Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-11-26
NUMBER 50.
ADDRESS OF DIR. ]. H. VIVIAN.
Before the Grant Couaty Board OF Supervisors,
Friday Evening, Nov. Is. 1885.

ADDRESS OF DIR. ]. H. VIVIAN.
| BEFORE the Grszt County Board OF Supervisors
Friday Evening. Nov. Is, 1885.
n Perhaps this board may think me a
great bore, as at several of its previous
meetings have talked to them on this
SUBJECT OF the asylum. And they NAV
think the same thing of the whole state
board OF charities and reform, from the
president down to your humble servant.
The board was created for the purpose
OF finding fault where there is any fault
TO be found. There are some faults to
be found in your asylum; not in the
management but in the buildings them.
selves. While | am gratitied at the ac-
ton of the board in building that asy-
lum, it may be we'll TO inquire whether
Grant county is not, even in the matter
OF dollars and cents, the gamer in this
mattsr-how much the asylum is worth
10 Grant county in money. If | told
you that the asylum saves TO Grant
county $4,000 or $4,000 a year, you
would probably think | was mistaken
or exaggerating. 1t is said that figures
don't lie; yet they can be made to.
Still. | will try not TO make the figures
he. owing to the accounts of the poor
house being mixed up with those of the
asylum, 1t is difficult to divide them
and tell which goes to each.
In Dane county the asylum is man
aged by three trustees who are not
members of the board and the accounts
OF the asylum are kept separately from
those OF the poorhouse, and we know
exactly how much it costs. That county
has very fine insane asylum, an insti-
tuition in which the insane are better
cared for than in any other institution
outside of Wisconsin in any country.
The amount earned by the asylum.
above all expenses, was 81, 2S0. so last
year, besides paying $500 for permanent
improvements. la this asylum are over
90 OF Dane county's insane. To take
care OF these at state institutions would
have cost the county 81, 1881, making
total gain during the last year of
S6,O79.53. The building cost S2S. 900
complete, and contains 10Y patients.
| The report of your committee shows
that your county in the last thirteen
months at the asylum and eight months
at the poorhouse, the total expenses of
both institutions. outside of stock
bought. was So, 454 81. OF this amount
the expenses of the peorhouse were say
$500 and of the asylum So, 200. The
average number of paupers was IS, and
The average number OF insane ~. Forty
OF these insane belong to Grant county
and it woald have cost the county at a
state institution 500 per week, and for
the ID months $500, besides the
cost of clothing. Instead of this ex-
pense, Grant county received from the
state in the last II months 81, 297. IS,
and for Ii months S7,905 33. Add TO
this the amount saved to Grant county,
", 1860, and you have total of ST., 265.-
80. Deduct the cost of running the
asylum S.. 200-and you have a gain
OF Sc, 065.33 for Is months.
The state board thinks, when the
county can make so good showing as
TINS, 1t is not asking too much to make
your institution first-class one. To do
this 1T will be necessary to spend some
moiey. But in doing so you will in
crease the capacity of your asylum
about 80 patients, and will add TO your
returns 335 per cent. You have the
cheapest asylum ever built in the state
OF Wisconsin. considering the style and
capacity of the building. Iowa county
has appropriated So. 900 for an ASYLUM,
although it is heavily in debt besides.
They know that the cost of the asylum
to them will be less than the profit.
! am asked, May not the legislature
change the law in regard to county asy-
lums, and then of what use would be
this buildingp" But the counties
which are building asylums will have a
controlling interest in any legislature
which will be elected for many years to
come. The time may GENE, but not in
your day nor mine when every county
will have 1t own insane asylum. But by
that time your population and the num-
Der of your insane will have so increased
that you will want all the room in the
asylum which you are now ASKED TO
provide. But this is question of the
rather dim future. Fer the present and
the near future we will furnish you all
the patients you will provide room tor.
have some faults to find with your
asylum. In each ward is bathroom
with one tub, and no stove and no pos
sibility of putting in stove, and this
on the female side as well as the male:
two sinks. each containing tin basin,
In which nearly forty patients must
wash. The laundries are very con-
tracted and the kitchens are little cubby
holes, hardly big enough to hold stove
and table, to cook for 20 persons, and
the fumes and steam from both arise and
permeate the whole building. The din
ar MI IL ..
wonder one of the members of the COM
mittee got sick there
These are among the shortcomings of
your institution. As you are making
so much money at it, we have right to
ask you TO go on and make it complete. |
supposed that this work would be done
and that the plans were all matured.
ask OF Grant county to make their asy-
lum have capacity for 100 patients. |
the maximum allowed by the state board |
Put your Kitchens and dining rooms
above ground. Have them detached |
from the main building, but connected |
by corridor of light material which |
can be torn down in case of fire. Have |
the dining rooms separated by movable |
partitions so that they can be thrown |
into one room and make an amusement
room of IL when desired. The laundry |
should also be built separate from the |
main building and contain root house. |
Vegetables should not be put into the |
cellar of the asylum, nor in any house
in which human beings live. 1t is very
detrimental to health. | am a doctor
and am apt to he considered .shigh |
strung" on thess subjects.
All these Improvements will cost you
money, but ] will agree to make them
for the profit your asylum has been to
the county during the last ID months.
II Iowa cSunty, with her heavy debt can
afford 10 spend $4,000 more, Grant
county, with the profits she has made,
can amply afford this slight additional
expense.
CUR LOCAL EXCHANGES.