The Saint Paul globe., 1897-04-28
CARE OF STATE WARDS.
Legislature Seems to Have Been I'm
nDprecia tive.

At it's quarterly meeting yesterday,
| Secretary Hart submitted to the state
! board Of corrections and charities a
| statement showing in bold relief the
! inadequacy Of the appropriations made
! by the legislature to meet the exigen-
! cies with which the board is confront
! ed. Aside from the failure to provide
/ for separate appropriations for fur
! nishings and for residences for super
! intendents at state insane hospitals,
| the Legislature neglected, so Mr.. Hart
says, to provide for sufficient apprO-
! priatiOns for the proper employment
of the refOrmatory prisoners.
The board offered to the legislature twelve
new recommendations:
First-With reference to female prisoners
at the st. Cloud refOrmatOry. The board
recommended that such provision be not made,
for the reason that it would be likely to in
terfere with the creation of separate in
Stitution for women when the time shall
come for such 2n institution.
Second-The abolition of the inebriate de-
partment at the Rochester state hospital. This
was adopted.
Third-That immediate steps be taken for
! the erection Of a fourth hospital for insane
| This was not adopted.
Fourth-That if it was proposed to make
! provision for epileptics a new institution be
! created instead Of establishing a separate de-
| partment at the school for feeble-minded. The
| legislature appropriated $4,000 for the erec-
ton of cottage for this class of epileptics.
Fifth-The enactment of probation law
the house of representatives and was recon-
mended favorabiy by the finance committee
of the senate near the close of the session
but the effort to pass it by suspension of the
rules failed.
Sxth-The consolidation of the boards of
managers of the state prison and the state
reformatory. The bill for this purpose
introduced in the senate and was favorably
recommended but was referred and neglected.
1t was opposed by those who were interested
in the st. Cloud refOrmatory.
SPVP0Th-1ha establishment A a
agency for the state reformatory. No ac
ton was taken on this.
Eighth-The estimates for the current ex-
penseS of the state institutions were adopt
ed by the legislature without change, except
that no provision was made for the mainte
nance of the fourth hospital for insane. I'm
less there is a marked decrease in the number
Of insane patients this will result in de-
iciency.
Ninth-The recommendations of this board
for extraordinary repairs and improvements
| for the several state institutions amounted
| to $62 800. They were reduced by the legis-
! lature to 600, 81 per cent.
Tenth-The board recommended the recodi-
fcation of the poor laws. No action was
/ taken.
Eleventh-The board recommended an act
| for the establishment of a board Of county
| visitors for the inspection of local charitable
and correctional institutions. This bill passed
] the mousse OF representatives unanimously, but
! failed for the necessary twO-thirds votes to
suspend the rules in the senate the last night
Tweifth-The board recommended an act
to determine the residence of insane persons
pauperS and other dependents. This bill
passed just as proposed.
The bill provides also for the depor-
tatiOn of pauperS to the place Of their
proper residence when it can be as
certained. There is appropriated
for the use of the board in carving
out the provisions of this act the sum
! of $4,000 annually. This appropriation
will, in my Judgment prove entirely
! inadequate, but the law provides that
| T6 a hn TO
! ceed further under the act than the
appropriation will admit.
The board decided to visit Wiscon-
sin in a body and investigate the coun-
| ty system Of insane as instructed by
a resolution of the Legislature. COM
mittee was appointed to make ar
| rangementS, fix the date. ETC.
A committee was also appointed to
| arrange for an investigation of the res
/ idence of insane persons and paupers
in the hospitals and poor houses Of the
! state.
Conde Hamlin and DR.. FolweT were
chosen delegates to the Toronto con-
ference of corrections and charities in
July.
In the opinion of Mr. Hart, the Dunn
bill, providing that the authorities may
compel jail and lookup prisoners to
work upon the public roads. will be a
failure. He says: My opinion is that
this law will prove a dead letter. for
| the reason that the number of persons
in a county jail is very small, and the
expense of guarding them will amount
to more than the value of their work"
The report says that the St Louis
county poor house is in very bad con-
! ditiOn. The building is poorly con-
structed and poorly planned It has
! accommodations for about thirty-five
| paupers, and the number of inmates at
! times has been as high as seventh