Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-01-21

committee for the insane hospitals. II
central or supervising board IS createu
, such visiting iss,t Gommttee VIII nave Wv
'"rhe establishing of system OF UNI,
form accounts which Is required or tne
executive council by the terms or the new
code. is a great and much needea reio nIa
kind of books, but institutions OF IKE KIM
should have similar books, and the COM
mittee believes this matter of instltutlns
q COUNTS into IS not fully appreciated. If q
central or supervisory board Is created.
this duty may we'll be paced on II. Iot
it is matter of much labor ana great
detail.
1.-THE precsndent of creating tax leyies
for state institutions should not be fol-
lowed. as it gives under present. NAL H.,
agements and conditions discretion III
expenditure that distracts TOO much from
legislative powers and functions.
1.-THE precedent Of one legislature max
ing appropriations for period longer
than two years. and which are 70 1e eA-
pended after the succeeding ieetssoa'u nf
him who is cognizant Of the uncertainties.
dangers and abuses of thus anticipating
the needs and revenues OF the du'n of M, NY
other general assembly The reHectlon
that al extraordinary approximations
should remain in the. state treasury un.
the tn Committee more than passing notice:
1.-THE executive council. or other proper
body, should be granted the right to make
appropriations from providentlal Iuna
when the legislature is not in session;
This power has never been abused, ana
prudence requires the restoration OF the
privilege to the executive council
Other Wrongs Beside Financial.
After disposing of the financial end of
the question the committee says: From
every standpoint we are of the opinion
that a change in the government OF many
state. institutions is not only advisable
but it is imperatively demanded. by
every prompting of business prudence,
economical Arrangements cannot be Sc
every commercial instinct and usage.
"rhere are sixteen institutions including
Cherokee insane hospital. There are
thirteen separate boards; makinG a9 go
600 in all in salaries and expenses in 1897.
During the biennial period closing June
80 1897, the state expended for these IN
stitutions 2.2259, 934.44 for purposes of sup.
port and maintenance and the, sum of
1854 .24o for betterments and new. buildings,
making a total expenditure during the
tnres of the state. The Twenty-sixth
general assembly at both sessions granted
s373. 1915 more in extraordinary, appro,,
Driatio to these institutions than did
the Twenty-flfth general assembly, Such
appropriations were not within the in
come of the state.
Discussing the trust system the COM
mittee says: "As our report indicates,
many of the trustees betrayed in their ex.
aminati before the committee want of
that information respecting me lnstlt u
known to any citizen. There are some ex-
captions to this rule, The committee met
two-thirds of the eleven trustees. Less
than one-third of this number gave the
required time and attention or evinced the
possession of information sufficient to
give valuable counsel, TO say nothing OF
actually IN the d ire or
diture of hundreds OF thousands OF dol
lars"
The committee then says IN substance
duct their own business. but they do not
farni.iarize themselves with the business
of the institutions. -,
institutions by separate boards of. trus-
tees without supervising authority
lodged in the board of control.
braska and South Dakota govern their
institutions by boards of control. so FAR
as the committee knows, no state put
one that has once provided for such
board has changed the system.
1.-The examination Of the o1hcers ana
trustees indicates that only in a few in
stances did we find a sentiment favoringg
the managing officers. Too often did we
find a disposition to regard the general
assembly as harboring hostile DISPOSE
ton towards the institutions.'
The intmation is made that resident
members of the legislature do not 1nXes.
tigate alleged abuses FOR fear OF effect
:.lf a Change is thought proper by the
legislature. the boards should be given
administrative and executive powers. 1t
must not only have the power to advise.
eminent of the institution,
"The three great educational instftll-
tons might be omitted: for their boards
exercising 10 greater degree. the power
vested in them by law, and there Is force
in the suggestion that the development
of the university as sea Seat OF !e no nns
plication to the charitable and penal
agencies of the state. The number OF the
governing bodies of the university ana 10
five members and better results obtained
To retain a member from each con-
gressional district on the board is to give
way to Il fiction That IS no longer, IL IL
ever was. useful.
I'VE are satisfied that 1t is within the
ready reach of this Legislature by proper
will be made by less appropriations and
the economical expenditures Of those
made. In New York in 1928 a LA law y, &C GOV.
hospitals saved S2GO.0G0 out Of total ex-
penditure of $2.OoO.oOO. The committee is
therefore not without precedent IN say
/! ing that it is reasonable to expect that
a saving of 100000 can be made IN Iowa
where 900 is spent bennially.'
Mr.. Merriam Dissents.
Mr. Merriam does not assent to all the
conclusions of Mr.. Healy and Mr.. Porter
as set forth. He believes in the creation
of central board with extensive super
visory powers similar to that under
which New York hasmade great saving:
He also contends that whatever central
board the legislature may see fit to estab-
fish, clothed with whatever powers is
deemed prducnt. should be board suit
able to exercise functions over all the in
situations of the state.
1.-The educational instftutions-the uni
versity. the normal school, the school for
the blind. and the agricultural college
should all be subject to the same econ
omy and supervision in the expenditure
of the states monies as are other insti-
tutions. The same criticisms as to busi-
ness methods are to he found in some OF
them. and in as aggravated form as at
any of the institutions visited by this
committee. If ten cents on the dollar can
be saved on the funds expended at one
place. why not attempt like saving.
through the same agencies. Oh the money
expended at other places?'
tt Wasn't Necessary.