Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-01-01
FOR sTATE PENITENTI AIRY

FOR STATE PENITENTI AIRY
The appropriation of 1891 for general
expenses of the State PeniteDtiary for
the years 1891 and 1892, was $S7 .OOU,
The general expenses Of that term were
$43, ,556.78, leaving deficiency Of &c.
$50. 7S which is provided for in the APP
propriation bill Of 1893.
The number Of prisoners confined in
the penitentisry December 81, 1890, was
S24.
The number of prisoners confined in
the penitentiary December 81, 1892, was
SS7.
The report Of the superintendent for
the biennial term ended Dec. 81, 1890,
showed that the net capita cost Of
maintaining the convicts was less than
the average of a majority Of the states
of the Union. There has been q large
Increase in the number of prisoners
since 1891, and small increase In the
appropriation for the current term
over the actual expenses Of the term
ended Dec 81, 1892. The legislation of
1893, requiring the superintendent to
provide discharged convicts with
free transportation to the place from
which they were committed, and to
provide such discharged convicts with
clothing and money, will cause an in-
creased expenditure on that account,
out of the general expense fund, Of at
least $500; deducting this from the ap-
preparation of fifty thousand dollars for
general expenses, there remains fund
available for maintenance, of only
$46, 500, being an increase of less than
$4,000, oyer the acturl expenses of the
preceding term. This is an increase II
less than seven (O per cent. over said
expenses while the number Of prisoners
Dec. 81, 1892, was over 10 per cent 'arg-
er than the number reported Dec. 81,
1890.
THE BLIND SCHOOL.
The appropriation for the general
expenses of the blind school for 1893
and 1894, is $12,0O0.O0. AS the actual
expenses for 1892 were $1l ,37l.24, it
will be seen that this appropriatio n
provides for very slight increase in
the number of pupils during the pres
ent term. While it was expected that
there would be an increased number of |
pupils, the appropriation was based on |
the estimate of a reduced expense per
capita.
The following extract from the last
printed report of the superintendent of
the blind school will be read with in
terest:
SCHOOLS FOR THE BLIND.
"For the year ending June 80. 1892,
the attendance at the various instltu-
tions for the education of the blind In
the United States was 1858, There are
thirty-five institutions. The annual
expenditures of some of these institu-
tions are nearly 100000; more than
one fourth of this amount is paid as
salaries for teachers in the New YORK
institution. The approximate outlay
of money in the United States for the
education of the blind is 81, ,0OO, 600 an.
nually. One Of the latest reports is
that of Kentucky, which maintains a
school for the blind consisting of two
departments, (wnite and eolored.) The
number of white pupils was ninety
four, and the expenditures were $22,-
9l1.17 for the year. This institution is
operated much cheaper than some
others; and yet, with this comparative
ly large number of pupils, the fact Is
that staid old Kentucky pays
about $3.50 annually for every blind
white pupil in her institution; and for
her colored department, attended by
twenty-five, she pays nearly as much
as Oregon does for the maintenance Of
her institution, the expenditures of the
colored department being $4,682. .S2 for
the year, Including all improvements,
etc. ,Oregon's twSnty-nine pupils which
attended her institution during the
two years just past did not cost US $500
5000 annually apiece. Counting our
average attendance, our cost per pupil
g about $3.50 per year. This is consid-
.rably lower than the average; Ken
lucky is, perhaps, the lowest"
THE REFORM SCHOOL.
For the general expenses Of the state
-etorm school for I893-94, the last leg
stature appropriated $36,000.00. A
separate appropriation was made for
lew buildings, to provide room for an
increase In the number Of in
mates during the biennial term.
The last published report Of the sup
Of the reform school shows
hat the total expe nses Of the preceding
wo years amounted 10 t4l, ,S95.O6. AS
ome Of these expenses were for q farm 4
Iouse, and for some other small build Z
ngs, the cost Of maintenance of the In
titutiOD was leas than the Iasf men.