Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1915-05-20

court snail appoint Suat Ni""
committee for him, to take care of
his estate, so that the same shall
not be wasted and lost.
The act as introduced into the
Legislature provided that, begin
ming with the next fiscal year, which
commences July /, each county
should pay back into the state treas
ury the cost of Transporting pa
tients from the counties to the hos
pitfalls, and also one-half of the ac-
tual cost of keeping and maintain
ing each patient in the hospital from
the county. Before passing the bill
the Legislature struck out some OF
these provisions, and there is now
doubt as to whether the counties
will be required to pay anything
under the new law or not. If the
counties are required to pay any
thing for the care and maintenance
of their patients, the amount could
not exceed the actual cost to the
state, and the County Court IS re-
uuired to take action in each case to
recover from the patient or his es-
tate or from certain of his relatives
who are able to pay the amount the
county would be called upon to pay
for him. Upon this subject the law
goes into considerable detail, but is
so drawn that no hardship will be
imposed. As it has been for many
years under the old law, there are
a large number of persons support
ed in the state institutions for the
insane who are amply able to pay
this cost, which they should pay,
and which the taxpayers should not
be required to pay From the ma
ture of the case, the state authori-
ties can not deal with the matter
as the county authorities can. In
the great majority of the states the
counties are required to pay the
cost of maintaining their patients
in the hospitals for the insane, or
a part thereof; and the State Tax
Commission of 1902 recommended
that our law be changed so as to
produce this result. However, this
is a matter that will not have to be
decided for a year or more yet. as
in any event nothing could be col
lected from the counties until after
July /, 1916.
After the new law goes into eff
feet, colored patients will be re-
ceived only at the Weston Hospital,
as is the case now. No patients
thereafter will be received at the
Huntington Hospital except epilep-
tics. sane or insane, and idiots and
imbeciles. All insane persons prop
er will thereafter be received only
at Weston and Spencer. The State
Board of Control, in consultation
with the superintendent of the
three state hospitals, has divided the
state into two hospital districts, as
follows:
Northern Hospital District
This district will consist of the
counties of Barbour, Berkeley,
Braxton, Brooke, Clay, Doddridge,
Gilmer, Grant, Hampshire, Han
cock, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson,
Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Mineral,
Monongalia, Morgan, Nicholas,
Ohio, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Pres
ton, Randolph, Richie, Taylor,
Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Webster
and Wetzel.
All the insane. including colored
insane, from these counties will 90
to the Weston Hospital; but the cpl
leptics, idiots and imbeciles from
this district will be received only
at the Huntington Hospital.
Southern Hospital District
This district comprises the remain
ing counties, namely: Boone, Ca
bell, Calhoun, Fayette, Greenbrier,
Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan,
Mcdowell, Mason, Mercer, Mingo,
Monroe, Peasants, Putnam, Raj
eigh, Roane, Summers, Wayne,
Writ, Wood and Wyoming.
All the insane, except the colored
insane, from this district will 90 to
Spencer. The colored insane from
this district will go to the Weston
Hospital; and the epileptics, idiots
and imbeciles from this district will
go to the Huntington Hospital
The State Board of Control is
issuing the new law, with rules and
regulations and instructions, in
pamphlet form, and the same will
be supplied to the members of the
county commissions of lunacy, to-
gether with all the necessary printed
blanks.
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