .

National Organization for Public Health Nursing. Reading lists on organi
zation, administration, and development of public-health nursing, child
welfare, school welfare, school nursing and health teaching, nutrition and
school lunches, dental hygiene, community hygiene and sanitation, tuber
culosis, industrial welfare, venereal disease, problems of sex hygiene, health
centers, occupational therapy. Compiled by A. M. Carr and Florence Brad
ley. The Library Department, National Organization for Public Health
Nursing, 156 Fifth Ave., New York, 1920.
New York State Library: Books on Health as Related to the School Child.
Second Edition, revised. University of the State o f New York. Bibliogra
phy Bulletin No. 69, March, 1921.
Russell Sage Foundation Library. School Nurse: A selected bibliography.
Compiled with the cooperation of Edward Brown, Bureau of Welfare of
School Children, Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. Bul
letin No. 29, December, 1916. New York City.
-------- . Tuberculosis : A selected bibliography. Selection and annotations by
Dr. Philip P. Jacobs, National Association for the Study and Prevention of
Tuberculosis. Bulletin No. 18, August, 1916.
U. S. Public Health Service. Bibliography of Health Legislation. Prepared
by J. A. Tobey. Public Health Reports, No. 36, pp. 1936-1943. Aug. 12,1921.

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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

Illegitimacy.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Illegitimacy as a Child-Welfare
Problem, Part 1, by Emma O. Lundberg and Katharine F. Lenroot. Publica
tion No. 66. Washington, 1920.
Bibliographical material, pp. 57—95.

Mangold, George B .: Children Born Out of Wedlock, a Sociological Study of
Illegitimacy with Particular Reference to the United States. The University
of Missouri Studies. Vol. 3, No. 3. Columbia, Mo., 1921.
Selected bibliography, pp. 196—201.

Juvenile delinquency, juvenile courts, and probation.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. List of References on Juvenile
Courts and Probation in the United States, and Selected List of Foreign
References. Publication No. 124. Washington, 1923.
---------. Bibliographical Material on Juvenile Delinquency. (In preparation.)
---------. Bibliography on Domestic-Relations Courts and Related Subjects. (In
preparation.)
Flexner, Bernard, and Baldwin, Roger N .: Juvenile Courts and Probation.
The Century Co., New York, 1914.
Selected references, pp. 2 9 2 -2 9 8 .

Healy, William, M. D. The Individual Delinquent; a textbook of diagnosis and
prognosis for all concerned in understanding offenders. Little, Brown and
Co., Boston, 1915.
Bibliography, pp. 7 9 1 -8 0 8 .

New York State Probation Commission. Selected bibliography on probation
and juvenile courts. Reports: 1907, pp. 189-214; 1908, pp. 135-147; 1909,
pp. 207-212.
A n index to publications issued by the commission is published in the annual re
ports for succeeding years.

Mental hygiene.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Child Mentality and Manage
ment. Separate No. 2, from Child Care and Child Welfare, Outlines for
Study, prepared by the Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, in
cooperation with The Federal Board for Vocational Education. Publication
No. 91. Washington, 1921.
Includes reading references under topics: Training and management o f the infant
and preschool c h ild ; Training and management of the school child and adolescent.

National Committee for Mental Hygiene. Mental Hygiene, quarterly publica
tion of the committee; 370 Seventh Ave., New York.
Each issue includes a current bibliography of American and foreign publications on
mental hygiene and related subjects.

Mothers’ pensions.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Laws Relating to “ Mothers’
Pensions ” in the United States, Canada, Denmark, and New Zealand. Com
piled by Laura A. Thompson. Publication No. 63. Washington, 1919.
L ist of references on mothers’ pensions, pp. 2 6 7 -3 1 6 .

------- -. List of Reports of Agencies Administering Public Aid to Children in
Their Own Homes. (In preparation.)

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131

Physically handicapped children.
Best, Harry: The Blind: Their condition and the work being done for them
in the United States. The Macmillan Co., New York, 1919.
Lists o f publications and legal references relating to provision for the blind are
given in footnotes.

---------. The Deaf: Their position in society and the provision for their educa
tion in the United States. Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, 1914.
L ists o f . publications and legal references relating to provision for the deaf are
given in footnotes.

Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Bibliography of the Care and
Education of Crippled Children. (In preparation.)
Hare, Helen: Handicapped Children. Indiana University Studies, vol. 4,
June, 1919. Study No. 41. Social Service Department, Indiana University,
Bloomington, 1919.
Bibliography, pp. 6 1 -6 4 .

McMurtrie, Douglas C.: Bibliography of the Education and Care of Crippled
Children; A manual and guide to the literature relating to cripples, together
with an analytical index. 3505 Broadway, New York.
■-------- • Index Catalogue of a Library on the Care and Education of Crippled
Children. American Journal of Care for Cripples: Vol. 3 (December, 1916),
pp. 201-254; Vol. 4 (March, 1917), pp. 58-63; Yol. 4 (June, 1917), pp. 310344; Vol. 5 (December, 1917), pp. 367-379. 3505 Broadway, New York.
Recreation.
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Play and Recreation. Sepa
rate No. 3, from Child Care and Child Welfare, Outlines for Study, prepared
in cooperation with The Federal Board for Vocational Education. Publica
tion No. 92. Washington, 1921.
Includes reading references under topics.

Russell Sage Foftndation: Sources of Information on Play and Recreation,
by Howard K. Knight and Marguerita P. Williams. Revised to 1920.
Social hygiene.
American Social Hygiene Association: Social Hygiene Publications. A cata
logue of the association’s pamphlets and reprints. Publication No. 242.
370 Seventh Avenue, New York.
---------. What to Read on Social Hygiene. An annotated list of approved books.
Publication No. 263. 1921.
U. S. Public Health Service. List of Publications, issued annually as pamphlets
of the miscellaneous series.
Includes lists o f reprints and supplements on social hygiene.

Social surveys.
Child Welfare Surveys and Bibliography. The State University of Iowa.
Extension Division Bulletin No. 16, New Series No. I ll, Second Edition,
1916.
Russell Sage Foundation, Department of Surveys and Exhibits: Actiyities and
Publications. Publication No. 20.
---------. The Social Survey: A bibliography. Compiled by Zenas L. Potter.
Bulletin No. 14, December, 1915.

