The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-08-21
POINTS ABOUT ORPHANS
Expense Of Dependent Children Lessen.
ed BY Sending Them to Out.
side Orphans Homes.

A reporter of this paper visited the
BrightSide Home north of this city
and found everything in good order
and 100 children under the care of Mrs.
Work seemingly as contented and
happy as the same number of children
would be anywhere.
OF course visit of an hour at the
home is not time enough to learn very
much about it, but while there we
gathered some statistics and learned
some facts which may be of interest
to the taxpayers of Marshall county.
A man who has been travelling
over the state in the interest Of the
state board of charities four years
says that dependent children can be
taken care of in outside orphan homes
at a great deal less cost than in homes
under county management.
We have statistics to prove that
a great many more children depend
upon charity in counties that have
homes than in counties that pay for
having their children taken care of in
homes outside the county.
Perry county hired its children
taken care of in the Jefferson orphans
home, Spencer county invested $4,000
in an asylum; Perry county has
averaged three children year at %
cts. day during the past ten years,
while Spencer has had to take care of
an average of 20 children a day for
the same time. 1t costs Spencer coun-
ty seven times more to take care of it's
children in its own home than it does
Perry county to have its children taken
care of in an outside home.
Lafayette county had a home and
was paying % cts. day for an average
of Is children and paying $50 month
rent. The commissioners hired the
Mexico home to take the children at
%. cts day and have averaged three
children during the past three years.
Rush county had home for sew
eral years. 1t had an average of SO
children on a % ct. basis. In 1900
the home was closed, the county sold
the property, and placed the children
in an outside home. The dependent
children now average 16 instead Of
SO.
Warren county owned home at
Williamsport and maintained Is chill
dren. 1t closed its home in December
1901, and now has only three children
to take care Of at Mexico.
White county hired its children
taken care of at home in the county
and had an average of twelve chill
dren. 1t changed its policy and
placed the children in home outside
the county and now has an average of
two children to care for.
When Clinton county owned its
home it had from 60 to 20 children at
% cts. day. 1t abandoned its home
in 1895 and now averages five depend
ent children.
Hamilton county owned home and
had from so to IS children, closed the
home in 1896 and at present has an
average Of seven children.
Johnson has ahome and it costs an
average of $3.50 per child every year.
Decatur county owns it's home and
has an average of Is children per year
at cost of 1925 per child.
These statistics certainly prove that
it is cheaper TO. have children taken
care of in outside homes than in coun-
ty homes; and it would seem that the
humber of dependent children in Mar
shall county might be made less and
the cost to the county decreased by
placing them in one of the homes out
side the county.
1t is evident that there are people
who can take care of their children
but will not do it if their children can
be cared for within the county at the
expense of the county.
1t seems that county homes result
about like feeding tramps, increase
the number willing to be fed at the
expense of the public.
Schwab's strange Illness