Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-05-19
Precautions Against Fire.

Precautions Against Fire.
OF recent years tireproof structures
have been provided, guaranteeing Sc
curity TO the helpless, feeble-minded
and insane, and each legislature
should adhere to a liberal policy in
deciding upon appropriations for new
construction. An ever present dread
of the board of control is the danger
of disaster from fire that turks in the
primitive territorial and state estab-
lishments, although the superintend
ents maintain trained vigilance, and
every precaution is taken to prevent
it. The present board never makes
an inspection of an institution but
that they give particular attention to
every length of fire hose and inspect
every fire eXtinguisher.
One of the most interesting func-
tons of the board of control is to
assemble quarterly at Walla Walla
and Monroe as majority members OF
the state prison board and board of
reformatory managers, to administer
the indeterminate sentence law.
The state slaughters its own cattle
and dresses it's own beef at the hos
pitfalls for the insane and the peniten-
tiary. This is in the interest of econ
omy and insures first class quality
of meat foods, inasmuch as the cattle
are purchased in good condition from
the adjacent country and subjected
to rigid inspection by the medical eX-
perts of the institutions. Modern
slaughter houses have been erected
at the hospital and refrigerating
plants installed, in which can be
frozen and stored large supplies of
dressed beef.
In the last report of this board
there were employed at the institu-
tons and buildings under the juris-
diction of the board of control 647
employees, divided as follows: West
ern hospital, 1876; eastern hospital,
100; state soldiers home, 81; veter-
ans home, SO; penitentiary, as; nor
thern hospital, 43; institution for
feeble minded, 80; training school,
80; reformatory, SO; school for deaf,
"a; school for blind, 10; school for
girls, IA; state capitol building, IL;
travelling guards, 8; parole officers.
4; board of control office, 3; temple
of justice building, 3; and state dem
fist, 1. At the two soldiers homes
many of the employees are members
of the homes, who work for very
small wage.
At the end Of the last biennium
$251,12853 was returned to the state
treasury from the maintenance fund
of the state institutions, which had
not been used, and $443,785.84 was
returned from the miscellaneous APP.
preparations. There will also be a
large sum at the end of this biennium
which will revert to the state treas
ury, although the cost Of living has
been steadily going up.
One unpleasant feature Of the work
Of the board of control Is the large
number of people who know better
than the members just what should
be done, and who after visit of q
half hour at an institution attempt to
dictate to the members who spend
days and days studying the problems.
1t must be remembered that the
board has control over as whole a
very difficult people to handle, and
each case is a different study, and
what rule will apply to one will not
always apply to the other. Any per-
son or publication who attacks the
management of a state institution or
the methods in vogue there should
first make thorough investigation
and be absolutely sure that it is right,
because these attacks cause more
harm at the institution and among
IuC IuMdIC6 tACy w ally hCi
else.
Politics No Longer Tolerated.
The day is past when politics will
be tolerated in the management of
the state institutions. Already the
beneficial results can be seen in the
abolition of politics, which is the pol
icy of this administration. There are
three institutions whose management
was not changed by the present ad-
ministration, and two others, the
managers of which are promotions
from long service in the state. Two
others are headed by women. AS
near as I am able to figure, four of
the superintendent are Democrats,
four are Republicans 1.-TWO standpat
and two progressively and four have
no party politics as far as have any
knowledge.