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SOME OF THE NATIONAL AGENCIES AND FEDERAL
BUREAUS WHOSE ACTIVITIES RELATE TO CHILDW ELFARE LEGISLATION.
American Association for Labor Legislation, 131 East Twenty-third Street,
New York City.
American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf. Volta
Bureau, 1601 Thirty-fifth Street NW., Washington, D. C.
American Bar Association, 38 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, 111.
American Child Health Association, 532 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington,
D. C.; 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City.
American National Red Cross, Seventeenth and D Streets NW., Washington,
D. C.
American Social Hygiene Association (Inc.), 370 Seventh Avenue, New York
City.
Boys’ Club Federation, 110 West Fortieth Street, New York City.
Child Welfare League of America, 130 East Twenty-second Street, New York
City.
Eugenics Record Office, Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.
General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Division of Child Welfare, 1734 N
Street NW., Washington, D. C.
National Child Health Council, 532 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington, D. C.
National Child Labor Committee, 105 East Twenty-second ¿Street, New York
City.
National Child Welfare Association (Inc.) (exhibit material), 70 Fifth Avenue,
New York City.
National Committee for Mental Hygiene, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City.
National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, 130 East Twenty-second
Street, New York City.
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Secretary,
George G. Bogert, Dean, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, N. Y.
National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher Associations, 1201 Sixteenth
Street NW., Washington, D. C.
National Consumers’ League, 44 East Twenty-third Street, New York City.
National Education Association of the United States, 1201 Sixteenth Street
NW., Washington, D. C.
National Health Council, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City.
National League of Compulsory Education Officials, 133 East Grand River
Avenue, Detroit, Mich.
National League of Women Voters, Child-Welfare Committee, 532 Seventeenth
Street NW., Washington, D. C.
National Organization for Public Health Nursing, 370 Seventh Avenue, New
York City.
National Probation Association, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City.
National Society for Crippled Children, Elyria, Ohio.
National Tuberculosis Association, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City.
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National Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Child-Welfare Department,
1730 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, 111.
Playground and Recreation Association of America, 1 Madison Avenue, New
York City.
Russell Sage Foundation, 130 East Twenty-second Street, New York City. De
partment of Child Helping, Division of Child-Welfare Legislation; Depart
ment of Recreation; Department of Surveys and Exhibits.
U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education.
U. S. Department of Labor, Children’s Bureau.
U. S. Treasury Department, U. S. Public Health Service.

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APPENDIX.
TEXT OF LAWS CREATING STATE COMMISSIONS
FOR THE STUDY AND REVISION OF
CHILD-W ELFARE LAWS

135

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APPENDIX.— T E XT OF LAW S CREATING STATE COMMIS
SIONS FOR THE STUDY AND REVISION OF CHILDW ELFARE LAW S.
CONNECTICUT.
(Special laws, 1919, ch. 285 .)

AN ACT CREATING A COMMISSION ON CHILD WELFARE.
B e it enacted by the senate and house o f representatives in general assembly
convened:
S e c t i o n 1. The governor shall, on or before July 1, 1919, appoint a com
mission, consisting of not less than 12 nor more than 15 persons, to study and
investigate the laws, conditions, and practice of this and other States and
countries relating to dependent, neglected, defective, and delinquent children
and the entire question of child welfare, and report the results of its investiga
tion to the next session of the general assembly. Said commission shall embody
in^ its report a proposed code of laws, which shall include a revision of the
provisions of the general statutes relating to children, with such changes and
additions as it may deem advisable.
S e c . 2. Said commission shall serve without pay, but may incur such ex
penses as shall be authorized or approved by the board of control, which shall
be paid out of the State treasury upon the order of the comptroller.
Enacted May 14,1919.

D E LA W A R E .
(1 9 21 , p. 208, ch. 6 3 .)

CHILD WELFARE COMMISSION.
An act to create a child welfare commission for the State of Delaware.
B e it enacted by the senate and house o f representatives o f the State o f
D elaw are in general assembly m et:
S e c t i o n 1. In order that the State of Delaware may serve the welfare of
its children adequately, there is hereby created a “ Child Welfare Commission.”
The commission shall consist of nine members, who shall serve without pay,
except for traveling and administrative expenses. On, or before the 10th day
of April, 1921, the governor shall appoint the members of said commission to
take office on the 10th day of April, 1921, as follows: One from the State of
Delaware at large for a term of five years; two from the city of Wilmington
for the terms of one and two years respectively ; two from New Castle County
outside of the eity of Wilmington for the terms of two and three years, respec
tively; two from Kent County for the terms of three and four years, respec
tively; and two from Sussex County for the terms of four and five years, re
spectively. The term of office after the first appointments made hereunder
shall be for five years, and annually, on or before the 10th day of April, the
governor shall appoint successors to fill the vacancies caused by the expira
tions of the terms of office. In case of vacancy caused by death, resignation,
52668°—24-----10
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STATE COMMISSIONS FOR CHILD-WELFARE LAWS.

refusal to serve or otherwise, the governor shall make appointments to fill
such vacancy or vacancies, for the balance of the unexpired term. The mem-'
bers so appointed shall be, during their terms of office, citizens of the State of
Delaware, and shall be residents of the respective districts for which they are
appointed.
S e c . 2. Within 10 days after the said 10th day of April, 1921, the members
aforesaid shall convene at the State capitol at Dover at a time to be fixed by
the governor and shall organize by electing officers from their members and
by other regular procedure.
S e c . 3. It shall be the duty of the commission to take over, and further to
develop the child welfare activities conducted by the reconstruction commis
sion of the State of Delaware; to maintain a traveling child health center
to serve the sparsely settled sections of the State; to cooperate with State,
county, and local official bodies in the development of such child welfare
work as the commission may believe will materially advance the interests of
the children of the State; to make every reasonable preparation to transfer
various branches of its work as rapidly as possible to appropriate state
agencies ; to make a study of the needs of children a definite part of its work ;
and to make recommendations for executive and legislative action in matters
relating to children.
S e c . 4. Every official department and public officer in the State, excepting
the members of the general assembly and the judiciary, in possession of informa
tion relating to the purposes of this act, shall, upon request of the said com
mission, cooperate with it in carrying out the purposes of this act.
Sec. 5. If any bill shall be enacted by the United States appropriating
moneys to assist the State in protecting the health of mothers and children and
if the commission hereby created is doing such work at the time the said
Federal aid becomes available, the commission shall designate and authorize
to be spent such portion of the appropriation carried by this act1 as may be
necessary to meet the offer of the Federal Government, provided that this
commission shall be recognized by the Federal body administering the said
act as the State body with which it will cooperate, and provided that only such
an amount of the appropriation carried by this act may be designated and
spent for the purposes described in this section as will leave at least $15,000
annually for the execution of the duties of this commission, other than those
which conform with the provisions of such a Federal act which may be enacted.
S e c . 6. The commission shall employ such agents, assistants, clerical force
and specially qualified persons as it may find necessary or expedient.
S e c . 7. The expenses of the members of the commission incurred in service
for the commission shall be paid on warrants drawn by the child welfare com
mission or authorized agent thereof on the State treasurer and the State
treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to pay said warrants on the ap
proval of the State auditor from any moneys he may have belonging to the
State and not otherwise appropriated.
S e c . 8. The sum of $25,000 shall be deemed and taken to be appropriated for
the year 1921, out of any moneys in the State treasury not otherwise appro
priated, for the purposes of the said commission, and thereafter, $25,000 shall
be deemed and taken to be appropriated annually out of any moneys in the
State treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the purposes of the said com
mission. The child welfare commission shall assume the indebtedness of the
reconstruction commission.
1 So In law.

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S e c . 9 . The said commission shall have the use of and become the custodian
of the property bought by the reconstruction commission of the State of Dela
ware, except that the child-welfare commissiou may upon written request and
receipt from any official agency which may take over any of its work, trans
fer the right to use, and the custody of appropriate property to such agency.
Approved April 7, A. D. 1921.
(Laws, 1923, ch. 263, pp. 70S, 7 0 9 .)

Joint resolution providing for a commission to suggest a revision of the
existing laws of the State relating to minor children.
B e it resolved by the senate and house o f representatives o f the State o f
D elaw are in general assem bly m et:
S e c t i o n 1. That a commission be and is hereby created, composed of one
member of the senate and one member of the house of representatives to be
named by the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the
house of representatives, respectively, and one representative from each of
the following organizations to be selected by its respective board of managers
or governing body, namely, Children’s Bureau of Delaware, Child Welfare
Commission, the Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children,
the Delaware Children’s Home Society, the juvenile court, and the State board
of education, the Labor Commissiou of Delaware, for the purpose of studying
the present laws concerning the welfare of minor children in this State, and
the preparation and presenting to the next session of the general assembly
suggestions relative to any changes or amendments to such laws.
S ec . 2. T h e m e m b e r s o f s a id c o m m is s io n s h a ll r e c e iv e n o c o m p e n s a tio n .

