The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-14
Put ON THE BRAKES
The c. and C. Board Will Check Hos
pital Expenditures Carefully.
PETT1coAT GOVT AT WoRKHousE
Wives of Employees There Must En-
ter No Building but the
Office.

The board of corrections and charities
took aggressive measures last night to
curb alleged extravaganza at the city nos
pltal and reform the administration at the
workhousc. 1t was voted to employ an
expert accountant and a druggist to check
UP the books and the stock of drugs and
other supplies at the hospital, and. as q
check on the purchasing of supplies in the
future, a resolution was passed requiring
that all orders for medicines and hospital
supplies, when in excess of $40 in any one
day, must be Endorsed by the chairman
Of the respective committees, and when
they cannot be reached, by the secretary
to the workhouse. 1t is also required that
any officer or employee of the board who
receives or collects money on the board
account must file a duplicate receipt with
the secretary of the board on the follow
ing day.
WOrkhOuse Conditions Improved.
In order to eliminate the ''petticoat"
government at the workhouse, another
resolution was adopted forbidding the
wives Of officers and employees of the
workhouse from entering any building on
the premises except the Office and their
homes, and requiring them to leave the
office as soon as their business was trans
acted. This new rule was suggested by
the charge made before the board last
night that the wife of the superintendent
has been far too active in the affairs OF
the workhouse Attorney w. R. Morris,
appearing for one Helen Wilson, colored
prisoner who recently completed a ninety
day sentence there, produced an affidavit
from her charging that she was held in
solitary confinement for thirteen days,
and fed on bread and water alone, by
order Of Mrs. Mcdonald whom she had
offended by refusing to obey an order.
The Wilson affidavit declared that Mrs.
Mcdonald had assumed charge Of the fe-
male prisoners and that she treated them
with unnecessary harshness.
James Tansev, the Workhouse fireman
recently discharged by Superinhe ndent
Mcdonald, was reinstated by the board
and it was decided to meet at the work
house Saturday afternoon and investigate
the cases Of the other employees who have
been let out by the superintendent with
out consulting the board.
A Report on the Hospital.
DR.. Woodward, chairman of the hos
pital committee made an interesting re-
port Of the state Of affairs at that insti-
tuition relative to the purchase of sup
plies as found by his committee. He
charged that supplies had been purchased
far in excess Of what was needed: that
many of the things purchased were no.
needed at all, and that an excessive price
had been paid in many instances. He then
compared the past three administrations
there in this regard. Under DR.. Weston
the total drug bill for year was $2,50G
This figure was just doubled under DR..
Byrnes' regime, while for the first half
year alone of the present rule the bills
aggregated S.. 143. There was no plausible
explanation possible for this extraor-
binary increase in expenditures, he de-
clared. He would not charge directly that
things purchased We're not there, but it. G
good many instances the committee had
failed to locate them In any event, how
ever the situation was such that there
was certainly need of further investiga-
tion, he declared. In the matter Of the
prescriptions, DR.. Woodland claimed that
tho charges were about twice as much as
under former administrations.
In conclusion, the board again held out
the November bills of the A. D. Thompson
Drug company. ana other bills from ne
same firm and others for December
amounting to 81, $3.50.