River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-12-30

struction of large reservoir Of doubtful utility
and of extravagant cost to maintain, the r0-
spOnsidilty for which the superintendent puts on
the board and board shifts back on the superin-
tendent. Again we find that the superintendent
has been accustomed to exceed in expenditure
specific appropriations made BY the legislature
taking the balance 10 do the given work or pay
for the specific article from the general fund. TO
Illustrate the legislature at ono time appropriated
81 POO far the purchase of stock and the superin-
t,udent Immediately invested over SO 600 in such
puI chase. We think the board have been in fault
for not stopping this practice They have known
this tendency on the part of tie superintendent
and hive evidently given it a quasi sanction
where on its first occurrence. they ought to have
taken szeh steps that it would neter have been
repeated. The board is the lawfully constituted
authority appointed TO control the superintendent
and they are not TO be excused for negecting this
duty however unjustifable the course Of the
superintendent may have been.
MIsAPPLIcATIOS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
1t has also been customary for the hospital au-
thorties 10 use money appropriated for one specific
purpose in an entirely different direction. For in
stance in 1873 an appropriation of - GOO was
made to construct the bed Of branch railroad
track from the depot to the hospital engine house.
This was never built and what became Of that
specific - 600 no one knows. There has been no
report of the matter to the legislature and no
action by it on the subject. II seems to your
committee that such appropriations are placed in
the hands of the board as trust fund to expend
in particular way and when it is expended in
different way ii becomes a breach of trust which
cannot be approved. These irregularities show
the need of chapter $50 Of the laws of 1880.
INTER EST AND INDEBTEDNESS.
We find that it has been usual on the part
the board to permit the hospital to run to debt
and borrow money To meet the Indebtedness and
pay interest on the same out of state funus During
the time covered by our investigation the state
has paid over - 500 interest ON money borrowed
Font ba hos .al We bp anti op tIr
of the board to borrow money. and must posi-
lively condemn the practice in all cases. The
hospital can and should be supported ON its APP
preparations. We also find that the Indebtedness Of
the hospital instead of being $50 5ll as reported
to the legislature last winter when chapter 2s3,
laws of lSSo was passed, amounted actually to
SIS 600, on which the state then paying IN
teres Mr.. Giles, of the state board of charities,
in his testimony gives in detail his efforts to find
out the exact Indebtedness so as to report the
same to the legislature but he was unable to as
certain the amount taken from the reports o.
the hospital required by law 10 be made TO the
board of charities from the superintendent or
treasurer of the board and finally fixed ii near
as he could and put it at the sum provided for in
said chapter $50 OF this matter, and where the
additional SIS 900 had been expended, your COM
mittee have received no satisfactory explanation.
1t was claimed that the construction of the cross
wings above referred to- together with the neces-
saIy furnishing and the cost of maintaining the
additional patients taken in after their compile
ton and not provided for by the previous year
appropriations, made debt of some $4,000 but
the hospital authorities ought to lave shown that
their Indebtedness was $751; 600 more than that
sum, and ought to have frankly so stated 10 the
legislature.
PRINTED REPORTS
The annual printed reports Of the hospital is
sued over the names of the board and superln-
tendent, we have found entirely unreliable. The
information they purport to give is not accurate.
This we toun true in very many instances, ana
| is eXemptifed by the new barn account referred
- above to illustrate further. In 1877 the re-
port Of gardeners and farmers wages is S94S, too
small and that of atten 1ants S94S, too large.
| In the same year, teamsters wages rel ICED
$500 from the actual auo INT, and the mi ed ine-
! Gus wages increased this Sum he attention Of
the superintendent called to these Irregular
! ties, when he was ON the witness stand but he
! was unable to give satisfactory eXplal alton.
