Plumbing. Installation of shower baths in the hospital. New sanitary installation for draining the sinks in the dining room and the kitchen. Drainage into the back grounds of the institution of septic tank situated near the kitchen. Installation of an iron drainpipe from the top of the building to the inner yard. Repairs to the water faucets on the upper story of the building. Masonry. Construction of a concrete sink in the kitchen. Repairs to the inner walls of the building and especially on the back part of the same. Construction of concrete foundations for the extension of the bathroom, the infirmary, new installation of shower baths, and the floors of the water closets and the dining room on the lower floor of the building. In addition to the works and reforms above enumerated, repairs were made to the light installation, providing also with light the dormitories, galleries, inner yard, and some classrooms. The inmates have been provided with two suits of blue drilling and one of khaki. Band. The proceeds of the concerts given by the band during the fiscal year 1914-15 amount to $1,050, the sum of $632.21 having been spent in the purchase of instruments and tools for the boys who left the institution with knowledge of various trades, and also in the purchase of athletic goods. HEALTH. During the year 380 sick inmates were attended and completely recovered. No death occurred during the fiscal year. Four surgical operations were performed with excellent results. The following dental work was performed by the dentist: In the boys' and girls' charity schools there were numerous cases of ophthalmia. It was verified that nearly 25 per cent of the inmates were affected, whom the oculist had to assiduously attend. The age of the inmates of the boy's charity school on June 30, 1915, was the following: Those who left with industrial knowledge received also instruction in the fourth to the eighth school grades. Disbursements for the fiscal year 1914-15, made in the charitable institutions for salaries, subsistence, clothing, and other expenses, up to June 30, 1915, are as follows: PENAL INSTITUTIONS. The offenses which have given the greatest number of prisoners are similar as in previous years, to wit, petit and grand larceny, burglary, assault and battery, murder, and homicide, respectively. The greatest number of offenses for which minors were confined were petit larceny and burglary, with 141 and 80 respectively. The three cities represented with the greatest number of prisoners on the expiration of the fiscal year were San Juan with 205, Ponce with 129, and Arecibo with 78. During the fiscal year, six prisoners were released on parole and one returned for violation of the regulations thereof; seven were pardoned and two commuted. HEALTH CONDITION OF PRISONERS. During the fiscal year there was no epidemic or infectious disease in the penal institutions. The diseases causing most deaths were, in the first place, tuberculosis, enteritis chronic, and enterocolitis in the second and third place, respectively The work performed by the dentist is represented by 245 extractions in the penitentiary and the San Juan and Arecibo jails. The convict labor on the insular roads during the year amounts to 152,386 workdays. Reckoning at the low rate of $0.50 for every workday, the value of such work amounts to $76,193. The classification of prisoners by institutions was as follows: PENITENTIARY. The attendance at the carpenter shop was a daily average of 10 prisoners, who performed work amounting to $342.41, work for the use of the institution not being included. The shoemaker shop had an average daily attendance of 19 prisoners, who manufactured all the required shoes for the institution, representing an output of 1,158 pairs. The average daily attendance at the tailor shop was 10 prisoners, who manufactured 3,706 suits of clothes for convicts in the penitentiary and district jails, 1,883 shirts, and the necessary garments for the infirmary. The daily attendance at the barber shop, baker shop, and kitchen was 4, 6, and 3 prisoners, respectively. The school was daily attended by an average number of 18 prisoners only, owing to the fact that the bulk of convicts is devoted to road work. The sanitary condition of this institution is good, notwithstanding the old condition of the building, which does not meet the needs which are essential to these modern establishments. It is recommended, as in previous reports, the urgent necessity of giving The People of Porto Rico the advantage of a model penitentiary with all modern improvements. REFORM SCHOOL. The number of inmates on June 30 was 99. Of these, 33 were in the honor grade, 19 were on promotion, and 47 were on the test degree. The average daily attendance during the year was 98. The offenses giving the greatest number of inmates were petit larceny, burglary, and embezzlement. The judicial district of San Juan was represented on June 30 last with 20 