Evening journal., 1895-01-24
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY Y
What the Lawmakers Did In
Dover Yesterday.
DELAWARE HOSPITAL TRUSTEES


and Appropriations--A Legislative visit
TO the Hospital To-day Against Bogus
Sales Miscellaneous Legisiatlon.
STAFF Correspondence Evening Journal.
DOVER, Jan. "a The trustees Of the
Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst
had public hearing in the hail OF the
House OF representatives, yesterday
afternoon. They came down on the noon
train, accompanied by Superintendent
Hancker The trustees present were DR..
Il h Burton, Or. J J. Black, Hon.
Thomas B. Smith, Dr. James H Wilson,
William J. Stuart, DR.. Joseph B NAPLES
and John B Cooper.
Speaker MoMullen called the meeting
TO order. Speaker Of the Senate Watson
was asked TO preside. but he was not
feeling well aud declined
DR. Black was the first speaker. He
aid that the asylum was opened In 1889
with an appropriation Of $l4,0 900 year
The trustees found that the present
needs demanded an annual appropriation
Of $34 500, and that it would be impos
sible to conduct the affairs of the In
stitutlon on one cent less The annual
expense OF keeping a patient Is $l3S To
show the increased number of inmates
he stated that In 1890 they numbered
1866; In 1892, 199, and In 1894, $50. The
average OF $laS was less than In any
| eastern state, excepting West Virginia,
where the average in the Weston institu-
tlon Is 1928 70, and they pay nurses $1s
per month. He gave the following
averages for other places. Mlddletown,
Conn, 1885, District OF Columbia, $3.50;
Maine, Sl75; BloomingdRle, N. r.,
1858 29
III we do everything we can to cut
down the expenses we cannot possibly do
with less, said the doctor. Delaware
is now In the lead in its care Of the
INDECENT insane. The last General As
sembly overlooked our appropriation
We have bills now due for goods up to
December 81 The hospital expenses for
the insane are much greater than those
Of tine rdiEary patients.
| The Trustees Of the Poor aud Trus-
tees Of the State Hospital at Farnhurst
made an arrangement with the Whining
ton G ty Electric Company for lighting
both buildings with electricity. We
cannot take all the pay patients we could
wish on account OF inferior accommoda-
tion. If We had 100 pay patients We
could take the profits arising therefrom
to psy for INDECENT persons.
I'VE have Accommodations for $50 and
have to provide for 250 We have done
everything We can do within those walls
We have seven or eight patients la one
room This Is altogether wrong az Il
makes them dangerous to themselves
and TO others. Therefore, after going
over the building from attic to cellar, Dc
not see how we can accommodate $50
What the hospital needs Is som
place for noisy and filthy patients We
want hospital in Delaware put on q
higher plan than 1t occupies to day. Wa
want the Legislature to give us hospitA
that experts will not laugh at, nor oonld
possibly criticize We want a building
there hat Inspectors can say Is equal to
New York and other hospitals We want
1t ODE worthy Of our state
He read portion Of Or Hancker's re-
port dwelling upon the inadequacy OF
accommodations and attendants and
showing that the rooms have had to bs
turned into dormatories
1
tinued. I'VE have requests for the ad-
mission Of pay patients from other states
but thsy have TO be refused because tn,
accommodations are insufficient. II W,
could take them the institution would bl
a money making one With proper
accommodations we can make abou
81, 900 month from psy patients As a
is, We now get 5000 n month We ar,
| N al r,la 80
money The pay patients would decrease
the necessary state appropriation by sew.
eral Thousand dollars / know when vol
look into the matter you will think as W,
think. New buildings are needed and WI
estimate that they will cost about &85. coo
We have no doubt but that we shall b.
able to pay the interest on the indebted.
meas, for bonds could be issued to cove
1t. We shall then have model stat
hospital.
He concluded by inviting the Genera
Assembly to visit the institution 20 day
DR.. Burton suggested that Superin.
tendent Hancker speak OF the needs o
the hospital. which he did, following
the general lines Of Dr. Blacks Rd
diess. He said that cost per diem 10
maintaining a patient was 37i cents
which included everything provided. II
expressed the conviction that ther
: should be two more wsrds-one 10
intermediate patients and the other fol
those who were untidy and violent
DR.. Burton said. In the course OF hi
remarks. that the trustees needle
$50. 900 for current expenses and he ha
no doubt about It's appropriation. In th
last two years he had taken two insan
4 patients TO Philadelphia, where the
were maintained by relatives at a cost Q
! $50 per week. They would not hav
gone from the state If the Farnhurs
; institution had had proper accommodi
: tion
Dr. Wilson thought the question fr,
quently arises, why do you have I
/ many patients nowg" 1t is because the
! were formerly sent to Philadelphia
Baltimore and New Jersey. This is u
. class which now constitutes the pa
: patients at Farnhurst. He said that I'll
Z state laws fail to discriminate betwee
! idiocy and lunacy. In consequences
/ this there are several idiots ia the hosp
q tai The trustees cannot help takin
I them IL they have certificate from tn
' physicians Under the present law I'll
trustees cannot turn out single patieI
a who is not cured.