The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-05-28

tHe STouHu DIT ulSSlnS time lot QUO pe
/ hundred pounds, and the patient
: would pick them up and place theI
!, in the cellars. This man, accordin
] to accounts, was late in getting hi
potatoes in the ground. Then h
t watered them too much in the lat
J summer in an effort to put all tn
/ growth on them he could, with tn
! result that they did not ripen. Thi
delayed the digging until freezin
, weather came. He managed finall
, to get a portion of the crop dug, an
the institution picked these up AM
, paid for them as agreed, although
= they were watery and of poor quality
! The others were frozen in the ground
with a loss not only to the farme
but also to the institution. Becaus,
the institution then had to purchas,
its remaining supply of potatoes a
$3.50 per hundred.
There was little difficulty alst
about some carrots raised by thi:
plant the carrots the institution was
to thin and care for them; and the
farmer then would dig them in the
fall. The farmer, it was said, com
planned because he thought the car
rots were not thinned enough, that
had they been so thinned they would
have grown much larger and yielded
more for him. But the kitchen de
clares the carrots are just right size
for their use, that they would not
want them any larger. We gave this
farmer every opportunity to appear
and register with this committee any
complaint that he might have, but he
did not show up.
Buildings and Equipment
| While there are several large brick
dormitories at the Montana State
| Hospital, the place generally reminds
one of an old, run down ranch, with
buildings of all sizes and types stuck
here and there, according to the no
tion and need of the particular builder
at time of construction. The barns,
for example, are hardly more than
sheds and would certainly be cleared
away and replaced by something at
least fairly modern by any progress
sive rancher who thought to operate
spread of this size. The COWS, of
which there are perhaps $50 MIXED
by hand, are housed in a weather.
beaten barn through which the wintry
winds find many an opening, but into
,r,bi f1O ho, J1 CHI Inn of oil
There are only a few stanchions in
the barn; most of the COWS are tied
with ropes. The hog shed is nothing
more than a shed, open at one end,
with no sunlight provided for. The
chicken houses are inadequate to care
properly or fully for the flocks the
institution needs. Some new chicken
houses are needed badly.
The laundry falls far short of meet
ing the requirements of the institu-
ton, so that it must be operated Sun
days, as well as every other day, to
keep fresh linen and other articles
of clothing for the more than 1000
patients and employees. How long
this laundry has been in use, or how
hard it has been used, may be judged
by the grooves worn in the hardwood
floor-almost through the floor in fact
where individual workers have stood
and ironed at the circular affair which
constitutes their set of stationary
ironing boards with the individual
boards sticking out like the spokes
of a great wheel A mangle of I'M
certain age is used for the sheets and
pillow cases. Otherwise the work
could never be performed This
laundry building, three stories high
but covering only small ground
space, might be used to good advan-
tage as a recreation center for en-
thing greatly needed at
Warm Springs-if and when new
laundry of sufficient size and proper
equipment is built to take its place.
Among the dormitories are several
wooden buildings, mostly two stories
high, which are virtual fire traps for
the patients housed within. A good
example of the crowded condition of
the institution may be observed in |
these old buildings, Cottage A, for in |
stance, houses So women patients,
with beds crowded almost as close as |
they will stand, upstairs and down. |
And for the So patients there is one |
old fashioned bath tub down stairs. |
Cottage B, another wooden building
Of about the same size, houses 81
patients has one bath tub |
downstairs, and only three toilets for
The two floors. Cottage F, where are
kept the worst women cases, houses
Sc patients, with bath and toilet IA
cilities about the same as for the 9TH
ar cottages mentioned. This building
mas some two or more towers at the
Upper corner where women attendants
nave rooms, but no means of escape
rom these towers has been provided
should a fire break out. Still an
,ther, larger dormitory, has the ap-
oearance of being made of brick, but
S only brick veneer and as much
ire trap as the other named. Such
s the condition of the old buildings,
which should have been replaced long
lgo with modern, fire-proof struc-
ures.
The equipment is Anticipated all
through the institution. Much of the
plumbing dates back to an early age
The problem of heating is difficult
rom the central heating plant, be-
:ause of the poor arrangement of the
buildings and the dilapidated condi-
ion of some. The kitchen and bak-
Try display the worst shortcomings of
III in equipment. Here the work