The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1918-10-10
over. Duluth News-Tribune..
The Board Of Control a Precedent.

Over.-Duluth News-Trlbune.
The Board Of Control Precedent
The State Board Of Control man
aged to keep average per capita cost
of support Of the 10000 wards of the
state from rising more than Is per
cent from 1913 to 1918. During the
same period, according to the books Of
the purchasing department Of the
board, the average increase Of cost Of
items Of food, clothing, fuel, etc..
which enter into the support was 115t
per cent.
That Of itself is sufficient justifca-
ton Of the general management of the
hospitals, the corrective and certain
educational institutions Of the state in
one board. But it is only one Of the
facts jjustiffyiing that policy. The old
wasteful, inefficient and unbusiness-
like plan Of separate board for each
institution, made up of residents of
the place where the institution was
located, not only could not have been
expected to effect such economy, but
scattered responsibilities, diverse and
sometimes irreconcilable policies and
methods as to institutions of the same
character, the bane Of local politics,
and often local graft, were imposing
upon the state burden of expense and
q laval IF eo,x;co ~, voavv ;re+oroa
that was leading to dissatisfaction and
unwillingness on the part of the peo-
pie of the state to provide for these in
stitutions as their necessities required.
This led to log-rolling" in the legis-
lature, the representatives of one To-
ca1ity favored with state institution
trading with the representative Of an
other locality similarly favored, with
the result that appropriations were
made without proper scrutiny and
without regard to the necessities Of
the case.
Under one board there was no OPP
purtunity for any legislative trading of
this character. Money appropriated
for all the institutions under the man
sagement Of the board goes into one
fund and is appropriated according to
the judgment of the board and with
out prejudice in favor of one locality
or one institution as against another.
This is not to say that the cost Of
maintaining these institution has not
increased. The number of wards has
multiplied greatly since the Beard Of
Control was inaugurated, and with its
penal institutions, its school for de-
fectives and dependents and its hos
pitfalls not only for the insane but for
others whose treatment requires seq
regation, there are approximately
900 persons to be cared for, with
an increase each year more than pro-
portionate o,the increase of popula-
ton. This disproportionate increase
ifs due to the extension of the care Of
the state from time to time of classes
of individuals not hitherto provided for
in this way. Among these are the in
mates of the state sanitorium for
tuberculous patients at Walker, in adj
dition to which, by recent act of the
legislature, counties or groups Of
counties are encouraged, by an equal
sharing of the expense by the state,
to establish local sanitoriums for pa
tents Of this kind.
The work of the board covers not
only the erection and maintenance Of
hospitals and schools and asylums and
prisons, but includes close inspection,
supervision and general superinten-
dence. So satisfactorily has all this
service been rendered that rarely since
the one board system was adopted has
there been serious criticism on the
part of the public or dissatisfaction on
the part Of employees or inmates suffi-
c1eht to reach the public and create a
demand for reforms of a material
character in the policies of the board
It is to be hoped that way may be
found by which the natural resources
Of the state may be handled with as
much care and business judgment.
Has not the precedent been estab-
1ished? Minneapolis Tribune.
Awaiting the Boys Return.
Many are the dogs who will watch
for the return of the boys of the army