The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1958-12-19
Millions More Needed To Run--

ennium for this project would be
$1.3 million.
The Deaf & Blind School. Great
Falls, needs new classroom; Soldier:
Home, Columbia Falls, is in a sac
state of disrepair and needs much
work in order to get by; the Indus
rial School, Miles City, long neglected
until recent years, needs three addi-
tional residences for staff, and other
repairs; the Orphans Home, Twin
Bridges, is also greatly in need of
general renovation; Vocational School
for Girls, Helena, needs new class
room and new water system; State
Hospital, Warm Springs, is over
crowded and in need of repairs; Ga
len needs a building repaired as a
security ward" for patients from
Warm Springs and Deer Lodge.
Barnard also pointed out that in
adequate salaries and long hours
make it difficult to obtain and keep
reasonably good personnel at most
of the institutions and that part of
the higher budget requests are aimed
at correcting this shortcoming.
Taking account of expanding pop
ulation trends, the Valley county leg
islator stated it is anticipated that
there will be 700 in the State Prison
by 1860 as compared with 600-plus
now, and 900 to 1000 by 1890. SINH
lar enrolment increases can be
expected at most of the other Gus
todial institutions.
Cost per inmate per day to the tax
payers range from low of $2.57 at
the Old Folks Home, Lewistown, to
$3.50 at Galen.
HIGHWAY PROGRAM OUTLINED
Highway Commissioner Stanley Hal
version, Kalispell, stated that the
highway department needs an addi-
tional $3.5 million income each year
in order to keep current with avail
able federal matching funds.
He said, in pointing up the imme-
diate economic value of constructing
needed highways, aside from the long
term good achieved, that each 81 of
state money brought 1913 of federal
funds, of which, So went
for labor. Highway transportation
and industries and businesses con-
nected with supplying vehicles, ac-
gasoline, services, etc., en-
ploy one out of every seven Ameri-
cans. Here in Montana, he said that
farm employment, one out
Of three gainfully employed depend
in one way or another on transporta-
ion for living.
Although $3.5 million is needed
to keep the matching program cur
rent, Halverson didn't evidence any
concern over immediate loss of fed
eral funds because of lack of state
matching money. Because the de-
partment uses oldest allocated fed
eral funds first, it may be eight to
10 years before the state would
lose any federal aid if the additional
$3.5 million isn't forthcoming. The
accumulative backlog of federal
funds, he surmised, would probably
have to be taken up via a bond
issue.
Howard Boswell of Helena, of the
highway department, taking note of
he rapidly increasing use of highways
md the population Explosion, stated
hat "We're designing highways to
meet traffic needs of 20 years hence"
Boswell. said ''we've been behind in
matching federal funds ever since
he end of World War II, that we're
osing ground, and he referred the
udience to the $3.5 million proposed
dditional revenue program recently
by the Montana Highway
Jsers Conference. (For details on
hat program, see editorial, VOICE,
december 12.-EDITOR.)
Of the current $18, 100000 annual
ncome of the highway department,
,uswell said the state had between ;
10 and $11 million for construction
fter maintenance and other opera
ional costs had been met.
WELFARE
Dir. David Berg, Helena, chairman
f the State Board of Health, and
lember of that board for IA years,
old the conference "We're in
ell-uv-a mess" Celebrating, he said
ur health problems are "man-made'
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