St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-10
BY HASTINGS HART.
MinneSOta'S State InStitu-
tiOnS Above the East
ern Average,
And Do Not Waste the Money
of the People to Any
Extent.
Still Only Two Millions Dol
lars Is Asked for This
Year.
Temperance Will Be a Theme
in the House During
This Week.
Two million dollars,

ensuing two years.
The sum seems appallingly large, but
from the remarks Of Hastings Ell. Hart
it would appear that the Minnesota pub
lie institutions are conducted on rea-
sonably economical basis. Mr.. Hart
should know something on this subject.
He is the secretary of the state board OF
corrections and charities. and the sub
ject is one to which he has devoted q
vast amount Of time and thought, being
conyersant with the cost and mode of
conducting all similar public institu-
tions in the UniJn. He says:
''There are two things to be consid-
cred in discussing the expenditure of
public institution: First. the Ordi-
nary expenditure, and, second. the eX-
penSeS Of construction and equipment
.'There is quite a difference i'll the
amount invested by the state in the con-
struetion and equipment of institutions.
The st. Peter hospital has plant of the
capacity of LOCO inmates, and the total
investment of the state has been 1906
for each bed. The Rochester hospital
has plant to accommodate 900, and the
total investment has been $3.50 per in
mate. 1t does not follow from these fig
ures that the construction of st. Peter
hospital was eXtrayagant. That hos
pital was begun in 1866, and at that
time they were erecting insane hOSpi-
tails in MANY states. Iowa was building
one at cost of 81, 800 per inmate. Mas
sachusetts built one at a cost Of $500
pei inmate, and New York has one at
Buffalo costing $1,000 per bed. Since
the building of st. Peter hospital there
has been strong reaction throughout
the country against expensive hospitals.
The Rochester hospital has been built
within the past ten years, and is as
eheaply constructed as almost any hos
pital in the United States, while it af-
fOrdS as good accommodation as the
most expensive.
"The school for the deaf has plant
with capacity Of 175 pupils, costing
S1,266 per pupil. The cost of this in
stitution has been necessarily increased
by the fact that it was built piecemeal.
A new plant equally satisfactory could
capita. The school for the blind has
plant costing l,1S9 per capita. The
cost of this institution is increased from
two facts: First, the small number of in
mates, the capacity being only iifty-five;
the other the necessity for providing
for a large number Of employees. The
employees average half as many as the
inmates. The school for the feeble
minded, with capacity of 170, cost, S622
per inmate; but the buildings nearly
completed will increase the capac-
ity to 800 at cost of less
$500 per minute. When the outside
custodial walls are built, the average
cost will be still further reduced. The
state prison is very expensive plant,
averaging S1,005 per man, with a capac-
ity of 615. This extraordinary cost has
been due largely to- the unfortunate
location Of the prison involving large
outlays for excavation and heavy re-
tanning walls. An equally good prison
in favorable situation could be built
for $3.50 per man. The public school at
Owatonna with capacity of 100, cost
doubled or trebled at an additional eX-
penSe of $3.50 per inmate.
''The average cost of the eleven state
institutions, thus far, for lands and
buildings, has been 500 per bed. The
total cost to the state has been 81, SOC, 600.
The appropriations asked from the
present legislature for lands and build
Jugs is S975, 100, which would represent
an increase upon the present plant OF
thirty-nine per cent ia the next two
years. The largest amount ever
appropriated by the legislature, for
like purposes, was S541.3O0 by
the legislature of 1887. 1t is very evil
dent that it will be impossible for the
legislature to meet all of these demands.
The managers of each institution being
familiar with the needs and prospects
of their own institutions naturally feel
that their application is of special i'm
portance, and the only way to do just
ice and serve the interests OF the state
is that which Gov. Merriam and the
finance committee has agreed, namely,
to get all the appropriation bills to-
gether, look over the needs of the sew
eral institutions and hear what the man
ayers have to say, and make a reason
able distribution of such funds as are
available. The evil in past legislatures
has been that appropriation bills were
approved by the finance committee and
passed through the legislature without
any comprehensive study Of the Situa-
ton. The result was that some institu-
tions got all that they asked for, while
those whose bills were passed later in
the session had to be cut short.
Then there are the appropriations for
current expenses. The amount asked
for is $1,340. 900. Most of the Minnesota
institutions are very economically con-
Quoted The average cost per capita for
the past two years has been S164 for 1887
and SITS for 1855. The average in Hi
nois, excepting the state prison, was
SlG6; but they are favored both In the
miIder climate and cheaper fuel. The
cost of maintaining the inmates for the
past two years has amounted to within
fraction of one mill on each dollar OF
taxable property of the state. The
state has recently opened two new state
institutions. and is about to open two
more. The cost per inmate for the
coming two years is extended at LOS
mills and 1.07. which is an increase of
about seven per cent over the average
of the past The number of inmates of
public institutions to every 100000 in
habitants of the state was 154
in 1879; it is now 1913, and
during the next two years is esti-
mated to reach 2l9. The cost of main
tainance has run down from S2l4 per in
mate in 1879 to Sl64 in 1887, so that while
the number of inmates increases with
rap dly. The rate of taxation required
to maintain the inmates remains nearly
stationary.
/ think there should be the closest
scrutiny of all applications for appro-
priations, and the managers of the in
Stitutions should be held to rigid econ
omy. On the other hand, we do not
want to practice the eXtravagant econ
ony of putting up badly-constructed
buildings that will have TO be renewed
in few years. or postponing necessary
expense to the loss and detriment of the
state. We have got to exercise reason
able and wise economy, as practicable
rnonln do in thair rivafn nynenditura