Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-04-30
COUNTY MATTERS DISCUSSED
Some Observations add Figures are
Given by Late County Officer

EDITOR CENsORe-An article recently appeared
IN the CENSOR signed by Mr. Bsnts0n containing
criticism of the last county board. In some
spects the criticisms are without meritand erron-
For instance. in the article referring 20 the
salary the boarc fixed for tae superintendent Of
the poor. IT Is said that It costs TO board pa
tients per week al the county farm - at a first
class hotel, This statement TO put mildly. is
misleading ard unintentionally wrong,
Again. when IL is sad that the asylum truatces
can manage the Door farm with $500 assistant.
think it a well known faet that there have been
times during the five or SIX years Of management
of the asylum by Mr. Bentsen that the trustees Of
that institution nau thei- hands full without reach
ing out for any other WORK The county farm and
care for the unfortunate poor Il this county ought
not to be any tight wan basis. Those
untortunates are entitled 70 be fed and well fed.
tor on shall not object 20 pay ing the tax that
insures th'se people having respectful care and
! good food.
Again as % the salary as it is fixed for the
| superintendent of the poor Of $500 with hired
help as the statement is. this is aisj misleading.
ANY man well "a Ir-. r,,,v md especially
should one who has served as asylum trustee
know, that the actual cost per pstient per week
is reported to the state board Of control and is
matter of public record. Lave not access to
these records, but from he reports OF the Rsy-
lum trustees ana the supesiltendent Of the poor
made during the same period to the county board
| | can figure out some very interesting facts. IT,
in fact il costs very much more to maintain the
patients per bead at the asylum during Mr.. Bent
! son 3 management as trustee than it did 60 main
tain patients at the county farm during the same
period, perhaps the board thought. as Mr.. Bent
son says. that it is time to make change"
For the nineteen years prior to the time Mr..
Bentson became a member of the ssgium board of
trustees find that the total amount expended by
the asylum trustees for PERMANENT IMPROVE
MENT." when divided By the number of years
averaged 1888. Sc per year This was certainly
improving the property and farm so AS to make il
productive. Prior to this tine June 3D. 1900 the
county farm Improvement were nearly nothing
| 49,. ~ per year. During the first five years Of
Mr. Bentson's management the permanent i'm
/ proyements of the ass lum farm amounted to
sL9'jSt per year. on an average. during this
! same period the permanent lInprovems nt at the
county farm amounted to IS. 22a17, or an average
! per year of Si,24i. SO Plus.
! From the county board proceedings and reports
-, Of those two iustitiQns We have the amount Of
current espepse. permanent improvements. and
population of each institution for FIVE years of Mr.
4 bentson's management, from June 1896, to July
1 1911, inclusive; and MIR Fowell's management of
! the county farm for practically the same i've
years. July !. 1907 TO June 30. 1912. The current
expense of the asylum during this period divided
| by the number of weeks board furnished patients
shows that the gross cost per week per patient at
| that institution was S2G2 plus. The current ex-
pense Of the county farm, during the period
stated; divided by the number Of weeks board
i furnished parents shows that the gross cost per
week per patient at that institution 81 "a plus
This may be more than It would cost at a first
class hotel. but don't know the address of the
hotel furnishing board at any such figure.
/ The year that Mr.. Bentson was first asylum
/ trustee, find from his report that the amount
expended for CURRENT EXPENSES was Sl6.Z2Sl7
and that it was always higher thereafter until the
last of the five year period 1871 when the amount
expended for the same purpose was 81 l5bsbi
This was due to higher cost Of living and IN
crease Of salarirs. NET INCREASE ABOUT $5.00D
During the same period the increase of current
| pense at the county farm is shown by the fact
that the total expense for the last year S,70l AZ
was about 800 in excess Of the same item for the
| first year OF Mr.. Fowes management. 1908. when
the total expense was s3.036sl. These figures
| speak for themselves they certainly show that
| the county farm during the same periods has beer
tuuite well managed the asylum.
Now just word as 70 where the money has
gone that has been expended on the county farm.
| as shown by the board proceedings; The barn has
been enlarged, moved and rebuilt with a base
ment: cement floors, steel stanehions etc. have
/ been added and it has been supplied with water
/ silos and in everyway modernized. When the
slightest similar improvement has been made at
asylum farm expert hired help has been en-
ployed. Practically all this cement work and ex-
! pert work at the county farm has been done by
Mr.. POWELL. Poultry houses. hog houses ma
! chinery houses and outbuildings have been con
strUctee. Stand-pipe and water works installed
| The character of stock has been vastly improved
and increased Milk and cream recordB have been
made. The dairy products sold to the creamery
last year was about 800. This was unheard Of
prior 10 Mr.. Fowell's management. A new steam
heating plant has been installed. Many, many
other things have been done u Improve the prop
erty and make the farm productive Any tax
payer may 20 and SEE WHAT HR IS GETTING FOR
HIS MONEY AT THE POOR Farm. Has II always
| been 40 at the asylum farm
When Mr.. Fowell became superintendent there
had been a. owed By the county board $500 TO pay
for operations performed by Drs. Christensen
Gundersou on county poor patients This was at
| the rate Of $50 uer patient. Mr. Powell com
promised these ANS already allowed. at 800. at
300. thereby saving $500. Not only that but he
arranged to have the county patients operated
upon thereafter for S25 each. This was worth at
! tention. No 300 assistant at the asylum would
have done that.
| Now there il expended BY the county superin-
tendent Of the poor about Ss2J0 year for hired
help 70 run the sarrn. domestic help. and extra
help at times Of butchern9, putting up ice.
threshing time etc On his $3.50 salary this
leaves he ,.nd his wife 81 800. MIR. and Mrs VIII
kins at the asylum farm received 81 800 per year;
all help furnished ! was one Of the 6rst 10 sug-
gest that one man run the farm and manage the
! poor busin sss Of the county II has worked ad-
mirably. Mr. Powell was FIRST given Sl,0lG and
was hire all the hired help. The next two years
he was given 81 800 hired all the hep. They then
gave i'm g. 900 for ore year and lired all the help
/ At the last session Of the board il was thought
that there was no reason Why the superintent Of
the county poor should receive 50 very much less
than the superintendent Of the asylum. The board
was well pleased with the showing Mr. POWELL
had made. It voluntarily increased the salary 70
p 800 and out Of this salary Powell Is % hire all
the help as he had done Heretofore. but IL was
understood that II necessary. he H'igat hire man
a. county expense for six months during the crop
growing season in case Of any unusaei occurrence
or unusc al epidemic at the county house whereby
Mr.. Powell might be deprived Of the assistance Of
those patieots y 10 assist in the milking. This
unusual occurrence OF event that was merely an