Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-10
NEWS OF THE LEGISLATURE

which General Agent Bromley Whar-
ton and his. staff are prepared TO
back up before the appropriations
committees If desired.
Enormous Total
The board was asked to recon-
mend a total of s24, .23S.21, an
unprecedented figure. and explained
by some of the officers of institutions
at hearings by the advance In the
cost of food, service and other items
of maintenance. When to this is
added the $5,500.000 which 1t is es-
timated that the INDECENT insane, the
wards of the commonwealth, will re-
quire for their care, the aggregate OF
the requests Is what the whole in
come OF the commonwealth was In
single year within less than decade.
The board reduced the requests al
most sS.000,000, the aggregate OF the
recommendations. exclusive of the
five and a half millions for the in
digent insane, amounting to $16,65S,-
S56.2s. The aggregate voted to the
institutions under the boards super
vision two years ago was $14,974,-
472.16. a high-water mark by ap-
proximately S2.700.000.
The statement by classes shows
the following requests and recon-
mendations without the INDECENT in
sane allowance which is apportioned
among institutions on a basis OF ~
per capita per week. which is consid-
cred SO cents too small. by the way;
State Institutions
Granted in 1917: Maintenance, $4.-
041.6ss.2s; buildings, $2.s16. 1890.
Asked, maintenance, $5,254,0O
buildings, $3,715.Sss.76; recommend
ed, maintenance, s4,773, 3,1h6.63;
buildings, 1895, ,9t4.45.
Semi-state
Granted in 1917: Maintenance, ST.
447,7bs,s7; buildings, $14s.42s. Ask
ed. maintenance. $2,0s4,46s.4s; !;
buildings, $S1,214. Recommended,
maintenance, $1,755, 10000; build
ings. $50.o00.0o.
Hospitals
Granted in 1917: Maintenance, $5,-
247.500.00. Asked, $S,654,056; build
ings. s2,429, 100000. Recommended,
maintenance, s6,539,466.
Granted in 1917: Maintenance,
2l2.000.00. Asked, maintenance,
s2S2.0o0.00; buildings, s10,000.00.
Recommended. s1s5,200.00.
Homes, EtS.
Granted in 1917: Maintenance,
SSs4,520. Asked, $1,S23, S0S.2O;
buildings. s20S. 10000. Recommend
ed, maintenance, $780, $500.
1t will be seen that the policy of
the state has been to restrict new
buildings to institutions almost en-
tirely under state control, although
millions have been asked for build
iNO IT, tn
sane is growing to be q great prob
lem, and the report urgently recon-
mends additional buildings and the
construction of the proposed two
hospitals for which the board select
ed sites under 1917 legislation. The
INDECENT insane increase with popu-
lation. Ten years ago 3,44S,000 was
voted for care of these wards. Now
it is asked S5,5O0,000.
What Agents Found
The report of the board makes
some studies of dependents showing
approximately 10000 persons in in
sane hospitals, state or county; 49,
IS1 in homes for children or aged;
17,460 in almshouses and 1,422 in
private hospitals, with almost 200
others in various places.
During the year 725,213 dispen-
sary patients were treated free in
hospitals of the state. The free hos
pital treatment aggregated 1,4S7, 595
days, and there were 5,566,429 days
of free care in homes aided or sup
ported by the state. None of the
figures of the board includes the state
tuberculosis sanitoria or dispen-
saries which are under the State De-
partment of Health and administer
ed wholly by the commonwealth.
For Farm Colony
The board says a farm colony at
Huntingdon in connection with the
reformatory would be valuable
adjunct" and speaks of progress on
Laurelton, Muncy and other new in
stitutions and the plans for the in
ebriates institution. Farm work by
prisoners is declared to have been
"a decided success" but the prac-
ticability of the act of 1917 for six
state farms or warehouses is con-
sidered doubtful"
Duplication of inspection and in
vestiga tion by the state is called un-
necessary and urged to be stopped.
The question of what aid should
be given to the increasing number
of charitable institutions organized
by individuals or associations is left
to the discretion of the legislature,
and 1t is emphasized that recommen-
dations are made to cover needs"
Practically every hospital is given
a separate statement. Figures are
given to show what is actually re-
quired, and there is also appended a
statement showing how many people
were cared for during the influenza
epidemic. and the cost of that serv-
ice. This is a recognition of the
work done in the outbreak and some
institutions show hundreds give care
with heavy costs.
Cost Per Day
The interesting innovation is the
statement of cost per day; the per-
centage of free treatment and the
cost of free days. 1t shows just what
free service the hospitals rendered.
Some ran up around 60 per cent,
one going to 8S, while quite a few
were below %. The cost of free
treatment in some institutions is inn
pressive.
Danville State Insane Hospital
asks nothing for buildings or inn
provements, the first time such a
condition has prevailed regarding a
state institution in years. The Fred
erick Douglass hospital of Philadel-
phia, is refused any recommenda-
ton. 1t has had trouble over ad-
ministration. The City Hospital, of
Dubois, a new institution, is not
recommended as there is no report
on which to base an estimate. New
Castle Hospital, which is building, is
recommended for $4,000 mainte-
nance If IL Occunfes the pauy v,Io-t