Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-01-22
the board makes no demand for extension Of

! the board makes no demand for extension Of
I buildings at present.
F.! THE REFORM SCHOOL.
| This is of the most interesting of our
benevolent institutions. The average num-
| Der of boys present during the two years was
| ls9. Under the efficient direction of DR..
] Buck the school continues to thrive and per-
| form the wise mission for which it was Gre
| ated. The 81 800 appropriated two years ago
| for hospital building has been judiciOuSly
| expended for that purpose. More cottages
/ are asked for and shops for the purpose of in
| au&uratng system of industrial training.
| IDIOTIC AND MBECILE INSTITUTION.
Two years agoDr. c. X. Wiles succeeded
FL. NJ. Greene, resigned, as superintendent of
this Institution. The choice seems to have
been wise one. and the work of caring for
these peculiarly helpless people is being
| kindly and inteliigently performed. The
| asylum is crowded to its utmost capacity,
there being lob inmates, and applications for
| 63 more on file.
| INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.
| The last Legislature provided for the or
| ganization of an Industrial school for girls
| in need of corrective influences and training,
| to be located at Beloit, and for the erection
of building site to be selected by the
| board, of not less than forty acres, to be do
mated by the city.
| The board promptly organized State
| school at BeIoit, which supplanted and prac
| tcally absorbed the little school of the kind
| that had been maintained there by the be-
1 nevolent efforts of the Women's Christian
| Temperance Union. To the unselfiSh work
| of these women, therefore, is due, in large
| measure, the beneficent legislation for the
| creation of this institution.
| In June, 1>Sy. the board, after careful con-
| sideration, selected a site of eighty acres, n
| half-mile north Of the city, and having Sc
| cured the title to all but ten ten acres, pro-
| vided for the erection of building The
city, unable to perfect the title to ten of the
| eighty acres, has turned into the State treas
fpfy ,n1,ny fxUa 70 M fhnr
! for. Good faith characterized the whole
| transaction and the site has been wisely
| selected.
A handsome and commodious building
| costing $685. has been completed, and is
now occupied by the school. 1t is of native
| stone, 6ox1oO feet in size. two stories, with
| basement and attic dormitory designed to
accommodate 100 children. A boiler house.
| steam heating apparatus and cisterns for
| present water supply, have been added
| There were, at the date of the last report,
| thirty five children in school, and applica-
tiOnS for sixty more file The school is
now in charge of Miss Martha T. Spencer,
| superintendent lady of experience and
ability we'll enthusiasm for the work.
| SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND.
| This school, for the past two years. has
| been in charge of Colonel Allen Buckner,
| with John L. Waller a master OF handicraft.
The latter position has been abolished by Or
der of the board.
SOLDIERS ORPHANS HOME.
1885, under the superintendent of Charles
f. Faulkner whose long experience in con-
| nectiOn with State charities eminently fits
| him for the work A careful examination of
| his report disclOSeS the excellent condition
| of the home, so far as management is con-
| cerned. The average number of children
| cared for during the biennial period was Ill.
| which is in excess of its capacity. The home
in fact is OvercrOwded, With many applica-
tions ON file
THE STATE SOLDIERS HOME.
| BY act of Congress, approved March 3,
| 1889. that portion of the old Fort Dodge
military reservation upon which the build
| ings were situated, including about 127 acres
of land. was granted to the State of Kansas
for the purpose OF soldiers home, to be To-
Gated thereon, and maintained lay the State.
In anticipation of sucn grant the last Legis-
lature provided for the creation of such
home, and appropriated $4,000 for the first
| Legislature, a board of managers was ap-
| pointed and the home has been accordingly
located on the site granted, five miles east OF
| Dodge City, ON the Arkansas river
The State Penitentiary.
! The financial affairs and general condition
| of the penitentiary faithfully set forth
| in the accompanying reports of the board OF
directors, warden and other officers, and the
| showing is eminent!y satisfactory. The
! biennial period covered by the report en-
| braces the last ten months of Captain John
| III. Smiths wardenship, and fourteen months
present warden, who, with the valuable aid
! of Deputy Warden John Higgins and other
| faithful subOrdinates, has FULLY maintained
the deservedly high standing of the inst:tu-
| ton u model prison.
| During the first year of the biennial period
there was received in cash and paid into the
| State treasury from contract labor, boarding
| United States prisoners, sales of coal, and
| from other sources, the sum of SOB 661 49,
| During the second year of the period, the
amount received in cash and paid into the
State treasury, from the same sources, was
Sos, 25S. ~.
The expenses of the institution for the first
of these years exceed the cash receipts as
above given by O,976.42, and the expenses OF
the last year exceed the cash receipts by
S $500. IS.
The total number of prisoners from the
various counties of the State in custody June
80, 1888, was SS7. The number received during
the ensuing two years was SIS; number dis
charged during the two years was 102 The
number in custody June 81, 1890, $50. On
the 1st of January, 1857 there were SIS State
| prisoners confined in the penitentiary; OF
the 1st of January, 1888, there were S9S; on the
Both OF June OF that year. there were SS7; or
January l, 1899, there were Si1; and June so
1899, the number, before stated, $50
THESE figures indicate slight falling of
tendency in our State prison population since
1887. The board Of directors report the health
OF the inmates, and every thing pertaining
to the institution, as in excellent condition
Railroads and Railroad Legislation.
The subject of State regulation of railroads
is one of surprising Importance and never
ending public SOicitude. In respect to meth
DDS OF control, the commissioner system has
been demonstrated to be the most satSfac
tory, and has received the sanction of nearly
| all the States of the Union. This system, ad
mnistered by boards of cOmm sionerS, has
come to be regarded necessary part OF
government. Such a board has existed in
this State since 1888 My predecessors have
spoken Of the work of this board in terms Of
unqualified comInendation, and it is believed
that u careful review OF their labOrs can no.
. be otherwise than satisfactory.
During the last eight years of the exist
ence of this board there have been built in
this State 5000 miles of railroad, and the
duties of the commission have been CORE
SpOndingly increased. In the exercise of it;
; | power the board has repeatedly required re
! auctions to be made in the rates of trans
portation charges, and an examination o
/. the figures for the period covered by its ex-
istence can not be otherwise than interesting
and profitable. A comparison of the tonnage
of 1888 with that of 1889 emphasizes the above
statement. In the former year the tonnage
. | of all the roads operating in Kansas. accord
ing to the reports on file in the railroad com
mssioners' office, was II sS1 .322 a. For TIL,
! year 1883, the tonnage of the roads in th