The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-20
EASTHAVEN MUST
co To GOVERNOR
FOR MORE MONEY
Richmond Institution Among
Those In Indiana Whose Fl
nances Are Low.

QdQCeS Are LOW.
INDIANAPOLIS, May 20 = More
than one-half of the eighteen state
benevolent and corrective institutions
are in financial straits and will be
unable to live within their regular
maintenance appropriations, provided
by the 1917 legislature, until the end
of the fiscal year, September 80, when
the maintenance appropriations pro-
vided by the 1919 legislature become
available.
Not only will the institutions ex-
haust their own appropriations but it
now seems probable that they will
exhaust also the $150,000 emergency
maintenance appropriation which the
legislature placed in the hands of Gov
ernor Goodrich to aid such state insti-
tutions as might incur deficits before
the regular 1919 legislative mainten-
ance appropriations become available.
The most acute financial condition
is found at the state prison at Michi-
gan City. This institution had main
tenance appropriation of $168,S00 at
the beginning of the present fiscal
year, October 1, 1918. 1t has less than
$4,000 of the appropriation left, with
five months yet to go before the new
appropriation becomes available. Elk
animation of last years record shows
that the institution expended approx
mately $4,000 month for the months
which correspond to those remaining
before the end of this fiscal year.
Prison Needs One-Haif.
At this rate the state prison alone
will take $4,000. or one-half OF the
governors emergency maintenance
fund. But other institutions also are
in difficulty and the superintendent
are reminding the governor that some
of the emergency fund must be re-
served for them.
Among the other institutions which
will draw heavily on the governor for
aid, as disclosed by their present fl
nancial balances, are the Central Hos
pital for the Insane, the Eastern Hos
pital for the Insane, the tuberculosis
hospital, the Northern Hospital for
the Insane, the School for Feeble
Minded Youth, the ctate reformatory,
the Indiana Girls school, and possibly
the school for the blind.
The institution superintendent
have received from the governor a re-
quest for an estimate of how much
money they probably will need before
the end of the fiscal year and how
heavily they will draw on the emery
ency fund. With the request has gone
a word of warning that expenses
must be cut to the limit.
Governor Said to Be Hopeful.
It is believed that when the COVER
nor receives the estimates from the
institutions he viii work out some sort
of apportionment of the fund. The
governor is said to believe that the
$150,000 will prove sufficient to tide
over the institutions until the begin
ming of the new fiscal year with its
available appropriations. Others who
are familiar with the operation of the
institutions are not so optimistic, and
they say that the S150,000 fund will
have to be a veritable widows cruise
of oil' to maintain the institutions un
I'll the new funds are available. They
predict that the state will be Obliged
to borrow from its other funds, as II
did last year, to keep the institutions
on their feet
Two Principal Causes.
The situation is said to be the result
of two principal causes. One is sale
to be that the legislative visiting com
mittee figured institution costs on The
theory that alter the war prices woulC
decline, whereas prices actually have
increased. The other is that the legis
lature failed to provide the governo
with as much money for emergenc.
maintenance purposes as he desired
Because the governor desires t
hold the regular appropriations to tn
limit of former days, and handle tn
high price situation by means of al
emergency contingent fund, the legis
lative visiting committee held tn
maintenance appropriations of the in
stitutions to the old-time figures, TO
the most part. The committee ais
depended on the legislature placin
in the governors care sufficien
emergency fund. The legislature di
not do this, however, and now the IL
situations find themselves with insu
ficient appropriations and an made
quate emergency fund.
Not only does the situation appea
distressing this year, but worse ma
be in store next year. The regula
appropriations, in most cases. are n
larger. and the emergency fund fc
the 1919-1920 fiscal year is only $3.50
600. the same as for this year. 1t
pointed out that if prices do not d.
crease the institutions will be
greater difficulty than they have bee
for many years.