Reed College - Griffin Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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REED COLLEGE AbUWJAL + 1915 T1651 by the lack of follo-np work. Equipment for fysical education in public and private scools in Portland was the subject of an investigation by Edna Metcalf. A recreational survey, made by Margaret Creech and Elsa Grill shoes the relation of recreational facilities to the popula- tion of Portland. A map of the city prepard by them indicates the location of every theater, moving-picture house, scooi, church, playground, park, ball ground, beer garden, saloon and poolroom. In View of the fact of the closing of the saloons in 1916 special study is made by the investigators of the relation of the saloons to the general population and t0 the other recreational centers, and special attention is given to the prob- lem of possible substitutes for the saloon. Perhaps the largest and most significant group of in- vestigations undertaken ar those which hav to do with labor problems, particularly those of labor legislation, unemployment and immigration. An article, Oregon's iMz'nimum IVagc Law, ifs Enforce- ment and its Effects, by Harry XVeinbridge was printed in Uyclfarc for April first, 1914. Mr. TVeinbridge related the facts concerning the adoption of this law and the establishment of its constitutionality. He then analysed the varins objections which had been raised and evidence regarding them. The minimum wage law in Oregon seemd not to hav caused the predicted bad effects. Fighting Unemployment and Dcstiturion in Portland, is the title of a paper by Bess Owens in the Survey of April tenth, 1915. Miss Owens flrst reviewd the work which has been done in Portland during the past winter to relieve destitu- tion and unemployment. The second half of the paper is devoted to an analysis of the causes of destitntion. Miss Owens found mental or fysical incapacity to be the cause of 29.7 percent of the cases investigated and unemployment to be the cause of 25.9 percent of the cases. Portland's problem of homeless men was studied last semester by Ruth Shoudy and Lottie Grantham in connection with the work of the clas in social economics. One thousand records of the Associated Charities furnisht the material for this study. Data wer tabulated concerning the nationality, age, education, mental and fysical condition, time idle, addic- tion to alcohol, time in America, the state and the city of Portland, reasons for coming to the state and t0 the city, reasons for applying for aid, what relief was given, and whether or not the relief met a temporary or a permanent need Of these idle men. The city of Portland has made several attempts to deal with this most important problem of the homeless man, but as yet no permanent solution has been reacht. The results of this investigation help to make the situation clearer. Glenn Johnson has workt out the problem of the correla- tion between mental defectivness and unemployment. He tested the mentality of a hundred fifty nnemployd men selected

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l164l R E E D COLLEGE ANNUAL -:- 1915 returns since 1904, from the counties having no city over three thousand in population and from the city of Portland. With the exception of the mesures 0n prohibition and woman suf- frage. each of which receivd a proportionally higher vote in the cuntry, progressiv legislation seems to receive a higher percentage of votes in the city than in the cuntry. Mr. Peterson made a similar examination of the voting in the different districts of Portland. The districts which wer selected correspond to the upper-middle, the 10er-middle, the organized, and the unorganized labor classes. Judging from the votes cast for such mesures as the universal eight- hour law, ventilation for female workers, and the fifteen hundred dollars tax exemption laws, the upper classes may be. said to be the more conservativ. The results of a study by Alvin Shagren of the Portland public market system in comparison with the systems in other cities, seem to sho that the public market is not such a means for reducing the cost of living as is commonly supposed. A survey of the Albina district Of the city of Portland made this year by the neighborhood survey clas under the direction of Mr. Wood, is one of the most important and coniprehensiv pieces of work accomplisht by the sociological department. Tousing conditions, immigrant problems, delin- quency and dependency, recreational faciities, industrial acci- dents and disease, unemployment and industrial occupation of the wage-earners hav been subjects for thoro investigation. An intensiv study of living conditions of nineteen families in the Albina district is also included in the survey. Careful maps. charts, and pictures hav been prepared to bring out the significant facts of the conditions which giV promis of de- veloping into a slum district should the city of Portland per- niit it. These facts wer presented before the Social Wrorkeris Conference held at Reed College in May of this year. Arlien Johnson. Louise Lewis and Gertrude Renter made a survey of the private employment agencies for women in Portland. After Visiting the agencies and talking with people looking for work, they came to the conclusion that there ought to be stricter regulation of these agencies. Carl Rochet made a study shoing the relation of public docks to the industrial development of the City, and a Study of the relation of housing problems to land speculation was undertaken by Otto Schultz. An examination Of the work of Portlanch Helth Bureau made by Margaret Creech indicated that Portland owes its good helth to its natural environment rather than to any precautions taken by the city to preserv public helth. The twenty-one cents per capita spent by the city for public helth, seemd to be an insufficient amount to provide adequate in- spection and activ educational work. Dorothy Elliott made a survey of the helth records of children in the Portland scools, the principal result of which was to sho that much of Portland's heith inspection in scools is renderd inadequate

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mm REED COLLEGE ANNUAL + 1915 at ramdom, and at the same time secured information con- cerning their heredity and environment. The mentality of these men was found to range from that of a seven year old to that of an adult of superior ability. In a majority of cases bad environment was found to hav had its effects. Lawrence Beggeman has made a digest of five hundred records of unemployd men applying at the Municipal Free Employment Bureau. Dorothy Walton made an investigation of the opportun- ities open for the average college traind woman, basing her studies chiefly on conditions as found in Portland. The general results obtaind seem to sho that at present there is no particular demand in industry for college traind women, Yung Womenis Christian Association work and jurnalism being two important exceptions. The demand for traind social workers is sloly groing, but at present it is not very strong. To find the correlation between nationality and educa- tional progress, Irma Lonegren has made a study of condi- tions in the Portland public scools. Ten representativ scools we'r selected and 2396 questionnaires fild out of which 1137 wer from children of American parentage, 950 of forerl pare entage and 325 of mixt parentage. The careful study of these questionnaires shoes in general that nationality in itself is not correlated to retardation in scool. The results of such a study haV both a social and educational value, and at of particular interest in view of possible solutions of Portlandis groing immigrant problem. Marvin Howes and Alvin Bradford, under the direction of Mr. VVOOd, hav made a study of occupational diseases. The results of their investigations wer cited in testimony of Mr. Wood before the Federal Industrial Relations Commission. This investigation has been folloed up this year by Gertrude Renter, who gatherd many additional data on the existence of industrial disease in Portland. Studies of the facts and problems of mental defect hav cald for material from several departments of college in- struction-psycology, biology, politics and sociology all con- tributing material and theories. The work of Glenn Johnson in this kind of study is noteworthy. After a careful investiga- tion of feeble-mindedness in Oregon he prepared a paper, The Future Care of Alenfal Dcfectz'z's in Oregon, which he red at the Portland 1915 Conference in May, 1914. His paper shoed the relation of the problem of feeble-mindedness t0 the prob- lems of unemployment, charity, prostitution, criminality and the general welfare of society, and pointed out several possible methods of eliminating the problem for future generations. A study by Dana Poulsen 0f the methods employd thruout the United States in the care of criminals, and a similar study by Delvin Peterson concerning the care of the insane, has re- sulted in the addition of many valuable state reports to the library.