The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-01-20
ORDERS SOLICITED.

| pElCeS duu WOAA uupuC"SSus
} ORDERS SOLICITED.
granting of increased pay after the
performance Of work, whom q fair
contract has been made, is not in
general to be commended. Its ten
, dency is to prevent fair competition
, in public works, bidders. being in
: duced to calculate on agratuity from
, the legislature to help them out in
case Of ruinous contract. Yet, in
view of the attending circumstances,
of the good character of the work,
and Of the fact that, with the amount
now asked to make up the deficiency,
the building will have cost S42, 10
loss than the next lowest bidder Of
| fered to do it for, am induced to ask
the General Assembly to appropriate
| SIS, 900, to be placed at the disposal
of the Commissioners, to be paid, in
their discretion, to the contractor, if
it be found in equity due him, or to
be otherwise used to complete the
edifice. Since the last legislative
session, one of the commissioners,
DR.. E. Honr, has been removed by
death l appointed Gen. Grenville
M. Dodge to fill the position thus
made vacant.
Iwould remind the General AS
| sembly that, unlike the Trustees and
Commissioners Of other institutions,
the Commissioners having charge OF
this undertaking receive no COR pen
sation whatever for their services -
The distinction is tho more observa-
BILE from tho fact that an unusally
heavy bond, namely, 100000, is re-
auircd ofthese officers-ten times as
much as is demanded of officers who
perform similar services, and receive
per diem and expenses. l therefore
suggest that the Commissioner
be allowed a compensation in some
manner adequate to their labor.
AS is known, these institutions for
the blind and the deaf and dumb are
not for the cure or treatment OF dis
ease, but only for educational purpo-
ses; vet, in view OF the want of any
established charities, at which indi-
ycnt persons threatened with loss of
either sonsc may be treated, and of
the injuries to which such individuals
are peculiarly exposed by the NAL
treatment of charlatans, l would sug-
gest, as a proper subject for legisla-
tive inquiry, whether some provision
might not be judiciously made for
the treatment OF such needy ones
| in connection with the medical de-
partment of tho State University.
HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE.
| AS in the other insti tutions, SO in
tho Hospital for the Insane, the
health Of the inmates has been re-
markably good. The number OF
patients, however, has largely OK
ceeded the proper capacity OF the
buildings, and during the past
1.-TWO years, tor want Of room,
seventy six applicants have beon
refused admission, and forty-ive
harmless but incmable patients
have been removed or discharged
from the Hospital, which contained
on tho LIST of November last, thrcc
hundred and ninctyeight inmates
Persons needing treatment are now
moro promptly sent to the Hospital
than formerly, and it is doubtless
owing partially to this fact, that the
recoveries exceed those of any pre-
vious year. One hundred and twen-
ty acres have been added to the farm.
and considerable improvements havo
been made N the buildings and equip.
ments. The expenditures of the
Hospital for the two years amounted
to s214.6O5.72; distributed as follows:
sIS7, ,734.27 for general support, SS,-
500 for the purchase of lands, and
s16,37l.45 for furniture, etc. To
meet these expenses the Hospital re-
ceived s19O, 1882, as follows: for
general support-from the State
treasury s153,5O0, from private pa
tients 29,9S646, from articles sold,
S3,654.77, from balance ct beginning
of term, So, ,240.34 in all, S19O,3Sl.57
for lands and improvements--from
State, s25,75O. For the latter object,
the amount of the appropriation was
S2S,450. The estimated value Of the
supplies on hand is So ,355.47.
/ would invite your attention to
the draft Of law concerning the in
sane, as recommended by the nation
al convention of superintendent, of
insane hospitals, and appended to the
report of this institution, and l wo'd
commend the observations of the
Trustees thereon to your considera-
ton.
ADDITIONAL INSTITUTION AT INDEpEND-
ENCE.
The Commissioner for the sAddi-
tional Institution for the INSANE, at
Independence, having decided, after
mature deliberation, on plan for the
structure, awarded the contract for
the erection of the portion now to
be built, the price to be paid being
$685. The unfavorable character
of the past season has materially re-
tarded the work, yet the Commits
sioners nope to finish the building
now under contract within the time
by law. The expenditures up to tho
first of December last were S35, ,774.90.
The entire amount appropriated by
the Commissioners out of the sum al
lowed by tho General Assembly for
various objects connected with their
work, including contract price Of
building, is s1O0,29e.S9. The Com
missioners ask an appropriation for
the purpose ofimprovements and the
building of q horse railroad to tho
track Of the Dubuque & Sioux City
Railroad, which, the Superintendent
estimates, will cost s12,590.
Here, too, death has been at work,
removing from the scene of his la
-bors Mr.. Albert Clarke, the resident
Commissioner. His place was fillod
by the appointment of Hon. Geo. w.
Bemis, of Independence.
| AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
The report of the Agricultural Col
logo does not appear tobe due till tho
first of February; but by visits to the
College, and from correspondence
with the President, / have obtained
information which enables me to
l. II