Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1890-01-23
EXTRAvAcANT EXPENDITURE
Sheriffs of the Various Counties
Put it ON to the state
Treasury,
When Taking Prisoners to the
Pen and Insane to the
Asylum.
Startling Developments Reveal
cd by the Auditors Report
in this Matter.

in this Matter.
Expensive Transportation.
In Gov. Church's message of January
1889, he said: "The cost of conveying the
insane TO and from asylums and prison
ers to penitentiaries should be charge
upon the respective counties. i *
Excessive bills are constantly being pre-
sented in matters of this kind. Were
these matters referred to the counties,
the county commissioners would exercise
care and scrutiny in allowing bills or
claims that would result in large saw
ing, and IN no way interfere with the
public service. Expense Of carrying To-
sane last two years, S29,084.33; transpor
tation of convicts, s7,536.9S. * * * *
The auditor is powerless in many in
stances to prevent over-charges, having
no power to reduce extravagant bills and
no power to examine into the justices
thereof"
This matter is referred to by Gov.
Miller in his able message of November
20, and the same recommendation is
made. He estimates that the cost of
such transportation in North Dakota
alone will amount to about $4,000 a
year. It may be interesting to examine
the auditors report, and notice few of
the items which help make up the grand
total of $29.OS433.
The list of warrants issued for cost of
transporting patients to the hospitals
for the insane for the two years ending
November 30, 1888, will be found on
pages II to II Inclusive, of the auditors
report for 1SS7-8.
1t appears that on December ,, 1886,
the territory paid S4S9O for conveying of
a patient from Bismarck to jamestown;
that the sheriff OF Walsh county received
in the two years s2,Os125 from the terri.
tory for bringing 2l patients to the
hospital at Jamestown. That is to say,it
cost the territory on an average 500. 10 to
get patient from Grafton to jamestown,
distance of about 22O miles. Probably
the vouchers IN the auditors Office would
show that the cost has not diminished
during the past year, but the reports
have not been published. ] he sheriff Of
Walsh county, however, is not much of
an artist in his charges, compared to
some others who have less number of
patients and more time to make affida-
Wits. The sheriff of Ward county re-
ceived $l4250 for bringing a patient
from Minot here. 1t would not seme
that the cost of getting Stutsman
county's insane to the hospital ought to
be much, and yet the territory paid on
that account in two years the sum of
slO2.5O, an average of nearly eight dollars
per patient.
The sheriff OF Trail county charged on
the average, s70s0 for bringing patients,
and the sheriff of Grand Forks county
s73. 70; the sheriff Of Ransom county
| S79.4O. 1t cost the territory S50.5O to
get a patient down from Minnewankan;
the sheriff of Cass county charged an
average of $523O; the sheriff of Morton
county charged an average of S76.35; the
sheriff OF Richland county an average of
S6O.4S: another sheriff Of Barnes an aver
age of S3425.
The territorial treasury was grab bag,
to fill which each county contributed
and each county and each county official
apparently wanted to get out his share
and little more if possible. The sug.
gestion of the governor that this expense
of trans portation be borne by the county
is a good one and Mr.T! Ter has introduce
Ell house bill number l46 with that pur-
pose. 1t ought to pass.
The same reasoning applies to the eX-
pense of maintaining patients In the
hospital This ought to be met by the
county sending the patient, and the
county should have the power to make
its expenses in that regard out of the es-
ta,es of the insane, where they have
property: or out of any relatives who are
able and are legally bound to support
any patient. AS the law now is, a
wealthy man having an insane wife may
have her supported in the hospital at
public expense. This is wrong; the hus
bands should pay. if able,the expenses of
mai ntanlng his wife whether at home or
elsewhere. And the same IS true of
parents having insane children. Then
arnin. If the counties know that they
must support their own insane in the
hospital they will be more careful whom
they send. Instead of sending a vagrant
from another state, who has no residence
or even boarding place in North Dakota,
to the hospital. they will send him back
to the state where he belongs. Harmless
and lncurable imbecility Of aged panpers
will no longer be an excuse for shipping
them to the hospital IN order to rid the
county of the expense. Another bill in
troduced by Mr.. Tyler Is intended to in-
aururate these beneficial changes in the
PR sent system. It's house bill No. lis;
and is practically a copy of the Iowa
statute The Alert recommends to the
consideration Of both houses.