Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-07-31
Figures from, Farnhurs.,

Figures from Farnhurst,
From the annual report of the Trustee
OF the Poor for the year ending Apsi
SOsh last, which has been printed ii
pamphlet form and ia characterized by 9
ooherenoy and itemization that our levy
eourtmen should study, we CLEAN som'
hgures Of timely interest to ths taxpayers
for comparison with that monstrou. feed
bill over which the sheriff and the CON
mittee are still higgliug. That feed bill
Is based on rate of 80 cents per day per
capita for two meals Of coarse and cheap
food, soup being the chief article on the
limited bill of fare, while the county's
wards at Farnhurst receive three meals
per day Of wholesome and nutritious
food in ample supply at cost to the
county. for sustenance alone, of less than
one.half of 80 cents per day. Which
shows the diff arence between running an
Institution on business principles aud
running it for private gain.
The average number OF inmates in the
county buildings at Far1hurat during the
last fiscal year waa 2i5, Tho total dis
burssments ''tor supplies and mainte-
nance Of almshouse and insane Rsylumn
were $19,665.9S. This included every
thing except salaries, outside relief, i'm
provemenss, q small miscellaneous charge
(@543.5s), and the products OF the county
farm. (The value Of the milk, meat and
vegetables produced by the farm, Sabout
e2,100, we will consider as offs.tting the
cost of the keep of the superintendent
nd his household, fireman, foreman, and
other attaches and the monthly dinners
10 the trustees aud others having bust
NESS at the almshouse and insane asy ium. J
Taking this total of $40 ,655, we find
included tnsrein such items as 81, lS9 for
board OF INDECENT insane in Penn Hos
pital, Philadelphia; So, 1876 Tor coal;
@2376l for house furnishing Goods;
$4,000 for gaaolene; $l75 for rent OF
telephone; $50 Oh for counsel fees
&s9l.15 for drugs; 1856 for fertilizers
$l2S.77 for oats and straw; $9Si11 for
dry goods; &44s. 10 for clothius; 1891. 10
for shoes; SAP for hats; $3l3.44 for
tobacco Slo3 for blacksmith
ing $23s.l5 for liquors $324.2l
for ice; and some minor items.
Eliminating these and getting down
10 the cost of articles of food alone,
We have the following Bread, S2.49I.2i;
groceries $4,43l As; beef, $2,378 80;
mutton, $3s776; salt meats, 1913 "A;
milk, $l46 so; -four and feed, $3s2.7i;
potatoes, Sal. 60-totRl, $40, 5sS. SO Ovid
ing this by 245 We find that the food
alone costs thu county $43.2 per year
for each inmate; little less than ~ cents
per head per day. II wa add the cost of
coal, gasolene, ice, drugs, liquors and
tobacco, We get q total OF SIG, 06I. rs:
equal to $6l.47 per head per year, or
barely II cents per day. These figures
tell their own story. We're the inmates
fed on jail diet, the cost would obviously
be very materially reduced.
On April 18Th Sheriff Allen rendered a
bill of about SIS, 600 for Feeding prison.
ers for Ia presiding year, At 80 cents
per day, this bill would account for the
sustenance Of ITO prisoners. On April
Goth the levy court cut down this bill to
$l4,2l4, on Abe ground that this amount
covered all the items for which the sheriff
could produce vouchers. Since then the
balance has remained unsettled and a
subject Of negotiation. By comparing
this bill OF $ls, 600 with the itemizsd ac-
counts of the trustees OF the poor, we
find that the county has been charged
50, 900 more for the food alone o. ITO iu-
mates Of New CASTLE jail than it has paid
for the food, clothing, fuel, light, ice,
liquor, tobacco and medicines consumed
by 2i5 inmates of the almshouse and in
sane asylum. Here is material for the
taxpayers to ponder and digest.