Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-13
WORKHOUSEpLAN
GIVEN APPROVAL
Srec;aI Committee Recommends slo,oOo
Bond Issue for Erection OF
County Institution.
pI0Ck BAUERSFELD'S MOVE
Attempt to Find Ont Searle h Mar
shslTs Bill for Jail Litigation
Is Defeated.
gI0Ck BAUERSFELD'S MOVE


ofas15.000 bond issue for the erection
Of a county workhouse be submitted TO
the voters this fall. was embodied in
the report which the special work
house committee submitted at the
Meeting OF the board OF supervisors
this morning
Al a former meeting of the board S.
Z Wright then supervisor from Rock
leland who fathered the idea Of
county workhouSe. urged that bonds TO
,be extent Of $4,000 be issued for the
nroiect. but the matter was referred
N special committee composed of
Suneryisors Fred Grafund, Moline;
Harry Cunningham, South Rock Is
land, and NJ. 0. Griswold, Rock Island.
The report. which was submitted this
,,orning. states that $4,000 will not be
Sufficient to cover the expense of such
an institution and advocates bond of
at least $4,000, exclusive of the site.
Report of Committee.
Complete report Of committee fol-
lows:
"Your committee to whom was re-
ferred the petition presented at the last
March meeting of this board, asking
for A bond issue of $4,000 for the
erection OF county workhouse, would
submit the following: At the first
meeting your committee held it con-
sidered the opinions about a workhouse
given by Judges Church, Graves, Ram
sew. Larson and Bell, States Attorney
Thompson. and many other prominent
LAWYERS and business men of Rock Is
land county The unanimous view TAX
en- by all these persons was that we
need a workhouse in our county, and
YOUR committee sincerely joins in this
opinion.
THE next step was to decide what
kind Of a workhouse We could estab-
lish, and after reading reports from
several institutions throughout the
country. and after listening to many
arguments, your committee agreed that
the only kind to be considered here
would he a rock crushing establish
ment. In order to get as much infor-
nation as possible We deemed it ad-
visable to visit some such institution
and decided on the city workhouse al
Quincy, Ill. as being located the near
est 10 us and also being Of about the
same size as we thought would meet
our requirements.
Like Quincy Plan.
Consequently We left for Quincy or
April - and called on His Honor
Mayor Abbott the first thing on tht
], n
ately took us out to the wOrkhouse
where We spent all that forenoon viii
him, looking over the place carefully
and received many good and profitable
pointers. There IS no enclosure abOu
their place, but still they had only two
attendants, although as matter O
fact they generally have three. The
number Of prisoners average about 10
this being both city and county pris
oners, the only ones in the county jai
being those that are bound over to thu
grand jury and those awaiting trial
They have one CTusher. run by motor
and in the year ending April 30. 1915
there was hauled from their quar-!
3,33S loads or 5.020 l-6 yards Of ma
cadam and IS loads Of Tiprap. Prac
tically all Of this was used in imDrov
ing their streets, only q small quantit!
being sold to contractors for sidewalks
The total gross expenses for said yea
were $6,99942. this including salary o
superintendent, guard, engineer, drill
er and teamsters, prisoners board
I fuel. horse feed, horseshoeing, Wagon
repairs, powder. fuse, tools, repairs o
drill, crusher ana heating plant, bed
ding, clothing, shoes and other sup
plies. water, and electric power
The afternoon we spent in the COur
house visiting the different county Off
Gals and learned their opinions abou
the workhOuse. which was unanimous
ly IN favor of it. In the evening We me
number Of the business men 0
Quincy, and without a single exCep
ton they all stated that they would no
be without their wOrkhouse. the onl
bad feature, according to some bein
that the prisoners were made to wea
hall and chain, this being caused b
lack Of enclosure around their ston
quarry. Our visit to Quincy Onl
strengthened our opinion about tn
need OF Rock Island county TO erect
similar establishment.
We realize that the county woul
nave to sell all Of its crushed roci
Dut we anticipate very little difficult
on that score. Besides the crushe
fock there is one other item that woul
De well 10 consider. and that is puI
verified lime stone for fertilizer, fO
which the demand here is great. "
nave been informed. Even grantin
"a mat the receipts would not equal III
running expenses Of the proposed il
stltuuon, We feel confident that tn
saving in cost for feed, etc. for prison
ers al the jail would be large enoug
10 overcome any shortage at the wori
mouse. Then there would also be
= SAVING IN fees to the justices OF ii
peace, police magistrates and const;
oles' because there would be a lare
reduction in cases coming before then
as It is an indispuJable fact that
community that has workhouse
reer from tramps and others that al
continually committing minor offenst
man one that has no such institution
resides the financial side Of the que
uon We are also compelled TO considt
lhe moral benefit TO the community
rloding II Of these persons.
After careful inquiry your commi
zee feels that the $4,000 bond isst
asked for in the petition before II
not large enough TO erect and pro-
efiy equip an institution of this kin
eut that it will require approximate
sloeOO this not including the purcha
price OF the necessary land.
We therefore, recommend that Il
question Of issuing bonds for $3.50
with the proceeds OF which 10 ere