Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-02
PROBLEM OF CARING FOR room.
County Supervisors Believe n Good
Enrm is the ONLY Snlmtion.

County Supervisors Believe n Good
Farm is the Only solution.
The members of the Board of County SUI
pervisors are Of the unanimous opinion that
the only solution Of the question of caring
for the poor of Pottawattamie county is a
poorfarm. The matter of caring for the
poor is a question that is seriously confront
ing tho supervisors since the reduction in
the levy. The cost of caring for the pauper
element of Pottawattamie county is ~increas-
ing yearly, while the poor fund is deere vs.
ing. with a county poor farm, the super
visors figure that the cost of caring for the
needy could be reduced ITO a minimum, with
o possibility of making the poor farm self
supporting.
Last year the cost Of providing for the
poor in Pottawattamie county amounted to
approximately 500, 900, and there is no reason
to believe that IT will be any less this year.
In fact, the Indications are that 1t will be
greater. The levy last year realized about
$20,O for the poor fund, while this year
1t will only amount to $11, 900. The poor
fund has already been exhausted and at the
beginning Of the year the board found 1t
necessary to transfer $4,000 from the gen
eral to the poor fund.
In other counties poor farms have been
found to be paying institutions In Har-
rison county the poor farm brings in a
revenue to the county, and in several other
counties they are self-supporting. There is
no reason why, with a sufficiently large
sized farm, the same conditions should not
prevail in this county, the supervisors argue
When the matter of a poor farm was
preached in 1897, the supervisors secured a
favorable option on a farm in Norwalk town
ship. four miles east of Underwood, con-
tniping EOO orrfc with a largo house nn II
containing twenty rooms. The owner OF
his farm, Henry Cook, offered it to the
county for SIS, $50. but today he says he
would not sell it for $40 an acre more. The
buildings on this farm cost over 5000, and
the board estimated at the time that II
would take another $4,000 to put up the
requisite additional buildings to accommo-
date the number of paupers who would have
to be cared for. The proposition to pur-
chase the Cook farm was submitted to the
voters and rejected.
The supervisors feel that so serious Is the
situation that the question should be again
submitted to the voters and this VIII prob
ably be done at the election next November
unless it is shown in the meantime thai
there would be no chance of 1t carrying
Such a proposition has one difficulty tc
contend with and that is the jealousy ex-
listing between the eastern and western d.
visions of the county.
In discussing the matter yesterday, and in
fact it was the all absorbing topic at the
morning session, the supervisors figured thai
a good farm of 100 acres, with buildings tc
, accommodate from 100 to 200 persons, would
be all that would be needed for this county
The supervisors contend that not only would
! the poor farm solve the question of caring
for the poor. but that it would be far better
for the paupers themselves. Not only would
! they receive better care and diet, but they
would derive the benefit from fresh air anc
regular exercise on the farm. With proper
management, the board is of the opinion
that a 16O-acre farm could be made self
sustaining, even if it did not produce a
revenue.
The board held no afternoon session., but
will meet this morning to receive the report
of the committee to which was referred the
matter of ~ex-Sheriff Morgan's settlement
This committee, it is understood, made a
formal demand on Morgan for the amount
which Bowman and Spencer Smith found he
owed the county.