Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-02-12
of the St. Louis School for the Blind, tho

| of the St. Louis School for the Blind tho
committee says:
| The institution was located at the point
now occupied, corner of Nineteenth and
| Morgan streets, in 1855. II ut that
| time far out in the suburbs of the
city. To-day it is in the heart of the city,
and the property has increased in value
manifold. Your committee is of the opin-
| ion that j suburban location would be far
| preferable to the present one for many
| reasons. The school should have larger
| grounds and more modern appointments.
| While the health has always been remarka-
| bly, good. we believe location more remote
| from the business portion of the city would
| be conducive to even better record. The
property now occupied could be disposed of
| for sum much greater than would be nee
! essary to purchase new ground and erect
| modern buildings, and think provision
! should be made therefor.
| ST. JOSEPH LUNATIC ASYLUM.
The books of the treasurer of Lunatic
Asylum No. 2, at ST. Joseph, were care
/ fully checked over, and every dollar re-
| ceived was properly accounted for. In
connection with the report on this in
| stitution the committe says:
| In the opinion of your committee, the State
| is the victim of two outrageous contracts at
| this institution, one for water ana the other
| for gas. After paying for the connections
with the water mains by special appropria-
| ton, we find contract was made with the
water company for ten years, by which the
! board agreed to pay fifteen cents per 900
gallons of water, the account running about
s., 200 per annum. 1t was represented when the
contract was made that the pressure would
be sufficient to afford ample fire protection.
Tests made by us to demonstrate the faIlacy
of this representation. With but two
hydrants open the streams barely reached
the third story windows. and in case of a
confiagration of any magnitude the 1ircmen
could not get close enough to the building to
get the water on the fire. 1t is simply APP
palling to contemplate the unprotected con
Gition OF the 80 unfOrtunates confined here
| if fire should be started. The gas rate is
almost equally extortionate, being $50 per
1,0OO cubic feet, the account running over
8, 200 per annum. Unless adequate conces-
sions made by the companies controlling
the water and gas supply, provision should
be made for putting in independent water
works and an electric light plant.
\ USELESS INSTITUTION.
The Reform School for Boys at Boon
vile is ceferred to in very compliment
| airy terms, but the Industrial Home for
Girls a Chillicothe is considered an eX-
pensivc and useless luxury. Says the
report:
This Institution has now been in operation
two yea :, and but eleven girls have been re-
ceived, nine of whom remain. The expense
pi iiidI' tildiitt Ipf Iilc TWO years, inclut!ns
Salarie was ST. 9jS- 63. an average per capita
per anlium OF SI.G79.SS. The line OF thought
leading; 10 the establishment of this institu-
ton, AID the work to be done in carry ing it
on, q, - not seem to have taken very
strong hold upon she people of our
state. Whether this indicates a bet
ter ju gmcnt on our part, or a failure
to gr:,D and utilize the better thought of
the ag ., is not for your committee to decide.
Ccrtai it is, however, that the experience
of the last two years has shown that this
institl zion not be successfully main
tame. under our present laws unless it is
desire / to maintain expensive luxury.
In say ne this your committee mean
flectiL ! upon the officers board of mama
gers o. this institution. on the contrary,
we believe they have worked earnestly and
hone fly to make the institution Il success.
In 9th States where kindred institutions
'nducted on the principle that it is
easier to save Maynard girl before COM
mittil z q crime than it is to reform her
after conviction, and under laws that pro-
vide for sending incorrigiblc ones WHO ay
not have parents others with sufficient
authority or influence to control them, to
these homes, such institutions are, it it
claimed, a success, and do good work for
humanity. But if this General Assembly, in
its wisdom, does not choose to amend our
present law in this respect, your committee
believes the experiment should be aban
doncd, and the building and grounds used
a home for the incurablc and peaccahly
disposed insane, who now prove such bur
den to our ovcrcrowied asylum.
But little if any fault is found with
the other SSate institutions.