inmates, Arecibo with 19, and Mayaguez with 16, Ponce and Guayama with 13, respectively. During the year 1 was released by pardon, 2 by parole, and 10 on reaching 21 years of age. No desertion was recorded during the year, and only two inmates died, one of mitral insufficiency and the other of profound anemia. Aside from this the health of the inmates has been satisfactory. The sanitary condition of the school has greatly improved during the year. The bushes adjoining the school grounds have been destroyed and the land placed under cultivation. The average daily attendance at the school was 93. At the end of the fiscal year 20 inmates were in the first grade, 25 in the second, 27 in the third, and 27 in the fourth. Of these, 79 know how to read and write, and 33 inmates were promoted to the different grades. The inmates in the third and fourth grades are taught to read and write in English and Spanish, arithmetic, Spanish language, nature study, theory of agriculture, geography, biography of the prominent men of the United States and Porto Rico, and morality and urbanity. The inmates in the first grade are beginning to learn how to read and write. The tailor shop manufactured 1,577 pieces of garments; 31 inmates were enrolled in this shop and the average daily attendance was 23. The shoemaker shop manufactured 220 pairs of shoes and made 508 repairs. The enrollment in this shop was 40 inmates and the average daily attendance was 30. The carpenter shop had an enrollment of 28 inmates, with an average daily attendance of 25. The work performed in this shop for the institution amounts to $615.99. A music academy was inaugurated on July 1, 1914, and 33 inmates were enrolled. At the close of the fiscal year the attendance at this academy was 53 inmates and the average daily attendance during the year was 39. A band has been organized, with 24 musicians; 33 are beginning to practice on the instruments and 20 are studying solfa. Of the land owned by the institution, part has been devoted to the cultivation of minor products for the use of the school. Several acres are planted in sugar cane. The sugar output for the last fiscal year was 1,500 pounds, for the school's consumption. This brings economy in the expenses of maintenance of the reform school. A new schoolroom has been opened, with the idea of increasing studies to the eighth grade. The dental work during the year was as follows: Obturations with amalgam of silver, 69; obturations with cement, 30; extractions, 21; and treatments made, 2. DISTRICT JAILS The Arecibo and San Juan jails are quartered in a building of modern construction and appropriate to its needs located at Arecibo. This jail has also a ward for prisoners awaiting trial in San Juan, annexed to the penitentiary, a second ward for women serving sentences from the San Juan and Arecibo districts, and a third ward for minors under 18 years from the island, and which has been provided with a schoolroom and a teacher for daily classes. The building occupied by the Aguadilla jail is the property of the municipality and that for Guayama jail belongs to The People of Porto Rico. None of these buildings meets the necessary conditions for the confinement of prisoners, and only after hard work and diligence a fair sanitary condition can be maintained. The People of Porto Rico have been paying for the Aguadilla jail building an annual rent of $720 for many years, which rent could be saved by erecting a building at a moderate cost. The Ponce and Mayaguez jails are housed each in an old military barrack which has been adapted to its present use. Their sanitary conditions are good. The Humacao district jail is a new building which was occupied in July, 1914, and is in the best of condition, sanitary and otherwise. The Vieques jail was discontinued at the end of the present fiscal year, due to legislative action, and the property thereof and prisoners transferred to the Humacao jail. Other data regarding these prisoners and inmates may be found in the statistics hereto attached. No. 1.-Statement showing the number of prisoners and number of sick in the penal insti No. 2.-Statement showing terms of sentence of prisoners confined in penal institutions on June 30, 1915. No. 3.-Number of commitments of prisoners on June 30, 1915. No. 4.-Classification by age of number of prisoners when convicted on June 30, 1915. Expression. Up to 10 years.. 11 years and under 16 years.. 16 years and under 21 years. 21 years and under 25 years... 25 years and under 30 years.. 30 years and under 35 years.. 35 years and under 40 years.. 40 years and under 45 years.. 45 years and under 50 years.. 50 years and under 55 years. 55 years and under 60 years. 60 years and under 65 years. 65 years and under 70 years. 70 years and under 75 years. 75 years and under 80 years.. 80 years and upward.. No. 5.-Grand total of prisoners on June 30, 1915. 1,558 No. 6.-Nationality of prisoners confined in penal institutions June 30, 1915. |