River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-01-16
The Hospital For The Chronic Insane

The following dispatch from Hudson
appears in the Milwaukee Sentinel of
last Saturday:
"a conmlttee from the ST. Croix
county board will start for Menomonie
and Chippewa Falls next Monday
morning TO investigate the chrome
insane asylums with a view Of report
ing their operations to the supervisors.
Ii is expected the board will be con-
yened next month TO vote upon the
question OF an asylum and its loca-
ton. Allen BE -gs. chairman, and III.
g.. Thoen, clerk, head the visiting
delegation
The law provides for joint asylums
by two or more counties wherever
proper in the judgment Of the board
of control, so that, if the board
of control has the interest of all the
counties tributary to the proposed
institution at heart, there is still
abundant time to secure its benefits to
Pierce and other counties. Some of the
members of our county board ought
to take this matter up and start "a
call for AN extra session TO take the
preliminary steps. The board of con-
troll may and ought to protect us by
insisting that any new institution in
this part of the state shall not be
limited in its benefits to any single
county, but that such of the adjoin-
ing counties as desire shall be per-
mitted to join. As we said last week
we are likely TO be placed under
perpetual tribute To st. Croix county
in this matter if our interests are not
taken care of now. We may have to
pay for the support, not only of cur
own quota of inmates in the institu-
ton, but practically to pay for the
support of those of st. CroiX county.
| for the charge that is permitted
under the law against outside counties
and the State is much greater than
the cost, according to reports of ex-
listing institutions. How far the
president of the board of control
committed himself to the st. CrOix
county plan when he appeared before
its board we have no knowledge, but
has occupied the position of chairman
of our county board and knows the
cost of the support of these unfortu-
mates to the county, who is citizen of
Pierce county, and who is supposed to
look after the greatest good to the
greatest number,-ia fact whose
official cath implies that duty. will in
this matter be entirely oblivious to
our interests.
There are at present twenty-three
asylums for chronic insane in the
state. The reports of last year show
that the average cost to the state and
counties for their maintenance was
$l.75 per capita per week. But the
county owning the asylum receives in
fact $500 per capita per week for all
| those who come from other counties,
or, at last years cost, q profit for each
inmate per week OF $1.25, receiving
$3.50 per week from the state and $3.50
| from the county. This would mean
| that Pierce county will have to pay
| for her 40 chronic insane $4,000 per
week, besides our contribution to the
state tax and that, should st. Croix
county build an asylum alone we
would be continual contributors to
| that county of a sum sufficient with
what they get from the state to
practically pay for keeping not only our
quota of insane but those of st. CroiX
| county as well. And situated as we
are, with an asylum to the north of
us and one to the east in Dunn
county there would be no hope of ever
cheapening this cost by the erection
of an asylum of our own. Pierce
county will be saved on her forty in
mates, and that is probably under
stating the number, fifty dollars per
week by joining with our neighboring
county in the erection of common
asylum for both. Half of the MEM
| bers of the legislature comes from
counties directly interested in keeping
up present charges, and we therefore
say that there is no hope of ever re-
ducing them to cost. 1t gives the
county owning the asylum an
opportunity to make a nice profit on
every patient from outside counties.
The law expressly provides for joint
asylums, and none other should be per-
mitted to be built in this part of the
state. Let our county boards get
together in extra session and take the
necessary preliminary steps.