3. The said commission shall have access to all public records, and shall
have power to call to its assistance any persons necessary for the obtaining
of information and assistance in the discharge of its duties.
S e c . 4. The said commission shall examine and study the existing laws relat
ing to minor children in this State and shall likewise prepare and submit to
the next session of the general assembly, to be held in the year nineteen hundred
and twenty-five, such new laws, or amendments to existing laws, as in the
judgment of the said commission shall be thought necessary or advisable.
S e c . 5. The said commission shall organize by the selection of a chairman
and secretary and such other officers as It may think necessary, and shall pro
vide rules for its own government and proceedings. The first meeting of the
commission shall be called by the governor by notices sent to each member
stating the time and place of such meeting.
Approved March 13, A. D. 1923.
S ec.

FLORIDA.
(Law s 1923, ch. 9273, No. 155.)

An act to create and establish a children’s code commission, to provide for the
appointment of the members thereof, their terms of office, prescribe their
powers and duties, and providing for the making of their report and its
transmission to the legislature.
B e I t Enacted by the Legislature o f the State o f Florida:
S e c t i o n 1. That there is hereby created a children’s code commission which
shall consist of five citizens of this State, at least. Their term of office shall
be. for four years and until their successors are appointed and qualified.

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S e c . 2. That the governor shall have the power to remove any member of
said children’s code commission for cause and shall fill vacancies that may at
any time occur.
S e c . 3. That the children’s code commission shall hold meetings whenever
called into session by the chairman, and shall make such rules and orders for
the regulation of its own proceedings as it shall deem proper. The members
of the children’s code commission shall not receive any compensation for their
services. Said children’s code commission shall elect from its members a
chairman.
S e c . 4. The children’s code commission shall have the power and it shall be
its duty to edit and codify the laws of a “ general nature” relating to children
and to report to the next succeeding session of the legislature through the
Governor of the State of Florida any desirable changes thereto; it shall further
be the duty of the said children’s code commission to thoroughly study the con
ditions now existing relating to the welfare of the children and to present their
findings together with a legislative program deemed necessary to remedy the
existing conditions and to promote the welfare of the children of the State
of Florida.
S e c . 5. The children’s code commission shall report to the Governor of the
State of Florida two months before the next regular session of the Legislature
of the State of Florida.
S e c . 6. It shall be the duty of the Governor of the State of Florida to trans
mit to the Legislature of the State of Florida the findings of the children’s
code commission within one week after it convenes in regular session.
S e c . 7. The children’s code commission shall organize immediately after their
appointment by the Governor of the State of Florida.
S e c . 8. Any person or persons who shall by an overt act interfere with the
said commission, or any one acting under its authority by preventing or attempt
ing to prevent an inspection or visitation, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction punished as for a misdemeanor. But nothing in this section
shall apply to inspection of private homes without the previous consent of the
occupants or without ap order from a competent court so to do.
S e c . 9. It shall be the duty of the Governor of the State of Florida to appoint
said children’s code commission within one month after this act becomes a law.
S e c . 1 0 . T h i s a c t s h a ll g o i n t o e f f e c t im m e d ia t e ly u p o n it s b e c o m in g a la w .

Approved May 7, 1923.
GEORGIA.
(Law s 1922, No. 300, p. 7 1 .)

CHILDREN’S CODE COMMISSION.
An act to create the Georgia Children’s Code Commission, and to provide for
the appointment of the members of said commission, and to prescribe the
authority of, and duties of, said code commission.
S e c t i o n 1 . Georgia children's code commission created.— B e it enacted by
the General A ssem bly o f the State o f Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by au
thority o f the same, That a code commission be created, to be known as the

Georgia Children’s Code Commission.
S e c . 2. D uties.— B e it fu rth er enacted, That it shall be the duty o f said
Georgia Children’s Code Commission to study the existing laws of Georgia
which in any way affect child life; to study conditions of child welfare in
the State, to study the laws o f other States, and t o consult authorities in this

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141

and other States, and to draft for presentation to the succeeding legislatures
such laws or amendments to the existing laws as will better safeguard the wel
fare of children in this State.
S e c . 3. M em bership— B e it fu rth er enacted, That said Georgia Children’s
Code Commission shall consist of 10 members, to be appointed by the governor
of the State of Georgia, who shall hold their term of office for five years, and
until their successors are appointed, and who shall consist of one superior-court
judge, one member of the house of representatives, one State senator, and a
member or representative from each of the following organizations: Federation
of Women’s Clubs, State council of social agencies, State board of health, State
board of public welfare, State federation of labor, State department of educa
tion, Georgia League of Women Voters.
S e c . 4.— No compensation.— 'The members of said Georgia Children’s Code
Commission are not to be paid any salary or remuneration whatever by the
State of Georgia, nor are they to receive any salary or remuneration from any
one whatsoever for their services.
S e c . 5. B e it fu rth er enacted, That said Georgia Children’s Code Commission
shall make their reports each year to the General Assembly of Georgia.
Approved July 26, 1922.
IN D IA N A .
(A cts 1919, ch. 197, p. 7 7 1 .)

CHILD WELFARE AND SOCIAL INSURANCE.
An act establishing an investigating commission on child welfare and social
legislation and prescribing its powers and duties.
S e c t i o n 1 . Appointm ent o f commission.— B e it enacted by the General A s
sem bly o f the State o f Indiana, That within 60 days after the taking effect of

this act, the governor shall appoint a suitable commission of five persons, at
least two of whom shall be women, and two of whom shall be parents, to be
known as the commission on child welfare and social insurance.
S e c . 2. Organization.—The commission shall convene in the city of Indian
apolis within 10 days after appointment and organize by electing a chairman
and enter upon the discharge of its duties. The members of the commission
shall serve without compensation but shall be allowed their necessary traveling
expenses incurred in the work of the commission. If necessary, the commission
may employ a clerk and a stenographer not of its membership. The commis
sion may avail itself of the collections or facilities of any State department in
obtaining the information and data necessary to the successful prosecution of
its work.
S e c . 3. D uties. —It shall be the duty of the commission to make a careful and
systematic study of child welfare and social insurance. The commission or any
of its members shall visit the various parts of the State and hold public hear
ings and shall make careful inquiry into the peculiar problems of each locality
and shall cause an investigation to be made of the methods employed and the
progress and results achieved in other States, and in making such investigation
may visit other States.
S e c . 4 . R e p o r t; appropriation.— On or before December 1, 1920, the commis
sion shall submit to the governor a report of its findings, together with its
recommendations. The commission shall also draft such bills as may be neces
sary to embrace and carry out its recommendations and submit them to the

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next general assembly for consideration. The sum of $5,000 is hereby appro
priated out of any funds in the State treasury not otherwise appropriated, to
be available after May 1, 1919, and during the life of the commission, for the
purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act.
Approved March, 15, 1919.
K E NTUCKY.
(Law s 1920, ch. 193, p. 725 .)

CHILDREN’S CODE COMMISSION.
J o in t R

e s o l u t io n .

