Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-07-06

great omission. and we recommend that
proper facilities be provided so that tney
may lie down during the day time with
out being compelled to retire to their
beds.
EXERCISES.
Tic exercising yards provided for the
patients at the hospital are very made
quate in space. one yard being about COX
l2O feet in which 200 patients are turned
out for exercise. allowing only 81 square
feet for each, which is no larger space
| than the best poultry raiscrs allow for
one fowl. These yard rooms should be
Immediately very much enlarged.
CARE AND TREATMENT or PA
| TENTS.
The care and treatment Of patients
seems to be excellent. and in this respect
we commend the management. While
there are more or less complaints from
patients. Investigation shows that, as "A
rule. they are treated humancly, consider
ing the large number of patients confined
| in the hospital, which at present is sos.
| No serious complaints have been made
where attendants have disobeyed the rules
| or been harsh in their treatment of pa.
tients where the Offenders have not been
lreprlmandcd or discharged. We recon-.
mend that in aggravated cases the at.
Itcndant should be prosecuted, as provided
I'm section 50i7 Of the Vermont statutes
and we further recommend that this sec.
ton of the statute should appear in the
hook of rules given each attendant.
FOOD.
fishing and healthful in quality and. 80
far rs We are able to ascertain. compares
favorably with the food furnished by
like institutions in other States.
COST Or MAINTAINING.
The cost of maintaining patients per
lcapita, as shown by the biennial report
for 1904. is about 20 cents per week more
than the average in like institutions in
other States. This report also omits items
properly chargeable to the cost of main
tainance that are included in the reports
of other institutions. which amount To
about 20 cents per week more per capita
than the cost reported to the trustees. If
all the items that are included in the re-
ports of other institutions were included
in tho estimates of the Waterbury in
about 40 cents per week greater than the
tons.
FARM
The farm department is we'll mana ged.
but the institution is unfortunate in hav-
ing the main portion of the farm land
across tho river and n long distance,
some ono and one-half miles, from the
farm buildings. We also find that the
farm buildings are in good repair and
well taken care OF, except that the large
barn where the cows arc kept is very
poorly ventilated. We recommend that
the ventilation be improved. The salary
Of the farm superintendent from 1862 ia
l>a1 was $500 per year: from 1897 to 1900,
$500 per year; since 1860, $1,000 per year,
together with such pcrqusities as house
rent fuel vegetables, milk and meat. II
appears from the evidence that the last
advance of 500 per year was made upon
motion Of the trustees and not at the re-
quest of Mr.. Shpman. which evidence
was not controverted. 1t seems to us
that the State ought to get the same re.
suits for less money.
FUEL.
This is one of the largest expenses O
the Institution the amount of coal con
'sumod during the year being about 800
tons and costing for the last biennial pc
riod $}2,6lSG0. and 1t Is very evident tina
the institution has not been supplied OF
the most favorable terms. The evidenc
shows that had the trustees purchased tn
coal at the mines and paid the regula
tariff rates of freight from the mine
to Waterbury. saving of at least u cent
per ton would have resulted, and If tn
same rates of freight could have bee
obtained by them for the hospital from
the Central Vermont Railway compan
from Alburgh to Waterbury as were give
the George Hall Coal company. that
! further saving of from to 81 cents pc
ton would have resulted az the evidcnc
shows that during the years 1901. 1902. 100
land 1904 special rates were granted tn
said George Hall Coal company tina
were from TO 81 cents per ton less tina
. the regular tariff rates OF sil0 per ton o
the coal which was supplied by them t
the hospital 1t further appears iron
the evidence that whereas. the regula
tariff on coal from Alburgh to Waterbur
is $l.l0 per gross ton and from the sam
point to Montpelier $l.25 per ton. durin
the greater part Of 1908 the George Ha