breeding. The work of the health officers can be successful only with the cooperation of citizens. In cases of failure to give such cooperation, the health department recommends decisive action by the courts, and where adequate laws do not now exist for this purpose the legislature is called upon to enact them.

The department also makes a plea for improved handling of milk by producers and vendors in the islands. Lack of sanitation in this respect is the cause of much disease in the communities.

For control of tuberculosis, appropriations are sorely needed to provide isolation wards, and for purchase of X-ray plates in large numbers to permit regular and extensive X-ray examinations of all tuberculosis contacts among the children.

Child health is one of the major problems. Periodical medical examinations of school children, with follow-up and treatment for defects found, are continued. Undernourishment is the greatest single evil disclosed by these examinations. The need calls not only for continuation of the present hot-lunch program but for an increase so as to provide for all indigent school children.

Free dental service rendered by the municipal dentists has been an invaluable contribution to the health of children as well as indigent adult sufferers.

Overcrowded homes, with sometimes as many as 10 persons living and sleeping in one poorly ventilated room, are another great evil. A housing program for elimination of this menace is urged.

The public health nursing service provides care for indigent sick in their homes, carries on infant welfare and prenatal work through clinics as well as through home care, and in addition is attempting health education among the poorer people. In St. Croix, school health nurses have done special work among the children.

HOSPITAL SERVICE

Hospital service (both for medical work and surgical treatment) has been fully maintained throughout the year through the three hospitals of the islands. In addition, several clinics have functioned in outlying districts. An increasing number of people is taking advantage of the hospital service. In St. Thomas, 36,923 consultations or treatments were given to out-patients as compared with 24,404 last year, though hospitalization totaled only 17,681 sick days as compared with 18,309 last year.

HEALTH INSTITUTIONS

The health institutions in St. Croix (the leper colony, the insane asylum, and the poor farm) functioned normally throughout the year. The leper colony has been given much attention of late years

and the inmates are now housed in a modern village colony. Some of the old buildings have been torn down and replaced by modern concrete structures, and the old buildings remaining have been placed in excellent repair. Besides improved care for the lepers, entertainment is furnished for the shut-ins through moving pictures and occasional musical events made possible by a piano donated to the institution.

EDUCATION

Distinctive features of the educational work carried on during the past year are summarized in the following paragraphs.

ENROLLMENT

With an enrollment of 3,460 in the public schools, the total is 25 less than the preceding year. Yet there has been an increase of 47 in high-school grades, where the total this year is 638. Attendance was 96.43 percent of the enrollment, which is 2 percent better than the preceding year.

SCHOOL BUILDINGS

As a result of P. W. A. grants, most of the school buildings are now in good condition. Seven new buildings have been completed, and others have been extensively repaired. The school-housing picture is marred, however, by the incomplete structure at Dober School, necessitating the continued use of the old school condemned years ago and by the need for permanent high-school quarters in St. Thomas in view of the fact that the Marine Barracks building (until lately in use as the high school) will be used again for military purposes in connection with the development of a marine air corps base at St. Thomas.

CURRICULUM

No major changes were made in the academic curriculum. Continued emphasis was given to home-economics courses for girls and manual-arts training for boys, the principal vocational subjects taught. Classes in housekeeping, based upon the duties of a general maid, were introduced for the benefit of over-age girls in elementary grades. Classes in basketry were added to the schools in St. John, the center of the industry, and to two rural schools in St. Croix. Commercial classes (bookkeeping, shorthand, and typewriting) introduced in the St. Thomas High School made a good start.

VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE

Established in 1932 and supported by Federal funds, the Vocational Institute is a boarding school, with 33 boys in residence during the year. In addition, an academic class attended by day students,

and designated as the Senior High School of St. Croix, was conducted at the institute and furnished the academic training of the vocational students.

During the year greater emphasis was placed on agriculture in the Vocational Institute than heretofore. The orientation courses of the first-year students-harness making and shoe repair, carpentry and cabinetmaking, auto and farm mechanics-contribute toward the general development of the individual student, fitting him for the local farming situation. Second- and third-year students were afforded actual participation in agricultural projects by taking part in the work of the agricultural-experiment station.

SCHOLARSHIPS IN UNITED STATES UNIVERSITIES

New York University, Swarthmore College, and Hampton Institute granted scholarships to three outstanding students, the awards being made through the education department on the basis of merit. There are now 13 scholarship students from the Virgin Islands in colleges in the United States.

ADULT EDUCATION

With funds provided by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, classes were reopened in four centers in October and carried on for 19 weeks. Forty classes met twice a week with 1,162 students enrolled. New courses included basketry, bookkeeping, shorthand, and printing.

