Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-07-19

state institutions is one OF great I'M
portancc, as it is one of the chief items
of expense. The board of control has
been collecting information from the
institutions in regard to the amount of
meat of different kinds they consume,
how they purchase it, the price paid,
etc. The hospitals for the insane pur-
chase fat stock and do their own
slaughtering. The result of this in
vestigation has been to show that
there is wide difference in the price
paid for supplies in the various insti-
tutions. Some of them pay 50 per
cent. more for the same kind of meat
than others pay. Some are supplied
by contract with dressed meats, and
as compared with the hospitals which
kill their own meats, the ones who buy
dressed meat are as rule getting 1T
cheaper. The board is inclined to
think that it is impracticable for the
institutions to do their own slaugh-
tering unless they are able to main
tain feed yard and buy stock when 1t
can be bought cheap and fatten 1T.
Valuable Record.
Another thing the institutions are
obliged to do is to furnish an inven-
tory annually of all the property, both
real and personal, belonging to the
institutions. This inventory must in
clude every item, so that the board
may know from year to year just
what has been used, what is needed
and what has become of the property
belonging to the state. Such an in
yentory has never been made before.
1t will be hard thing to secure at
first. but when it is once established
It will be a valuable record and one
that the board thinks should have been
started long ago. The superintendents
are also required to furnish to the
board the complete dietary, showing
Just what is furnished to the inmates
of the institutions at every meal and
the exact cost of each item and the
average cost per capita, permeal, per
week and perday. These reports have
not been completed but those that
have been received show great diff
ference In the different institutions.
Mustered Into Service.
Iowa's two batteries of light artil-
lery, the Fifth, from Cedar Rapids and
the Sixth, from Burlington, have been
mustered into the service of the United
States with the following officers:
Fifth-Capt. George w. Bever, First
Lieut.. Richard T. Forbes, Second
Lieut.. Samuel C.. Cook. Sixth-Capt.
Frank S. Long, First Lieut.. Albert
Huebner, Second Lieut.. William I.
Garrett. The batteries are now drill
ing as best they can and waiting fur
Their orders. Most of the equipment
except the guns is on its way or has
been received. Four old cannon have
been sent to Camp Mckinley for the
boys to practice with, but it was some
days before the guns were used even
| to fire salutes because there was no
one in camp who knew how to fire
| them. The horses for the batteries
will be shipped from the quartermas-
| ters' department in Chicago and they
| will have to be trained to stand fire
| in this camp before they are sent to
| the front. Very few trained artil-
lerymen volunteered to serve in these
batteries because they found all the
nonconmissiond officers were to be
appointed by the captains from the
| Cedar Rapids and Burlington men
without experience. Men of artillery
! education did not care to serve as
| mere privates under officers without
| training, SO the vacancies were filled
from Cedar Rapids and Burlington and
| the companies mustered in. They are
fine lot of men, averaging perhaps
better than the average company in
| the infantry regiments from Iowa
| War Cost to the State.
| AT last accounts the state of Iowa
had spent $112,665.Gl for mobilization
of Iowa volunteers. The bills are not
| all in, especially the transportation
bills. The total cost will be not far
1 from the estimate made some time
ago, S125, 900. til still uncertain when
/ this money will be refunded by the
government, although provision has
been made for it by congress. The
statewillnot get itall back as there are
| many items for which the government
is not responsible. Among these is the
$5,177.93 paid the members of the ma
4 tional guard who came TO Camp Nc
I. Kinleys when the troops were called
out April 20 and we're afterwards re
jected for physical disability. These
men We're paid regular army pay fol
the time they were actually in camp
4 Volunteers outside of the nationa
guard who were rejected were not paid
for the time they were in camp. All
they got out Of it was the subsistence
for that time and transportation home
Suffer Many Hardships.
4 LATE Young, editor of the De:
Moines Capital, who has been at the
front with the United States troops
/. at Tampa and in front of Santiago
acting as a war correspondent, has re
turned home. He was obliged to leave
Santiago on account of his health be
fore the battle took place there. He
was overcome by the heat and hard
ships he had to endure. Mr.. Young
says it is uncomfortable how the United
States troops, especially northern
men, can live through the hardship:
i of the climate and camp and still con
tinue to fight. He says it indicates
the highest order of courage and pa
triotism. Fw. BIcKNELL.
i 1-