B e It resolved by the general assembly o f the Commonwealth o f K entucky,

That the governor, within 30 days after the passage of this resolution shall
appoint a commission, to be known as the Children’s Code Commission and
composed of five members, citizens of the State of Kentucky, who shall serve
without compensation. The duties of said commission shall be to make a survey
of the entire field of child welfare in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and
make report of its findings to the governor and the general assembly of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky, prior to or upon the convening of the next regular
session of the legislature. Said commission shall have power to summon wit
nesses and compel their attendance, and shall have such other powers as may
be necessary to such investigation. The expenses of said investigation shall
not be a charge upon the State of Kentucky.
Approved March 11, 1920.
*

(Law s 1922, ch. 107 .)

CHILD WELFARE COMMISSION.
An act to create a commission to be known as the Kentucky Child Welfare
Commission and to prescribe its duties and functions.
B e it enacted by the general assem bly o f the Commonwealth o f K en tu ck y:

1. There is hereby created a commission to be known as The Kentucky Child
Welfare Commission, composed of nine members, who shall be citizens of the
State of Kentucky and who shall serve without compensation. The members
of the commission shall be appointed by the governor, three for a period of one
year, three for a period of two years, and three for a period of three years
from date of appointment, and thereafter all appointments, except to fill vacan
cies caused by death, resignation or removal, shall be for the full term of three
years.
2. It shall be the duty of the commission to continue the survey of child wel
fare in the Commonwealth of Kentucky heretofore begun by the children’s code
commission authorized under joint resolution of the general assembly of 1920;
to investigate and study the needs of Kentucky children and present to the
governor and the general assembly, prior to each legislative session, a report
of their findings and recommendations based thereon; to prepare data upon the
subject, and be ready at all times to advise the governor or any member of the
general assembly concerning the bills relating to children which may be intro
duced at any session of the general assembly.
Approved March 24, 1922.

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M A R YLA N D .
(L aw s 1922, joint resolntion No. 12, p. 1 588.)

COMMISSION ON LAWS OF MINORS.
Joint resolution authorizing and requesting the governor to appoint a com*
mission, to be known as the Commission on Laws of Minors, to review
the laws of Maryland relating to minors and to report with recommendations
to the next session of the general assembly.
Whereas, a commission heretofore appointed by the governor to review the
laws relating to minors in this State has reported that in order to conclude
its work early in the present session of the general assembly it has been com
pelled to leave some questions unconsidered, and deems it wise that another
commission be appointed with an opportunity to study and discuss the general
subject during the whole of the two years before the next session of the gen*
eral assembly; Therefore, be It
Resolved by the general assembly o f Maryland, That the governor be, and
he is hereby, authorized and requested to appoint a commission of seven per
sons, who shall proceed to review and study all the laws of this State relat
ing to minors, and shall report their conclusions and recommendations in writ
ing to the general assembly at its session of 1924; and be it further
Resolved, That the commission shall be known as the Commission on Laws
of Minors, and that its members shall serve without pay.
Approved April 13, 1922.
MICHIGAN.
(1 917, No. 293, p. 726 .)

CHILD WELFARE COMMISSION.
An act to create a commission of inquiry to make investigations and submit
reports and legislative recommendations relative to child welfare; to pro
vide for the appointment of the members of said commission and to prescribe
their powers and duties, jpd to provide for the cooperation Of State, city,
and county public relief and certain other bodies with such commission.
S e c t i o n L Commission created. —There is hereby created a commission to
be known as the Michigan Child Welfare Commission, hereinafter referred to
as the commission. Said commission shall consist of three members, appointed
by the governor within 30 days after this act shall take effect, and every
two years thereafter, or as soon after the expiration of each two-year period
as may be practicable. Such members shall be selected from the recognized
organized bodies formed for the study of child welfare, and the promotion of
education, hygiene, health, good morals, and physical and mental welfare of
children and their parents and guardians: Provided, That In the selection of
said members, preference shall be given to members of organizations of the
kind and nature referred to as shall have a state-wide scope and object of work.
S e c . 2 . D uty. —It shall be the duty of said commission to study and investi
gate the social and economic environment of children, with particular reference
to their home and neighborhood surroundings; the influences to which children
are subjected in and about their homes and schools; the conditions under which
children are forced or permitted to perform labor in their homes or elsewhere,
with or without remuneration; the relationships between children and parents
and the fitness and ability of parents to care for children, supervise their edu
cation, control their morals, and fit them to become useful and law-abiding

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citizens, and the remedies that should be applied by State and other public
bodies for the amelioration and improvement of such conditions as may indi
cate the need for alteration and correction. It shall further be the duty of
said commission to report at least thirty days prior to the assembling of each
successive legislature of the State, to the governor, a résumé of the work of
the commission together with recommendations for such legislation as the com
mission may consider necessary to advance the welfare and promote the educa
tion, good morals, and mental and physical well-being of children, which
recommendations may be transmitted by the governor to the ensuing legislature.
S e c . 3 . M a y exam in e docum ents, records, etc .—The commission shall have
power and authority to examine the documents, records, and papers belonging
to or under the control of State institutions devoted to the welfare or correc
tion of wards of the State, and of any boards, commissions, or officers of the
State whose duties include investigation or supervision of indigent, needy,
mentally incompetent, criminal persons, or any other persons whose condition
in life is the subject of State investigation, action, or supervision or control,
whenever such examination of documents, records, and papers is necessary for
the compilation of statistics and figures that may be of use- and value to the
commission in its work. The same power and authority described in this sec
tion shall be vested in the commission with reference to the documents, papers,
and records belonging to or under control of city, county, and township insti
tutions organized by and under control of cities, counties, and townships of
the State or their officers or legislative bodies, and likewise with reference to
incorporated private bodies having similar and related objects.
Approved May 10, 1917.
MINNESOTA.
(Law s 1917, p. 874 .)

RESOLUTION NO. 1.
CHILD WELFARE COMMISSION.
A concurrent resolution for the appointment of a special committee of the
house and senate to consider bills relating to children.
•

Whereas, the governor of the State of Minnesota, in August, 1916, appointed
a commission of 12 citizens to revise and codify the laws relating to children
and to report its recommendations to him, and
Whereas, this commission has made its preliminary report recommending
numerous changes to such laws, and is now about to make its final report em
bodying its recommendations in form of bills, and
Whereas, it is a matter of a common knowledge that the laws relating to
children are in urgent need of revision and amendment to the end that the
State may fairly fulfill its duties of guardianship over dependent, neglected,
defective, and delinquent children, and
Whereas, this is a matter of vital importance to all the citizens of this State
regardless of political opinion or party affiliation ;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by this house, the senate concurring, that a
special joint committee of the house and senate be appointed, seven members
from the house, by the speaker of the house, and five from the senate, by the
lieutenant governor, to consider the recommendations of said commission, as
well as all other bills Introduced which concern child welfare, and that this
committee consider the same, hold public hearings thereon and introduce and
recommend to the house and senate such bills as in its judgment will b rin g
about the proper revision of the laws of this State relating to children.

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N E BR ASKA.
(1 9 1 9 , ch. 178, p. 393 .)

