The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-10-18
CLAIM RELATIVES CHEAT
COUNTY.

County Clerk Russell FL. Jones has
today prepared a statement fer the
County Board showing conditions sur
rounding the dependents Of Kenosha
county and other Kenosha county
patients in the various hospitals of
the state maintained for the care
of the insane and it showed some
remarkable features.
There are one hundred and seventy
patients in the various hospitals of the
state who are charged to Kenosha
county and of this number just sixteen
are shown by the books of the county
not to be entire charges upon the
county The remaining one hundred
and fifty are being cared for en-
tirely at the expense of the county and
the state and relatives have made no
contribution to their care. Many of
these people have been patients at the
hospitals for the insane for many years
and although regular bills have been
sent to relatives the latter have paid
no attention to the call for money and
the matter has been allowed to run
along with the county paying this great
expense. Of the sixteen patients car
ried on the books of the county as
'pay PATIENTS in several cases rela-
tives are paying only a small proper
tion of the cost of their care. It is adj
mitted that many cf the patients listed
as county patient" have no relatives
in this country who may be assessed
for their care, but there are scores
Of these people who We're sent to the
hospitals, who left behind them con-
siderable sums of money.
The county board is expected to make
request to the county judge to have
guardians of such people show cause
why they should not pay the bills
claimed by the county. The collections
Of these bills, including bills which
have been paid by the county for past
years, would mean the addition OF
thousands Of dollars to the general
fund of the county treasurer. County
Clerk Jones is now sending bills to all
|
make payments. These bills demand
payment not only for the cost of board
and clothing Of the inmates but as
| well for all charges for transfer from
one institution to another. In addition
| to this the state will this year send
bills to relatives Of all Estate patients
| who have been cared for in the state
hospitals at Winnebago and Mendoza.
This is the first year that these bills
have been sent out. A large number OF
patients have been sent to the state
| institutions within the last few years
and it is expected that the state will
ask relatives to pay the entire charge
of the care of such persons. Members
of the county board in the past few
| weeks have been making an investiga-
| ton into the lists and it is declared
that many people who are well able to
paw for the care eff their unfortunate
relatives have shirked the duty. In
many cases no replies have been made
| to bills sent ont. An effort will be
made to have the county board pass q
resolution directing the district attor-
ney to bring actions against guardians
of these people, the bills for whose care
has not been made.
It is not the intention of the board
members to seek collections for a single
year, but to seek collections extending
over the full term for which the state
may collect under the law. Such suits
have been threatened in the past but
/ this year the amounts charged against
these people have grown to such an ex
tent that the board members believe il
to be unfair to the tax payers of the
county to neglect any opportunity which
may be offered under the law for the
collection of the claims. The total OF
these claims for this year alone will be
close to ten thousand dollars and in
many cases the bills have run for 9
period of more than five years and
in more isolated eases for periods uI
1 ~ ~