Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-18

4
abe
In supplying the needs of the
charitable institutions, those changes
were first effected which brought
the quickest Improvement of con.
ditions surrounding the wards of
the state. The original program, how
ever, covered every branch of the
service, and included the consideration
of the need of co-ordinated business
administration, and in October. 1907.
the state board of charities authorized
its presiden, to appoint committee of
business and professional men to ad-
wise it in this important matter. In
their twentieth biennial report will be
found recommendations embodying the
suggestions of this committee.
| Expert opinions were collected
| from twenty-five sources and the con.
illusions reached have been passed up
on and amended by a committee of
citizens, including eminent men in
business, finance, medicine, law and
the church.
Future Needs Of the insane.
Insanity presents the most serious
|
state in the care of it's wards. At the
close of the fiscal year 1908. the wards
of the state, in state as distinguished
1 from county institutions, numbered IL
921. OF these. $685. or sc per cent
were insane wards.
From 1873 to 1908 the insane pop.
ulation in Illinois state and county in
situations increased from 1916 to 12.-
0S4, or an increase of 369 per cent.
During the same period, the population
of the state increased from $685. 200
to 5.617 200. an increase of SO per cent.
| At first glance. this is an appalling
comparison, 1t indicates that insanity
Is increasing at an alarmingly greater
rate than is the population.
IN working out the problem of the
public care Of the insane, it is ap-
parent that the time has come for the
state TO plan for new hospital. |
recommend that 100000 be appropri
ated by your honorable body to locate
and purchase a site of about 1000
acres and to prepare plans and speci-
fications for buildings.
Condition of the Blind.
81 direct your attention TO the re-
port of the commission appointed by
(, the state board of charities on July
is, 1908, to make an inquiry into the
condition of the blind. From Stats
tics gathered, the report of the COM
mission shows that blindness is on the
increase in Illinois at greater rate
than the population of the state be-
cause of inadequate laws and that
from 90 to As per cent of all cases
of blindness are preventable. The
largest amount of blindness comes
from what is known as blindness of
new born, and this disease is usually
preventable.
Epileptic Colony.
i Experts state that epilepsy is near
: ly as widespread as insanity. The OBJ.
legation of the state to assume the
care in special Institutions of its un.
fortunate people suffering from this
disease has been recognized and acted
: upon by Ohio. New York. Massachu.
sets, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kan
sas, Texas, Indiana and Missouri. Two
other states, Virginia and North Caro-
lima, have taken steps to provide SINH
lar institutions.
1.-The most recent census of the
state board of charities shows thai
there are 913 epileptics in the state
charitable Institutions. The census OF
epileptics in the almshouses, taken
during the summer of 1908, shows the
presence of 1873. In all there are
1,042 epileptics in our public institu
lions. OF this number SIT are in hos
pitfalls for the insane, all of them q
source of injury to the insane patients
and eleven of them not insane at all
/, but kept among the insane because
there is no other place for them.
81 call your attention to the in
. crease of tuberculosis. This dread
: disease is reaping harvest of 10000
lives annually in Illinois. The battle
to wipe it out is widespread. ! rec
: ommend the creation of state sana
: torioum for consumptives.
THE assembly enacted law per
+ hitting cities and villages to create
local sanatoria and authorizing then
: to make the necessary tax levy there
for. The present law did not go into
effect until last July. In the short in
L terval elapsing since that time, ade
D quate opportunity has not been af
D forded to cities and villages to estab
: lish local sanatoria under the law"
! Condition of the Treasury.
. The governor said that the stat,
auditors report showed that on Sept
i 30, 1908. there were $3.50 ,263.44 II
3 the state treasury. and that the prob
3 able balance of Incorporated reven
8 ue on July 1. 1909. would be $4,25S,
016.S. He continued:
The estimate of receipts on &C
= count of state taxes for the year 1900
is placed by the auditor of public &C
. counts at S4,980,00o. This is the es
timated amount that will probably b,
. collected for that year. 1t is improt
u able that the entire amount will b,
4 paid into the state treasury on or be
! fore July 1. as final settlements o
many of the collectors will not b.
made until after that date. :
, Interest on Public Funds.
. "The retiring state treasurer Hon