CHILD WELFARE.
An act to provide for child welfare in the State of Nebraska.
B e it enacted by the people o f the S tate o f N ebraska:
S e c t i o n 1. State child-welfare bureau established. —There is hereby estab

lished in the State department of public instruction a bureau to be known as
the State child-welfare bureau. The superintendent of public instruction is
hereby authorized to provide sufficient quarters and equipment for the said
bureau in the State department of education.
S e c . 2. D irector and children’s code commission appointed . —Within 30 days
after this law goes into effect the governor shall appoint, for a term of two
years, a director who shall have charge of the working organization of the
State child-welfare bureau. The governor shall likewise appoint, for a period
to terminate May 11, 1921, a special investigating committee to be known as
the children’s code commission, which commission shall be an independent
branch of the State child-welfare bureau but shall be cooperative with all
other workers in the bureau. Said commission shall be composed of not less
than 5 nor more than 15 persons, residents of Nebraska, specially qualified by
experience and study to deal with the problems relating to child welfare in
Nebraska. Any vacancy which may occur in said commission by reason of
death, resignation, or otherwise shall be filled by appointment by the governor.
The director of the State child-welfare bureau may or may not be a member of
the investigating commission.
S e c . 3. D ire cto r ; qualification; salary. —The director of the State childwelfare bureau shall have special training and knowledge of the principles
underlying political and social welfare. He shall receive an annual compensa
tion of $2,400, together with necessary traveling expense, not to exceed $800.
Said director shall have authority to organize, employ, and secure such assist
ance, within the funds available through this act, as he deems necessary to
carry out the purpose of this act.
S e c . 4 . Com m ission; e x p en se ; secretary and other em p loyees; compensa
tion.—The members of the children’s code commission shall receive no salary,

except a secretary as herein provided, but may receive actual traveling ex
penses while going to and in attendance upon the meetings of the commission
within Nebraska or otherwise exclusively engaged within said State upon the
business of said commission. The commission shall choose one of its mem
bers as president and shall have power to select a secretary from within or
outside its membership. The secretary shall be paid a salary of not to ¿exceed
$150 per month. Stenographic and other assistance as necessary may be em
ployed within the appropriations available under this act
S e c . 5 . D ire cto r ; duties.— It shall be the duty of the director who is in charge
of the working organization of the State Child-Welfare Bureau to organize,
make rules and regulations for a supervised system of recreation, and to devise
ways and means for securing and placing playground equipment in urban,
village, and rural communities where needed. Said bureau shall keep a record
of the birth of every child born in Nebraska, which information shall be secured
from the State department of health. This and other records shall be carefully
preserved in the office of the State Child-Welfare Bureau. The State ChildWelfare Bureau shall endeavor in every way possible to lessen and prevent
penal trials and punishment of children. It shall assist in equalizing oppor-

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tunities for the children of Nebraska. It shall maintain a live children’s
survey of the State. The bureau shall be a unifying agency, through which the
State may cooperate with individuals and organizations among all classes of
people on matters pertaining to children’s aid and benefit, and this bureau shall
offer an avenue through which Government agencies functioning in the inter
ests of children may operate. No representative of the said bureau shall force
its authority over and above the recognized head of any household.
Sec. 6. Children's Code C om m ission ; du ties .—The Children’s Code Commis
sion of the Child-Welfare Bureau shall make a careful study of the subject of
child welfare with special reference to the problems presented in Nebraska,
and, as part of its duties, shall investigate social and other conditions affecting
child welfare in Nebraska, shall make a study of comparative legislation relat
ing thereto, to point out and- make recommendations for removal of inconsistent,
obsolete, or otherwise undesirable laws, and recommend new legislation for
promotion of child welfare in said State; and shall embody said recommenda
tions and the results of said investigation in a written report to the governor
on December 1,1920, which report the governor shall transmit to the legislature
fiext convening. Prefixed to such report shall be submitted a brief abstract,
prepared by said commission, containing in condensed form the substance of
the complete report. Not to exceed 5,000 copies of said report shall be pub
lished and distributed by the commission, the expense thereof to be paid out
of the appropriation herein made. The record and reports of the Children’s
Code Commission shall be at all times available to the director of the ChildWelfare Bureau and shall be filed permanently with other records and reports
of the bureau.
S e c . 7. Children’s Code C om m ission ; privileges .—The Children’s Code Com
mission shall have free access to all books and records in tfie several depart
ments of the State government and in the counties, cities, villages, and school
districts in this State, including the books and records of all municipal, county,
and State institutions; and also to the books and records of all private agencies
having the custody of or the placing out of children. The commission may call
upon the legislative reference bureau for room and any assistance which may
properly be asked from that bureau.
S e c . 8. Appropriation .—There is hereby appropriated out of the general fund
of the State of Nebraska the sum of $15,000, or so much thereof as may be
necessary, for the payment of salaries and other expenses herein authorized,
which shall be paid out upon presentation of vouchers approved by the gov
ernor. One-half of the amount herein appropriated shall be available to the
director of the State Child-Welfare Bureau for the work in his charge; onehalf shall be available to the Children’s Code Commission for the discharge of
their duties.
Approved April 15, 1919.
N E W HAMPSHIRE.
(1 9 1 3 , ch. 7 2 .)

CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONS.
An act to provide for the appointment of a commission of three persons to In
vestigate matters relating to the welfare of the dependent, defective, and
delinquent children of the State.
B e it enacted b y th e sen ate and house o f rep resen ta tives in general court
co n v e n e d :
S e c t i o n 1. That the governor and council be hereby authorized to appoint
three suitable persons who shall investigate all matters relating to the welfare

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of the dependent, defective, and delinquent children of the State, especially
the questions of orphanage, juvenile courts, detention homes, desertion, physical
and mental degeneracy, infant mortality, accidents, and diseases, and make
report, with recommendations concerning the above matters, to the legislature
of 1915, said commission to serve without compensation except for necessary
expenses, and the governor is hereby authorized to draw his warrant for such
actual reasonable expenses of said commission.
S ec . 2. T h is a c t s h a ll t a k e e ffe c t u p o n it s p a s s a g e .

Approved April 15, 1913.
N E W YORK.
(Law s 1920, ch. 6 9 9 .)

COMMISSION TO EXAMINE LAWS RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE.
An act to create a commission to examine laws relating to child welfare, in
vestigate their effect and propose remedial legislation in relation thereto,
and making an appropriation for the expenses of the commission.
[Became a law May 11, 1920, with the approval of the governor.
being present.]

Passed, three-fifths

The people o f the State o f N ew York, represented in senate and assembly,
do enact as follow s:
S e c t i o n 1. Commission crea ted ; how constituted. —A commission is hereby

created, for the purposes herein specified, to consist of three members of the
senate, to be appointed by the temporary president of the senate, three members
of the assembly, to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, five persons to
represent the public at large to be appointed by the governor, and five persons
to represent, respectively, the following five State departments or commissions,
the head of each such department or commission to appoint one such person:
Department of education, department of labor, department of health, State
board of charities, and State probation commission. Vacancies in the commis
sion, occurring from any cause, shall be filled by the officer authorized to make
the original appointment The commission shall choose from its members a
chairman. The members of the commission shall receive no compensation
for their services under this act, but the commission and its members shall
be allowed necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties; and
the commission may employ necessary assistants as a part of its expenses.
2. D uties. —The commission created by this act shall collate and study all
laws relating to child welfare, investigate and study the operation and effect
of such laws upon children, ascertain any overlapping and duplication of laws
and of the activities of any public office, department or commission thereunder,
and make recommendations to the legislature of remedial legislation which it
may deem proper as the result of its investigations. Such legislation may be
amendatory of existing law or otherwise.
3. P ow ers o f investigation; report. —Such commission may sit and conduct its
investigations anywhere within the State, may take and hear proofs and testi
mony, subpoena and compel the attendance of witnesses, compel the production
of books, records, papers, and documents and shall have all of the powers of a
legislative committee provided by the legislative law. The commission shall
make a report of its proceedings to the legislature at its next session and also
at such other times as may be required by the governor or by the president of
the senate and speaker of the assembly.
4. Appropriation. —The sum of $5,000, or so much thereof as may be neces
sary, is hereby appropriated for expenses of the commission created by this

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act. The moneys appropriated shall be paid out by the State treasurer on the
warrant o f the com ptroller upon the certificate o f the chairman o f such com
mission.
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
(Law s 1922, ch. 397, pp. 828 and 8 3 3 .)

