The Advocate and news., 1898-01-05
COOPERATION AMONG STATE INsTI-
TUTI0NH.

TUTI0NH.
BY HON. W. L. BROWN, President OF the State
Board OF Charities.
have been reading from time to time
articles upon the question and plan OF
cooperation being adopted by our State
Institutions, and am pleased that the
discussion OF so vital question has
been given space. l am particularly
pleased with the ideas of Hon. Henry
Mclean in regard to this matter.
Perhaps 1t Is not generally known, but
cooperation does exist to limited ex
tent in our institutions at the present
time. The Board OF Charities, OF which
| have the honor to be President, has
control and charge Of eight institutions,
viz, insane asylum at Topeka, reform
school for boys at Topeka, insane asy-
lum at Osawatomie, deaf and dumb
school at Olathe, blind school at Kansas
City, Kas., orphans home at Atchison,
industrial school for girls at Belodt, and
home for imbecile youth at Winfield.
Located as they are, In different parts
of the State, whose localities are es-
pecialIy adapted to the production Of
different products, they can and should
be beneficial to each other, not to them
selves alone, but also to the taxpayers.
At the present time all the brooms
used In the different institutions are
manufactured at the blind school at
Kansas City, Kas. Nearly all the har-
ness used on the farms and premises OF
the different institutions are manufac-
tured by the pupils OF the deaf and dumb
school. Some of the shoes used by the
inmates Of the different institutions are
also manufactured at Olathe. In ad-
6ition to this, cabinet wares and furni-
ture from this institution In limited
quantity is Furnished to others. This Is
about the extent Of cooperation in our
State institutions at the present time.
While 1t is true that when we can we
favor buying the products raised by
other institutions, not under our charge,
this can be done, at present, only In
a few cases. Our winter supply OF onions
for the two Topeka institutions was
raised at the Hutchinson reformatory.
That Is about the extent OF the supplies
from other institutions. 1t ts the pur-
pose OF the board to have the boys at
the reform school raise potatoes next
wear for the two institutions here. This
can be done without placing a burden
upon the boys, and only giving them the
work necessary for good health. The
products Of the different localities where
our State institutions are located are
diversified. think there ia no better
fruit producing section In our State than
that around Atchison, and here could be
raised all the fruit necessary for the
other institutions Of the State, at least,
the small fruits, which If properly
canned and cared for would make an
immense saving for the other instdtu-
tions. OsawatOmie is located In a splen-
did peach and apple country, and with
the unemployed labor Of patients con-
fined at that institution the apple and
placed in the store-r0Oms OF the western
institutions at a nominal cost. With
the exception of Atchison, none OF our
institutions is furnished with orchards
Of any size. 1t takes time to grow
peach supply could be raised there, ana
fruit, and the board has under advise
ment the plan of setting several or
chards in the spring at the institutions
which are in the fruit belt.
The greatest difficulty we have to meet
IN bringing about cooperation Is lack
of funds, and while the board can do
their part in limited way in bringing
about thes happy results, yet 1t takes
money 10 bring them about. The item