New Britain herald., 1915-02-09
NTS COUNTIES TO SUPPORT HOSPITALS
Ro|Conb Submits Message
 to General Assembly.

f1nanci aid to be given to hos
 Is henceforth be provided by the
 hties instead of by the state, was
 nitted by Gov. Holcomb today.
 message reads as follows:
 February g, 1915.
 Jthe Honorable General Assem bly,:
 Tn connection With the pressing
 that the state should take inn
 late steps to reduce the large ex-
 of expenditures over receipts, I
 re to ask your honorable body
 efully to consider certain expendi-
 Which are now made by act of
 general assembly and from funds
 he state, but which really serve
 poses within the proper scope of
 nty, town or city government. l
 r to appropriations made for hos
 Is, for county homes, for the sup
 of pauper or indigent insane per s, and for schools.
 Originated in 1859.
 Appropriations for hospitals had
 r origin in an act in the general embly passed in 1859, and prior
 SS5 only two hospital were so aid
 In the last fiscal year, however, 5Mal appropriations were made to ntY -four hospitals and the sum so
 ented was S134, 4,6S7.50: and in ad-
 on to this sum $50,000 was spe- .cally appropriated to hospitals for 2lding purposes These hospitals e scattered so over the state that Sn serves a particular locality. The presentatives of the counties and sns where they are located are far
 ter able to judge of the needs, eir efficiency, and the value of their FviccS to the public, than are those tthe whole state, and the people of eh municipality could more easily ld it's representatives responsible E the expenditure of public funds f hospital purposes than is possible here an appropriation is made by state legislature.
 Rested Upon Towns.
 F'rem the earliest times in this ate the support of paupers rested on the towns to which they be- 1ged. When, however, in 1867, the
  IS established, portion of the bur n of supporting paupers and in gent persons committed to it was stunned by the state. The state now ys $1.50 week for the support of oh town pauper and each indigent rson committed to that hospital, or r want of room there, to any other stitutions for the insane The total mount paid by the state during the st fiscal year for the support of in ates at institutions for the insane IS s293, ,990.S3, and over ninety per i1t. Sf this sum was for paupers be- nging to some town, or for indigent rsons not pauDers. Not merely has e state thus assumed a portion of e efburden belOnging to the towns or egrelatlVes of ln1nates, but by offer gF a place where poupers and in- gents can be supported at much less Rn the actual cost, it has oncour- led the commitment of persors to csc institutions who might be red for elsewhere
 The county homes for poor, de- ndent and neglected children had cir origin in an act of the legisla- re passed in 1883. By that act it IS provided that, except for an ap- opriation of 1000 to each home the state the expense of estab- hii1g and maintaining them should <sborne by counties and towns The " now provides, however, that with few exceptions. the state shall con- ibute for the support of these homes ..50 a week for each child commit q to them The result is that the ate paid to these homes in the last cal year $127, 7,276.35. This is about per cent. of the total rrent$e Expenses of the homes: and is notew orthy that in the case of 70 counties, the actual expense of each child was less than e amount paid by the state for it's pport. These homes were, when ey were esta blished, and still are, county institutions. and e burden of their support belongs ther to the counties and to towns thin them than 10 the state.
 Sum of S4S7,5733O.
 Governor IIolcomb points out that e appropriations for school expenses st year by the state reached the m of s4S7,573.3O.
 The message then continues: The tai amount appropriated in the last seal year for the purposes mentioned $1,254, 4,7S4.93. This represents a X of a little more than one mill upon e grand list of the state. If the rev tue of the state derived from sources her than that of a direct tax was to pay this amount in addi- on to the fault could be found with 5 expenditure, but in view of The 'Tsent inadequacy of state revenue believe that the legislature should we the matter of appropriations for lspitals to the localities they serve, lould place the burden of the main nance of county homes upon the ,unties, should require the towns to aich insane paupers belong, or the latiycs or other sane rCtsons to pay e actual cost of their support at the sant institutions of the state, and oj1i1 carefully consider q reduction