Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-30
LANCASTER COUNTY IMPOSES
District Court Clerk Shows How it
Uses Insane Hospital
THROWS BURDEN on TIE STATE
Clerk Smith Has Figure. - Effect
that Lancaster Dumps All Its
Counsy Gases UPoa the shol-
derz Of the state.

LanosSs- county Is using Tire state hoe
pdtaI for the insane a. q county institution
uPon which are thrust al the burdens that
are ordinarily borne b county TAX payers
according 70 Robert smith. clerk of the
district court IN OuuAha and secretary q
the county insanity boar1 FIEzr-s on dls
In TIE county clerks ocncs prove the as
serrcn.
The state OF Nebraska must have a new
hospital Cor the insane very soon now -
said Mr.. Smith. and n the DouE1as county
delegation 70 ths legislature would stand
for one there would Be No officially In
Esrtlng II located here When Il Is located
here Douglas county would Be somewhat
relieved o. the heavy burden Il is nov
bearing because the Lincoln asylum is 50
crowded Lancaster. the only other la-re
county In TIRE district. successfully avoids
is burdens b. putting An q IS county
patients into the state hospital
TIE following fiEures. collected A1r the
Douglas county cOmp<roIler IN fa9, are
stu typical OF the couditon. and they show
the relative shares Of the states sxpendi-
rure for the insane. dipz0zzziacs and feeble
minded
having the Metropolitan difficulty OF being
ET0lLl
ether commits has z5.u Per cent OF the
total population q TIE state. PAYS = Der
cent q the total E-Ats taxes and has sent
~ per cent o. the patents confined az
Lincoln Lancaster hss only L. 80 per cent
Of the state population pays only u-E Per
cent OF the state taxes and yet has in the
state insane asylum rs per cent o. al the
patients. Has less than half the population
and sends more than rWo-thirss a. many
Padent&
Douglas county 10 crowded out Of ire
Lincoln Asyiuns BY previous arrivals from
Lancaster county, and the Douglas county
hospital supported By Douglas county
fundS has nfty patients to taxa care OF
that would have some chance OF pru<rsss
If they could be taken TO Lincoln
The patients ne have here are mostly
Old and fseble-nsDded people sayy Mr..
Smith. ND they Do not have such a great
need for expert care but II they could be
put n some larger place. they would have
better chance for recovery. The county
hospital Is simply not Zig enough 70 care
for them oecently."
The figures quoted. which were com
piled some tine ago. led NJ Smith 70 send
a communication TO the county commits
sioners asking for an effort to get a new
d
show that the other counties In the discic,
from which the Lincoln asylum receives
patents are AL paying more taxes tn pro
l portion 10 their number OF patients than
the larger communities. as the percentages
Of insanity 10 population Is much smaller
The report which was complied By John
/ Lewis. concludes as follows:
There Is no Law for nor does the SD
perintsndent use any basis IN apporrionfns
| the number Of patients 70 be admitted from
/ each county in the district The superin-
tsndent says he admits a patient as soon a.
/ he has room for him no matter VIVA
| county In the district ne IL from but vii
not admit a patient from OUTSIDE the dis
/ rrict without orders from the board
You VIII observe By this report tia,
Lancaster Il away ahead OF Us and Seems
TO use the hospital for = regular county
hospital. as both their commitments auc
releases far exceed OUTS when compared
with the population and amount OF tAxel
paid