] The books Of the hospital plainly showed the cor
! rect amount Chargeable to these several items,
and the committee forced to the conclusion that
| increased figures were 81, en- for some improper
| purpose. The board claims that as matter OF
/ fact they knew nothing of the report until they
| saw it in print, while the superintendent asserts
! that he is responsible only i'll part for the report
/ aud if it is Incorrect is because the board has
not attended to their duties Some of the print
/ ed reports give tables of expenditures over the
! signature of certain committees of the board
Others do not some fail entirely to show the actu-
| al disbursements and the direction in which mon
! eys have been expended besides not being accu-
rate the reports are not sufficiently full and de-
tailed and not properly classified; We have eX-
amined the reports of other state insane asylums
/ and have been able to get a perfect picture d
! there working and cost III different departments
we regret to say our reports do not present such
picture, for all these faults no doubt, s'Iperin-
! tcndent and board of trustees are to blame. Tie
board for is lack of supervision and not compel
ling the superintendent to do his full duty and the
superintendent for not making the reports an ac-
curate representation of facts irrespective of tht
action of the board. The superintendent cannot
be justified in publishing misleading figures and
| the board ought to know that report that goes
to the state at large is correct.
/ EXPERT BOOKKEEPING
Your committee employed an expert III book
keeping, Mr.. NJ. c. Patton, of Sheboygan, who
| rendered us service through the whole OF the IN
| vestigatiOn. lie proved to be Il thoroughly accu
rate and expert accountant. His valuable aid and
| suggestions through the entire time, has not only
lghtened the burden of the committee. but have
been ofvery great value in corning TO clear ant
perfect knowledge of the condition of the hospta
in every department Mr.. Pattons report to III
is hereto annexed. and we endorse it with grea
pleasure and desire it to be considered part Of
our report. The facts stated in 1t were developed
| and the work was done under our personal direc
ton and supervision. 1t contains much valuable
statistical information and many suggestions anC
comparisons which we have taken pains to verify
and which, without repeating here, we would maxi
our own, and to which we would invite the careful
consideration Of your eXcellency and the legisla
ture.
SUPERINTENDENT AND STEWARD.
The salary provided for the steward at the hos
pital has been entirely inadequate to the respon
sibility of the place. As the result the position
has been poorly filed the books and account
have become confused, and almost yalueless
the personal accounts Of the steward of the hos
I nit al nd ha ont #
rs bookkeeper necesstated. The superintendent
is man of positive energy, of mechanical ant
architectural skill of diversified requirements anC
most winning address, but, in the opinion of you
committee is a poor business man. However,, ht
is, or should be- employed for his professional ac
qurements, not for his business ability. His per
sona accounts with the hospital is also short a
above noted. We also found that the the superin
tendent had been in the habit of borrowing large
sums Of money from his employees and when ou
| investigation began such indebtedness amounted
to over 81 900. This he assumed to pay while ou
work was in progress but the evidence of pay
ment was not entirely satisfactory. He seemed t,
think there was no improperly in such borrowing
but evidently convinced him to the contrary
FIRE APPARATUS ESCAPES.
The recent disastrous fire at an insane asylum
in neighboring state leads US to question tn,
efficiency Of the fire apparatus and means Of escape
at our state hospital. The superintendent think
he has very perfect system, bur we do not fee
Of efficiently of throwing water on a fire depended
on the presence and skill Of the principal engineer
He lives long distance from the hospital anC
spends his nights at home, so that in case Of fire
at night much damage might be done before h,
could be on the ground. At least we would sug
gcSt that the organizing of fire department
among the employees to school them in the use o
the hose and familiarize them with theirindiyidua
duties in case Of fire.
REVIEWS AND GENERAL SUGGESTIONS.
On review the committee thinks that the most
prominent failures in the management of tn,
hospital have been loose and in business like
ways and extravagant and unauthorized expen-
diture of funds and this to large extent has
come from lack of close supervision on the part
Of the board of trustees. 1t is but simple justice
| to the board to say that more than year age
they began to realize this tendency in the conduct
Of affairs and took some steps TO countcract it.
For instance they then for the first time employed
| il competent book keeper and since that time they
| have greatly sharpened ,heir watch and while We
| were persuing our Investigations at the hospita
| we we're much pleased to note evidences of econ
Omy which the present administration
had not before manifested but we believe still
| greater rctrenchment, practicable. 1t seems t
| your committee that it costs too much to support
| the insane in state institution, viz. from
1928 to $40 per person. In county hospitals
the insane are supported for halt that sum. ~
course the state hospitals give better care but the
population is far larger in the state institutions
| and the expense ought not to be doubled. 1t /:
evident that there Is not the careful economy
exercised in the state that there is in the county
| in this direction. A state institution and