The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-20
"BuSineSs Administration" of
State Fails Dependents.
No Fuel Has Been Bought for
Big Institutions.
FUNDS ON HAND FOR COAL
Wards of State, However, Have
to Shiver Thru Cold.
OSaWatOmie Patients Wash Own
Clothes in River.

Business administration"-an ex-
cellent catch phrase in a political
campaigns becoming a cause of
hardship and suffering to unfortunates
in state institutions. Thru business
policies employed in the management
of state institutions, there are no lights
at the Osawatomie state hospital and
no laundry work has been done for
week. Inmates are being sent to the
banks of Marias des Cygne river to
cut wood that fuel may be provided
for cooking their meals.
Because the state administration
was busy in a political checker game
with the coal operators during the
summer months. there are neither coal
nor coal contracts for most of the
state institutions. Now cold weather
in on the way and the state coal bins
are empty. Never in the history of the
state did Kansas face a situation which
now confronts almost every institu-
ton.
Such coal as is being supplied at
most of the institutions is bought on
the open market in competition with
domestic purchasers and in practically
every instance at the same price. For
weeks state administration papers
have been filled with things the state
l. u
date the state has done nothing.
Threats Were Mere Talk.
Threats were made to operate the
Usage fields When the mines were
offered to Governor Capper, they were
not reopened and neither the state nor
domestic consumers received a ton of
coal The government this week set
tied the muddle by tentative advance
in prices-an advance to the operators
n to hn
Now reports are coming to Topeka
with details of the hardships to in
mates thru operation of business pol
cies." The penalty for a summer
of political capital making and future
vote getting is being paid by unfor-
tunates in the state institutions.
The first report of the effect of too
much business in the management
of state institutions, concerns the Osa-
watomie state hospital Real hard
for insane. Because the state engag-
ed in a joint debate with the coal
operators during the summer months
there is no coal at DIR. CarmichaePs
institution.
Nor is the trouble due to the fact
that the legislature did not provide
sufficient money. Funds for the state
institutions at this time are far in ex-
cess of those provided by Governor
Hodges so-called pork barrel" leg
Inc IunQS are greatly IN
excess of those approved by the SEN
ate of 1915, which Governor Capper
severely criticised for extravaganza in
his 1916 campaign speeches. 1t is not
| shortage of funds.
Plans Not Carried Out.
Nearly 1900 unfortunate men and
women are inmates of the Osawat-
Omle state hospital. Yet for a week
lights have not burned on the wards
! Nurses have made their rounds with
| the aid of tallow candle or with a
| lantern.
Laundries at the Osawatomie hos
! pital are operated every day in order
to handle the heavy work But for
a week there has been no laundry
work There was no coal with which
to heat the water and run the ma
chimes. Nor was there coal with
which to supply the furnaces in the
heating plant, or to operate the dyna-
mos in the light plant
I In order that meals might be pro-
! v1ded the inmates, men were sent
into the timber to cut wood for fuel
Wood was used in the kitchens be-
cause there was no coal.
hurry call was sent to coal deal
ers. But the state stood on an equal
footing with corporations and indi-
viduals in buying fuel There is no
reserve supply of fuel at any of the
| state institutions A number of the
institutions are either entirely without
fuel or scraping the bottom of the
bins.
Contracts for coal have for years
been made in June. This year, tho
the state applied business methods
in the buying of its coal supply. Col
umns of publicity matter were printed
concerning the ccal problem, the
! things the state would do to safeguard
and protect the consumer Thousands
of families were induced to postpone
the purchase of fuel for next winter
So busy was the state in protecting
the consumer that its own contracts
were neglected. Now the coal famine
threatens the operation of several OF
the state institutions this winter.