Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-27
STATEHOSPITAl
HAS DEFICIENCY
WafertOwn Institution Listed WIN
Others in Illinois Greauy
Needing Funds.

cratic leaders threaten to hold up
emergency appropriation bills un-
| less the Republican majority per-
mits flair consideration" in COM
mittee of Minority Leader 1goe
resolution asking for Information
on the administration plan Tor re-
construction building plans.
| One of the big emergency APPROX
ration measures asks S1,6lO,o0O LOT
operating expenses Of the state
| charitable and penal institutions
which comes in the form OF de-
| ficiency. The bill carries no items
covering salaries, equipment or per-
manent improvement 1t IS intend
ed to carry the department OF puD-
| lie works and buildings over until
July, next, when the new Duoget
appropriations will be available.
Among the deficiencies said TO
exist in the various institutions are
the following: Elgin state hospl-
tai, 1851, 626; Kankakee hospitai.
S17S,S16; Jacksonville hospital,
81, SAT; Anua hospital, $58. 492; Wa
tertown, sS7,S97; Peoria hospital,
$145,424; Alton hospital, $6S,soo'
Lincoln state school and colony.
$131,116; school for the blind.
Jacksonville. S103; soldiers and
sailors home. Quincy, $19.65S; sol
diers' widows home, Wilmington.
$1,764; soldiers orphans home,
Normal, $38,969; charitable eye and
ear infirmary, $50; state training
school for girls, Geneva, $685.;
school for boys, St. Charles, S99,-
203; Joliet penitentiary, $17S.S5l;
| Chester penitentiary, sS7,759; Pom
tiac reformatory, $36,679.
A bill introduced by Representa-
| tive Hicks, Rockford, would auth
orize school directors and boards OF
| education to issue bonds Tor pay
ment of warrants issued before Jan.
/, 1920, in anticipation OF taxes lev
| led for school purposes.
The measure, Mr.. Hicks stated,
| is to enable school districts 10 get
| from under Indebtedness that mas
| been piIing up over the state be-
| cause OF shortage of funds to meet
school expenses.
| As the bonds would be payable
| within twenty years. Mr.. Hicks be-
| lieves school boards in that time
| could clear up the debts that have
accrued over a period of years. IN
| terest would not exceed five per
cent.
! A school district would not be
| permitted to incur any indebted
| ness by issue of bonds together with
| other outstanding Indebtedness IN
excess of five per cent on the val
uation of the taxable property OF
the district.
It will cost S17.42O,473 to main
tain the twenty-four Illinois char
liable and penal institutions for
| the biennium beginning July l.
next. according to Charles H
Thorne. director of the department
of public welfare. He has asked
this amount of the legislature in
! bill introduced in the upper house
| by Senator Curtis of Grant Park
An appropriation OF $14,475,00O
was made by the fiftieth general
assembly for the two years ending
July 1. next. Mr.. Thorne points out,
| however, that a deficiency of 81, $780,
900 for the biennium ending July
/. due to war time operating ex-
penses, would bring the totai 10
| $16.175,000.
lions covering the next two years,
the largest amount-$7,3 49, O06-ls
for operating expenses. This IN
cludes food, clothing, coal, etc, for
the hospitals. reformatories and
peuitentiaries. The next largest
item is S5,S46,S62 for salaries and
wages, representing, it is said, an
increase OF approximately forty per
cent.
The legislature is asked to make
available $3.50, 900 for land. OF this
amount, 100000 is wanted to buy
ground for the proposed state farm
for misdemeanants, authorized by
the fiftieth general assembly. TO
acquire land in Chicago for the psy-
chopathic hospital, $4,000 IS
sought. The lump appropriation
included $4,000 for buying 500
acres of farm land in Morgan coun-
ty bordering the state institutions
at Jacksonville, and $4,000 to pur-
chase 500 acres of bottom land near
Chester penitentiary. 1t is pro-
posed to build a dyke along the
Mississippi river and to reclaim low
land by convict labor.
Other items are: Permanent i'm
provements, s2,113,S50; working
capital, $279, 200; repairs, $1,206.-
9S7; office expenses, $104 ,422; trav-
ell, s107,126; equipment, $128.02O;
rent of store and clerk hire at in
dustrial home for blind, 100000.
The budget was made up on the
basis of present prices for the first
year, 1919-1920, and for the second
year, 1920-1921, a decrease of fif-
teen per cent in general prices.
Another bill to come in later
probably will ask $4,000 with
which to continue the work on the
new penitentiary at Joliet of which
the first circular cell house has
been completed. A measure by
Representative Otto Sonnomann of
Carlinville, Republican, already has
asked that the construction of the
state prison be transferred from the
hands of the present commission
named by Governor Dunno to the
department of public welfare