An act making appropriations fo r the support o f government in addition to
those provided by chapter 106 o f the law s o f 1922, and including provisions
relating to certain appropriations made by such chapter.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

CHILD-WELFARE COMMISSION.
Expenses o f maintenance and operation, including personal service, $7,500.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
(Law s 1922, ch. 106, pp. 385 and 387 .)
Pabt Y .

Sec. 5. Reappropriations.— The follow ing sums, or so much thereof as may
be necessary, being the unexpended balances o f form er appropriations, are
hereby reappropriated and made immediately available fo r the same purposes
as the form er appropriations:

COMMISSION ON CHILD WELFARE.
B y chapter 650 o f the law s o f 1921 (re. $6,326.86).
B y chapter 176 o f the law s o f 1921 (re. $1,862.84).
*
*
*
*
*
*

(Law s 1921, ch. 650, pp. 1994 and 1 997.)

An act making appropriations fo r the support o f government in addition to
those provided by chapter 176 o f the law s o f 1921, and including provisions
relating to certain appropriations made by such chapter.
[Became a law M ay 7 , 1921, w ith the approval of the governor.
vote.]

Passed by two-thirds

COMMISSION ON CHILD WELFARE.
F or expenses o f maintenance and operation, including personal service,
$7,500.

( An appropriation o f $15,000 was made in 1923.)
NORTH DAKOTA.
(Law s 1921, ch. 29, p. 6 2 .)

C H IL D R E N ’ S CODE COMMISSION.
An act creating a Children’s Code C om m ission; fixing the membership thereof,
defining its powers and d u ties; and making an appropriation therefor.
B e it enacted by the legislative assem bly o f the State o f N orth D a kota :
1.
There is hereby created and established a Children’s Code Commission
to consist o f seven members appointed by the governor as hereinafter provided.

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2. Upon taking effect o f this act, and within 30 days thereafter, the follow
ing organizations, or the executive committees thereof, shall each nominate and
submit to the governor the names o f members o f their organization, from which
nominations the governor shall select the members o f this commission. The
organizations from whose membership the nominations shall be made as here
inbefore provided are State Conference o f Social W ork, State Federation o f
W omen’s Clubs, State M edical Association, State B ar Association and State
Educational Association, State Federation o f Labor, and member o f the State
Minimum W age Department.
3. Each member o f said commission shall serve fo r a term o f tw o years, and
until his or her successor is appointed and qualified, from the date o f the ap
pointment. Vacancies in said commission shall be filled by the governor upon
nominations by the organization or organizations not represented upon said
commission on account o f such vacancy.
4. It shall be the duty o f said commission to study social conditions touching
upon the w elfare o f children in the State o f North Dakota, and to recommend
necessary revision and codification o f existing laws, and such new laws as may
be found necessary. T o this end said commission shall make a comprehensive
and detailed report containing its findings, and proposals to the next legislative
assembly, either regular or special, and to each succeeding legislative assembly
during the period o f its existence.
5. The commission may make all necessary rules and regulations fo r the
conduct o f its meetings and fo r the election o f the officers thereof. It shall
have the power to appoint a secretary either from within or without its mem
bership, the salary o f which secretary as fixed by the commission at not to
exceed $2,000 per annum shall be paid from the appropriation hereinafter made.
6. There is hereby appropriated out o f any funds in the State treasury not
otherwise appropriated the sum o f $2,500, to be used fo r the payment o f the
salary o f the secretary o f the above-named commission and the necessary ex
penses o f said commission, including traveling expenses, postage, and sta
tionery.
7. This act is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and to be in fu ll
force and effect immediately after its passage and approval.
Approved March 18, 1921.
.

OHIO.

(1 911, p. 123 .)

COMMISSION TO CO D IFY AND R E V IS E T H E L AW S OF OHIO
R E L A T IV E TO CH ILDREN .
An act to provide fo r the appointment o f a commission to revise, consolidate,
and suggest amendments to the statute law s o f the State o f Ohio which per
tain to Children.
S e c t i o n 1. Two commissioners.— That the governor be, and is hereby, au
thorized and required to appoint tw o competent commissioners to revise, con
solidate, and suggest amendments and additions to the statute law s o f the
State o f Ohio which pertain to children, and which may be in force at the time
such commissioners shall make their report ; and in case a vacancy shall occur
in such commission by reason o f death or resignation the governor is hereby
authorized to fill, such vacancy.
The commissioners shall be appointed and commence the discharge o f their
duties not later than the first day o f July, 1911, and shall report to the governor
not later than the first day o f July, 1912. Such report shall be transmitted by
the governor to the general assembly next follow ing.

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S e c . 2 . Unification o f laws.— T hat In perform ing this duty such commissioners
shall unify the present law s pertaining to illegitimate, defective, neglected, de
pendent, and delinquent children, and to their treatment, care, maintenance, cus
tody, control, protection, and reform a tion ; and shall suggest such amendments
and additions as to them may seem best calculated to bring the statute law o f
this State into harmony with the best thought on this su b ject They shall ar
range their report with headnotes briefly expressive o f the matters contained
therein, and with marginal notes o f the contents o f each section and w ith ref
erence to the original act from which it is compiled. They shall provide, by an
index, fo r an easy reference to every portion o f their report, and shall designate
such statutes and parts o f statutes as, in their judgment, ought to be repealed,
with the reasons fo r such recommendation.
S e c . 3 . Stenographers and clerks.— That such commissioners shall have free
access to the rooms, books, and records in the several departments o f the State,
county, and municipal governm ents; may, w ith the consent o f the governor,
employ stenographers and clerks, and secure such expert advice and assistance
as to them may seem advisable; and shall be furnished by the State w ith suit
able rooms in the State capitol building fo r the transaction o f the w ork and
with all necessary stationery.
S e c . 4. No compensation.— That such commissioners shall serve without com
pensation, but shall render an account to the governor o f the clerical and
expert service rendered and the expense o f the same, together with all inci
dental expenses incurred by such commission, including their own expenses.
The compensation o f such clerks and experts shall be fixed by the commis
sioners, and such compensation, together w ith the expenses o f said commission,
shall be paid, from time to time, upon the certified warrant o f the auditor o f
state, but the total o f such expenditures shall not exceed $3,000, which sum
is hereby appropriated out o f any moneys in the State treasury to the credit o f
the general revenue fund not otherwise appropriated.
S. J. V i n i n g ,
Speaker o f the house o f representatives.
H

•

Passed May 17,1911.

L. N i c h o l s ,
President o f the senate.

ugh

Approved M ay 18, 1911.
OKLAHOMA*.
(1 9 1 9 , ch. 58, p. 9 2 .)

