Mohave County miner., 1916-11-04
STATE INSTITUTIONS
 ARE CONDUCTED IN
 ECONOMICAL MANNER
LFrom Thursdays Daily MinerI


 Republican orators and newspapers are fond of harping on the increased cost of government" in Arizona since admission to statehood. By so doing they seek to draw the inference that the democratic state administration has been extravagent in the use of public funds.
 Every thinking person will realize that additional burdens were assumed by Arizona with statehood. The legislature, the judges, the executive officers and many others that, under territorial rules were paid by the United States government, must now be paid out of the state funds, so naturally the cost of operating a state government is greater than a territor- ial government. However, when the Republicans charge extravaganza they begin to tread on dangerous grounds, for not only can they not prove their charges, but on the other hand, the reverse can be proved.
 The state institutions are operated at less expense now than ever before, as will be demonstrated by a series of articles in this paper. The first institution to be taken up will be the State Hospital for the insane.
 In this institution there has been a steady decrease in per capita cost under state rule, until this year the per capita cost is less than ever be- fore in Arizona's history. In 1909 the per capita cost was 53 cents per day, in 1910 it had increased to slightly over 59 cents, in 1911 it was lowered to 50 cents while in 1912 it increased again to 511a cents. In 1913, Dr. Kingsley, the present superintendent took charge, but too late in the year to remedy conditions. The per capita cost per day that year was 5S cents. In 1914 this was reduced to 51 cents. In 1915 owing to the enforcement of the eight hour law on state employees, the cost increased to 52 cents, blt i2 the present fiscal year, 1916, the cost has been reduced to 45 cents, lower than ever before in history, and the promise is made that under the pres ent administration it will go no higher.
 Compared with ten other states, picked at large over the country, the daily per capita cost of the Arizona asylum is less than any of the others. In Louisiana the daily cost per capita is 66 cents, in Connecticut 51 cents, in North Dakota 52 cents, in Indiana 54 cents, in New Jersey 50 cents and in Massachusetts 70 cents. Compared to these states Arizona is economical, indeed, with a daily per capita cost of 45 cents.
 In addition to the decreased cost of operation at the asylum, the reader must realize that the institution has been brought up to a higher degree of efficiency than ever before in its his tory. One of the first acts of Dr. Kinksley upon taking charge of the asylum after his complete record of every case, together with a detailed history of the treatment of each pat tent, prior to this time, and under Republican administration there was absolutely no record kept of the patients other than their commit ments. In other words a patient might be placed in the asylum one year and die there four or five years later, after a new superintendent had taken charge. Inquiry by friend or relative as to the condition of this particular patient would place the superintendent in a quandary, for there was absolutely no record of the