The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-09-22
STATE WARDS COST
LARGE sum YEARLY
s1O,OOO,OOO Expended by
Minnesota for Care Of
Wards and Criminals
PRISON PAYS OWN WAY
Saves $2,0OO,O00 by Re-
fusing Support to Wards
of Other States

st. Paul, Sept. lf-MlllIesoto
is spending through its state gov:
eminent alone, nearly $10,00O,OOC
annually for it's handicapped
wards, C. ]. Swendsen, chairman
of the state board of control, saio
today in an address at the Mime,
sofa State Conference of Social
work at the University Farm
school.
Rapid growth of this work has
marked the past two decades, MIR
Swendsen said, pointing to the in
crease from 8,461 persons to 49,
6SS persons, who are cared for In
state institutions during his SER
vice of 16 years with the state
board has spent $136,383,000 to
administer its work, he said.
In 1911, when Mr.. Swendsen
was first appointed to the board, it
expended $4,47S,558. Now that
sum has been doubled and this
years expense for carrying out
the states program in its 1S in
situations for the insane GRIMM
ais, dependent children and for
people with special handicaps, will
amount to $9,412,847.
Meanwhile improvements in the
care of unfortunates have come
and today the state has found ways
of returning many persons, ment-
ally or physically ill, to health.
Occupational theraphy in state in
stitutions has helped cure many
who were mentally sick by giving
them work which gradually re-
sorted to them their powers of con-
troll.
Minnesota has saved more than
100000, Mr.. Swendsen esti-
mated deporting wards to their
home states after It had been prov
en- that they were not entitled to
help as citizens Of Minnesota. In
all, 1924 persons mad been deport-
ed, he said, enough to fill two or
binary institutions.
He declared that work being
carried out today at the Gillette
state hospital for crippled children,
st. Paul, has resulted in the re-
turn of thousands of deformed
children to normal health. Seven
ty-five per cent OF the inmates of
the training schools, for boys Red
Wing, and for girls at Sank Centre
have made good upon their release
he said.
A survey of the lives of 5000
former wards at the Owatonna
public school for children, re-
veals that 70 per cent are making
good, 20 per cent fairly good
while 10 per cent can be classed as
failures, Mr.. Swenlson pointed
out.
"There is no coddling of pris-
orers at Minnesota penal institu-
tions," he declared in reviewing
the work being done for criminal
wards. discipline, strict but hui
name. The stripes at Saltwater
prison, the red suits at the st.
Cloud reformatory for those in the
third grade no longer exists.
"'The prison is the only self-sup-
porting institution of its kind in
the world. AT the reformatories,
special emphasis is laid on teach
ing the inmates vocation train
ing"
Since the 1925 legislature pass
ed the sterilization law, 102 feeble
minded persons and 50 insane have
been stirilized, Mr.. Swendsen said
He declared that to prevent fur
Their propagation is one Of the big
gest problems in dealing with the
defective class m the state.
At the Faribauit school for the
feeble-minded there are now 1000
inmates with a waiting list of 500
more.
Through the state children's bur.
eau and county welfare boards
much is being dc ne tc prevent in
creases in the nj mher of state
changes, Mr.. Swendsen believes
These have become extensive &C.
tivities for the state board which
has assumed new duties as the
states program has grown.