C H IL D R E N ’ S CODE COMMISSION.
An act creating a commission o f three persons, to be known as Children’s Code
Commission, prescribing the duties o f such commission.
B e it enacted 6y the people o f the State o f Oklahoma:
S e c t i o n 1. Commission created.— That the governor be, and he is hereby,
authorized and required to appoint three competent persons to act as commis
sioners to revise, consolidate, and suggest amendments and additions to the
statute laws o f the State o f Oklahoma which pertain to children, and which
may be in force at the time such commissioners shall make their rep ort; and
in case a vacancy shall occur in such commission by reason o f death or resig
nation, the governor is hereby authorized to fill such vacancy.'
The commissioners shall be appointed and commence the discharge o f their
duties not later than July 1, 1919, and shall report to the governor not later

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than the first day o f July, 1920. Such report shall be transmitted by the gov
ernor to the session o f the legislature next convening.
S e c . 2. Duties.— That in perform ing this duty such comm issioners shall
u nify the present law s pertaining to illegitimate, defective, neglected, de
pendent, and delinquent children, and to their treatment, care, maintenance,
custody, control, protection, and reform ation ; and shall suggest such amend
ments and additions as to them m ay seem best calculated to bring the
statute law s o f this State into harm ony w ith the best thought on this
subject. They shall arrange their report with headnotes, briefly expressive
o f the matters contained therein, and with marginal notes o f the contents
o f each section and w ith reference to the original act from which it is compiled.
They shall provide an index, fo r an easy reference to every portion o f their
report, and shall designate such statutes and parts o f statutes as, in their
judgment, ought to be repealed, w ith the reasons fo r such recommendation.
S e c . 3 . Powers; assistants.— That such commissioners shall have free access
to the rooms, books, and records in the several departments o f the State,
county, and m unicipal governm ents; may, with the consent o f the governor,
em ploy stenographers and clerks and secure such expert advice and assistance
as to them may seem advisable; and shall be furnished by the State w ith suit
able rooms in the State capitol building fo r the transaction o f the w ork and
w ith all necessary stationery.
Approved M arch 22, 1919.
OREGON.
(1 9 1 9 , ch. 2 9 9 .)

C H ILD W E L F A R E R E V ISIO N COM M ITTEE.
T o authorize the appointment o f a commission to codify, classify, systematize,
and index all the law s o f Oregon relating to children and the preventive
measures that m ay be operated under the statutes o f the State o f Oregon,
and to appropriate money therefor.
S e c t i o n 1. A commission is hereby created, to be known as the “ Child
W elfare Revision Committee,” which shall be composed o f three members ex
perienced in legislative work, who shall be appointed by the governor fo r a
term o f tw o years from the date o f the approval o f this act.
S e c . 2. It shall be the duty o f said commission to codify, classify, and
index all the law s o f the State o f Oregon defining child dependency and de
linquency, providing for court commitments and guardianships o f the persons
o f dependent, delinquent and feeble-minded children, authorizing private
agencies and institutions fo r the care o f dependent and delinquent children and
the commitment and care o f feeble-minded and defective children, arranging con
sent to the adoption o f children, regulating child placing in fam ilies, and pro
viding fo r State supervision, records and reports fo r such child-welfare
work, the code o f the committee to be reported directly to the legislature
fo r approval.
S e c . 3 . Such comm ittee shall serve without com pensation; but the expenses
o f actual traveling and clerical w ork necessarily incurred in com plying
w ith the foregoing provisions and rendering said report, together with the ex
pense o f printing the same, shall be paid from any moneys in the general
fund o f the State treasu ry; and the sum o f $500, or so much thereof as
may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out o f moneys in the general fund
in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated, fo r the several objects and
purposes hereinbefore named.

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Sec. 4. The secretary o f state is hereby authorized and directed to audit all
duly approved claims which have been incurred in pursuance o f law and the
foregoing appropriation, and to draw his w arrants on the State treasurer fo r
the payment thereof.
F iled in the office o f the secretary o f state M arch 4, 1919.
P E N N SYLV A N IA .
(Law s 1923, No. 411 .)

An act to provide fo r the appointment o f a commission to suggest revisions and
amendments to the statutes o f the State o f Pennsylvania which relate to
children, especially those which relate to the dependent, defective, delinquent,
neglected, incorrigible, or illegitim ate children ; defining the powers and duties
o f the com m ission; authorizing the examination o f documents, records, and
papers; and making an appropriation to meet the expenses o f the said com
mission.

Section 1. Be it enacted, etc., T hat the governor o f this Commonwealth is
hereby authorized and directed to appoint a commission, consisting o f seven
citizens, o f whom at least three must be women, to study all laws relating to
child w elfare and' to suggest revisions and amendments to the statutes o f Penn
sylvania which relate to children, especially to those which relate to the de
pendent, defective, delinquent, neglected, incorrigible, or illegitim ate children.
The commission shall have power to employ and to fix the salaries o f the neces
sary persons to enable the commission to perform its duties properly. The mem
bers o f the commission shall receive no compensation fo r their services but shall
be allowed their actual traveling and other necessary expenses incurred in the
performance o f their duties.
S e c . 2. It shall be the duty o f the commission to study the laws, conditions,
and practice o f this State relating to child welfare, to revise and consolidate
such laws, and to recommend such amendments to existing statutes o f the State
o f Pennsylvania which relate to children, especially to those which relate to
the dependent, defective, delinquent, neglected, incorrigible, or illegitimate
children, or to their treatment, care, maintenance, custody, control, or protection
and reform ation, and such additional laws, as may be needed to embody the best
thought and experience on these subjects. A ll recommendations o f the com m is
sion shall be accompanied by concise statements o f the reasons fo r such recom
mendations.
S e c . 3. The commission, or its authorized agent, shall have access to such
documents, records, and papers belonging to or under the control o f State,
cities, counties, boroughs, and townships, and o f institutions and societies
dealing with children which are subject to State supervision, whenever such
examination o f documents, records, and papers is necessary fo r the compila
tion o f statistics and facts that m ay be o f use and value to the commission
in its work.
S e c . 4 . That said commissioners shall make a fu ll report, in writing, to
the general assembly which w ill convene in one thousand nine hundred and
twenty-five, on or before the first day o f February o f said year.
Sec. 5. That fo r the purpose o f said commission the sum o f five thousand
dollars ($5,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appro
priated. The said expenses shall be paid on warrants duly signed by the
chairman o f the commission and approved by the auditor general.

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S e c . 6. The legislative-reference bureau shall render such assistance to the
commission as may be, from time to time, requested.
Approved the 11th day of July, A. D. 1923.
G if f o r d P

in c h o t .

The foregoing is a true and correct copy of the act of the general assembly
No. 411.
C lyde L . K

in g ,

S ecretary o f the Commonwealth.

SOUTH DAKOTA.
(Law s 1919, ch. 134, p. 118.)

C R E A T IN G C H IL D W E L F A R E COMMISSION.
An act entitled, An act creating the child welfare commission and appro
priating money for its expenses.

B e it enacted by the legislature o f the State o f South D akota:
S e c t i o n 1. The superintendent of public instruction, the superintendent of
the State board of health, the president of the woman’s board of investigation,
the parole officer of the State board of charities and corrections, and one
citizen of the State to be appointed by the governor to serve for two years
shall constitute the child welfare commission, and each shall serve without
compensation.
S e c . 2. The child welfare commission shall investigate the condition of
children and advise pertaining to their care and instruction ; it shall examine
into the condition of children employed in the industries o f this State and
shall advise employers pertaining to the most favorable conditions for such
labor in such employment; and shall enforce the laws of the State for the
protection of children so employed and shall biennially report its doings and
recommendations to the governor, which report shall be published as are the
reports of other State officers and boards.
S e c . 3. There is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury, not
otherwise appropriated, the sum of five hundred dollars, or so much thereof
as may be necessary in carrying out the purposes of this act during the
ensuing biennium, to be paid upon the warrant of the auditor upon vouchers
duly approved by the superintendent of public instruction.
Approved March 11th, 1919.
(Law s 1921, eh. 29, p. 159.)