NURSERY SCHOOLS

Nursery schools are much needed in the Virgin Islands to take care of preschool children from needy homes. On account of the loose family ties, a large percentage of the children must look to their mothers alone for support. These must take daily employment, either in the fields or in domestic service, leaving their children to the care of aged relatives or neighbors.

Following demonstration nursery schools conducted the previous year, in which local persons were trained by experienced continental nursery-school teachers, schools were established in November 1934 in each of the three principal towns, with native teachers. This was a promising undertaking, but was short lived due to the withdrawal of Federal funds. Resumption of this activity is recommended.

HEALTH AND WELFARE WORK THROUGH THE SCHOOLS

Besides the health work (medical and dental examinations and treatments) carried on in the schools through cooperation of the health and education departments, health training is given emphasis

22260-35- 2

in the effort to correct unhealthy practices and diet among the children, and in the hope through them to reach their homes. One Jeanes teacher in each island helped much in this and in general community work.

With funds contributed by the Golden Rule Foundation, hot lunches were continued for the needy school children in St. Thomas.

LOCAL ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATION

Failure of the councils to provide funds adequate for the educational program advocated by the administration is really the outstanding problem of the education department. This failure is probably due as much to lack of appreciation of or agreement with the purposes of the program as to lack of available funds. Without local popular and financial support, there can never be the necessary continuity of purpose.

The most outstanding need of the moment, then, is to work out a fundamentally sound educational program of a type which would meet with such wide local approval as would insure adequate appropriations in the future. It should not be too much to hope that an agreement as to educational policies and purposes having been reached, the community in general will feel the responsibility of meeting the cost of the program, even at the expense of added appropriations from local revenues.

It seems that, for the present, success in this direction can come only if leaders in community thought are convinced that the educational program as planned can be of real value in the struggle to improve economic conditions in the islands. Cultural values are not now widely accepted locally as justification for the costs involved. It seems desirable that this local opinion should be so modified that it will recognize the value of and give support to some degree of cultural training, but until it is modified the situation as it is must be faced.

PUBLIC WELFARE

Together with the greatly increased volume of work incident to the Emergency Relief Program, the public-welfare department carried on its usual activities in the two municipalities.

The largest single item in the normal work of the department was assistance to the poor, consisting of (1) direct relief in the form of pensions and (2) care of aged poor at the poor farm at Kings Hill, St. Croix. In St. Thomas and St. John, pensions totaling $7,539.33 were distributed to 368 persons from municipal and trust funds. These pensions were inadequate both from the standpoint of the amount of individual grants and the number of persons assisted.

The majority of the pensioners received $2 a month, and none received more than $3 a month. Most of these must pay a rent of $2 to $3 a month, so that, on the average, the pensions can do nothing more than provide shelter. As many on the pension lists have dependents, two or three in some cases, the need for increased benefits is evident. The total grants and the general situation in St. Croix closely approximate those in St. Thomas and St. John.

To improve the pension system, the welfare department has prepared a model pension law, which it is hoped may be furthered. An attempt was also made to have the Virgin Islands included in the National Security Act, which was denied by Congress on the grounds that the Virgin Islands do not pay taxes to the Federal Government. Inclusion of the Virgin Islands in some part of the fine benefits available under this act is a great need.

The department makes an earnest appeal also for appropriations for a housing program to relieve overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions, for trained social workers to make possible vigorous uplift work among the lowest income group, and for establishment of community centers.

EMERGENCY RELIEF ACTIVITIES

The welfare department in both municipalities has functioned as a relief and employment agency of the Emergency Relief Program, receiving and investigating all applications for aid, selecting, and assigning workers to the work-relief projects, and making direct cash, food, and commodity grants as needed. In St. Thomas alone, the investigational work entailed about 4,000 office interviews and approximately 5,500 visits to the homes of applicants by the department's social investigators. Distribution of food necessitated the establishment of a food-distribution center in each island.

The department conducted a sewing project in each island, which together turned out 10,353 towels, 2,064 sheets, and 971 pillowcases, besides a quantity of clothing, all of which were distributed to needy families. At a mattress project in St. Thomas, 519 mattresses were produced with F. S. R. C. material and relief labor, and these were distributed among the poor in all three islands. Increasing proficiency of the workers on this project is evidenced by reduction in production costs per mattress from $10.26 at the start to $4.08 at the end of the year.

PUBLIC BEACH HOUSE

The Public Beach House at Lindbergh Bay, St. Thomas, was formally opened on July 19, 1934. The occasion was marked by athletic sports and by ceremonies in which a large crowd participated.