only do we love our children, we also know that upon them rests the
future of our communities, our state and the nation.

If our children are to have an opportunity for normal growth and
development, this can come only after substantial effort on our part.
I cannot emphasize too strongly our responsibilities as parents because
it is upon good sound family life that the future of our children first
depends. Over and above this, however, as parents and citizens we have
a responsibility to see that the community in which we live furnishes a
climate conducive to healthy growth and that there exists the necessary
facilities and services to enable children to grow up into the kind of
citizens Maryland needs. This means religious training; educational
opportunities; a change for constructive recreation; opportunities for
work; health services, both mental and physical; enough income to live
in decency and health; social services to bolster up families and to care
for children when family life breaks down; and when things go seriously
wrong, adequate well staffed juvenile courts, understanding police
services and a variety of institutions and special facilities to serve child-
ren who have become delinquent or who are emotionally disturbed...

At this point, I would like to pay tribute to the thousands of Maryland
citizens who, over and above their efforts in behalf of their own families,
join with other Maryland citizens to give of their time, effort and money
to provide these necessary opportunities for children. In spite of their
voluntary effort, however, a heavy responsibility rests with government
and the public services and it seemed to me appropriate that I, as
your Governor, should on this occasion review some of the progress
which has been made in behalf of children during the last ten years, and
to point to some of the yet outstanding problems.

Before proceeding with this, however, I would like to indicate one
development of the last ten years which is of extreme significance to
every state agency having to do with children, the increase in child
population. In 1949, when Maryland was preparing for the 1950 White
House Conference, the committee reported only 600, 344 children under
sixteen. Estimates for 1958 indicate that this number was 939, 636, an
increase in nine years of 56. 5 per cent. There is much food for thought
in this fact. It should not be too surprising to citizens of the state, that
operating budgets have increased greatly with consequent tax impli-
cations.

More than 283 thousand of these added children under sixteen are
of school age. Certainly I don't need to tell any of you who live in
expanding communities, of the serious implications of the presence of
these added children to our school systems.... In our school systems,

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