An act entitled, An act appropriating money for the child welfare commission.

B e it enacted by the legislature o f the State o f South D akota:
S e c t i o n 1.
There is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the State
Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of three thousand dollars
($3,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, for the use of the child
welfare commission during the biennial period ending June 30, 1923, to be
paid upon the warrant of the State auditor issued upon vouchers duly approved
by the superintendent of public instruction.
Approved March 10, 1921.

52668°— 24------11

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(Law s 1923, ch. 122, pp. 105, 106.)

R E L A T IN G TO C H IL D W E L F A R E COMMISSION.
An act entitled, An act to amend sections 1 and 2 of chapter 134 of the Session
Laws of 1919, relating to child welfare and providing an appropriation
therefor.

B e it enacted by the legislature o f the State o f South D akota:
That section 1, chapter 134 of the Session Laws of 1919 be amended to read
as follow s:
S e c t i o n 1. Three citizens of the State of South Dakota, two of whom shall
be women, to be appointed by the governor to serve for terms of two years,
shall constitute the child welfare commission, and each shall serve without
compensation.
That section 2, chapter 134 of the Session Laws of 1919 be amended to read
as follow s:
S e c . 2. Thè child welfare commission shall investigate the condition of chil
dren and advise pertaining to their care and instruction ; it shall examine into
the conditions surrounding dependent and delinquent' children and the causes
of their dependency or delinquency and make such recommendations as may
be fitting; it shall examine into the condition of children employed in the
industries of this State and shall advise employers pertaining to the most
favorable conditions for such labor in such employment; and shall enforce
the laws of the State for the protection of children employed; it shall prepare
and submit to the legislature for its consideration at the next regular session a
complete code of laws covering child life in the State of South Dakota with a
view of vitalizing and making effective the work of such commission, and
shall biennially report its doings and recommendations to the governor which
report shall be published as are the reports of other State officers and boards.
S e c . 3. There is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury, not
otherwise appropriated, the sum of five hundred dollars, or so much thereof
as may be necessary in carrying out the purposes of this act during the ensuing
biennium, to be paid upon the warrant of the auditor upon which vouchers
duly approved by the chairman of the child welfare commission.
x
Approved March 12, 1923.

UTAH.
(Law s 1921, ch. 56.)

STA TE W E L F A R E COM M ISSION.
An act creating a State W elfare Commission and defining its duties and powers.

Be it enacted by the legislature of the State o f Utah:
S e c t i o n 1. State w elfare commission. — There is hereby created a commission
to be known as the State W elfare Commission which shall consist of the gover
nor, the State superintendent of public instruction, the secretary of the State
board of health, and eight other members to.be appointed by the governor, at
least five of whom shall be women. The term of office of the commission shall
be for two years. The members shall serve without pay, but the commission
may, with the consent of the governor or the head of any other State depart
ment, make use of the clerical help and other facilities of such departments.
Sec. 2. D u tie s — It shall be the duty of said commission to study and investi
gate the laws, conditions, practices, and institutions of this and other States
and countries, relating to public health and to the dependent, neglected, de
linquent, and defective classes, and upon the basis of such study to prepare
amendments to and a codification of the laws of Utah pertaining to health, to
the dependent, neglected, delinquent, and defective classes.

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Sec. 3. Inquiring pow er .— The State welfare commission shall have authority
to inquire into the conduct, management, and organization of all public insti
tutions and agencies doing welfare work within the State.
S e c . 4. Report. — The commission shall file a report of its findings and recom
mendations with the governor not later than November 30, 1922, and shall draft
such bills as may be necessary to embrace and carry out its recommendations
and submit them to the next session of the legislature.
r S e c . 5. Organization.— The commission shall perfect its own organization at
its first meeting, which shall be called by the governor during the month of
April; 1921.
S e c . 6. This act shall take effect upon approval.
Approved March 17, 1921.
(Law s 1923, ch. 40, p. 83.)

STA TE W E L F A R E COM M ISSION.
An act to amend sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 o f chapter 56, Laws of Utah, 1921,
relating to the continuance o f the welfare commission.

B e it enacted by the Legislature o f the State o f TJtah:
S e c t i o n 1. Sections amended.— Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5, chapter 56, Session
Laws of Utah, 1921, are hereby amended to read as follows :
S e c . 1. S tate w elfare commission. — There is hereby created a commission to
bq known as the State welfare commission, which shall consist of the governor,
the State superintendent of public instruction, the secretary o f the State board
o f health, and eight other members to be appointed by the governor for a term
of two years and until their successors are appointed and qualified, at least
five of whom shall be women. The members shall serve without pay, but the
commission may, with the consent of the governor or the head of any other
State department, make use of the clerical help and other facilities of such
department.
S e c . 3. Inquiring power. — The State welfare commission shall have authority
to inquire into the conduct, management, and organization of all public in
stitutions and agencies doing welfare work within the State.
S e c . 4 . Report. — The commission shall file a report o f i t s findings and recom
mendations with the governor not later than November 30, 1924, and shall
draft such bills as may be necessary to embrace and carry out its recommenda
tions and submit them to the next session of the legislature.
S e c . 5. Organization. — The commission shall perfect its own organization at
its first meeting, which shall be called by the governor during the month of
April, 1923.
Approved March 8, 1923.

W E S T V IR G IN IA .
(Law s 1921, ch. 135, p. 506 .)

C H IL D W E L F A R E R E V ISIO N COMMISSION.
An act creating a child-welfare commission.
[Passed April 11. 1921.

In effect 90 days from passage.
April 11, 1 921.]

Approved by the governor

B e it enacted by the legislature o f W est V irginia:
S e c t i o n 1. There is hereby created a child welfare commission, to be com
posed of nine members, whose term shall be for two years, who shall serve

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without compensation, and who shall be appointed by the governor within 30
days after this act takes effect.
S e c . 2. It shall be the duty of the commission, hereby created, to study and
investigate the laws and co ditions existing in this State relating to dependent,
neglected, defective, and delinquent children, and the entire question of child
welfare, and such other subjects as it finds in the course of its investigations
to be connected therewith, and shall report the result o f its investigation, to
gether with its recommendations, to the next session of the legislature.
S e c . 3. The commission shall draft such bills as may be necessary to carry
out its recommendations and submit them with its report, and may employ
an executive secretary and incur such necessary expenses as may be approved
by the governor, not to exceed the amount of money appropriated by the legis
lature for that purpose.
S e c . 4. Any vacancies that may occur in the commission shall be filled by the
governor.
(Law s 1921 (extra session), ch. 1 .)

A P P R O P R IATIO N S.

CHILD-WELFARE COMMISSION.
Sec. 24h. To pay the secretary and necessary expenses incurred by the childwelfare commission to carry out the provisions of senate bill No. 98, to be ¿«aid
on the approval of the governor, $4,750.

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Full text of State Commissions for the Study and Revision of Child-Welfare Laws, Bureau Publication No. 131

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