No. 467, A., A bill to revise, consolidate and amend the charter of the city of Oshkosh, the act incorporating the city and the several acts amendatory thereof." No. 23, A., A bill to enable the Northern Pacific Railroad Co. to perfect title to lands in Douglas county. No. 145, A., A bill to authorize the towns of Clayton, Haney and Utica, or either of them, to build and maintain a bridge across the Kickapoo river at a point named therein. No.338, A., A bill authorizing and empowering the chairman of town boards of supervisors to administer oaths in certain cases. No. 339, A., A bill to amend section 1236 of chapter 52 of the revised statutes, entitled" Of highways and bridges." No. 279, A., A bill relating to lands sold for taxes and amendatory of section 1 of chapter 250 of the laws of 1882. No. 425, A., A bill to amend chapter 231 of the laws of 1876, relating to the city of Eau Claire, Were severally read a third time and concurred in. On motion of Senator Cottrill, No. 213, A., A bill relating to the acquisition of lands by cities, villages. and corporations for the construction of water works and amendatory of chapter 325, laws of 1882. Was re-committed to the committee on Judiciary. BILLS ON THEIR THIRD READING. The amendments to No 29, A., A bill to amend section 1240 of chapter 52 of the revised statutes entitled, of highways and bridges, Were adopted, and the bill was ordered to a third reading. No. 78, A., A bill to amend section 1, of chapter 205, of the general laws of 1882, relating to town insurance companies. No. 241, A., A bill to authorize John Furlong to build and maintain a pier extending into the waters of Lake Michigan. Were severally ordered to a third reading. No. 300, A., A bill to provide for the payment of a sum of money therein named to Kelly A. Nott, of Menomonie, Wisconsin, No. 461, A., A bill to appropriate money to pay legislative employes. Were severally laid over. BILLS ON THEIR ENGROSSMENT AND THIRD READ ING. The amendment of the committee on Claims to the amendment to No. 67, S., A bill to appropriate to the Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls a sum therein named, Was rejected. The ayes and noes being demanded, it was decided in the negative. Ayes, 15: noes, 16; absent or not voting, 2. The vote was as follows: Ayes-Senators Ackley, Carey, Colman, Comstock, Flint. Hill, Meffert, Pingel, Ringle, Ryland, Sherman, Wall, Warner. Webb and Wiley-15. Noes Senators Adams. Chase, Cottrill, Erwin, Hudd, Jonas, Kingston, Lord, McDonald, Minor, Palmetier. Parry. Randall, Reed, Smith and Stanley-16. Absent or not voting - Senators Bennett and Blake — 2. A bill to amend the charter of the city of Milwaukee, On motion of Senator Hudd. No. 202, S., A bill to authorize John A. Humbird, his heirs or assigns. to improve the navigation of Bad and White rivers and their tributaries and Long Lake and Pike Lake for log driving purposes, and to drive, boom and handle logs thereon. Was laid over until March 21st. On motion of Senator Flint. No. 213, S.. A bill providing for the collection of information relating to the best method of constructing roads and paving streets in this state. Was recommitted to the committee on Claims. ADJOURNMENT. On motion of Senator Palmetier, The senate adjourned TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1883. The senate met. The president in the chair. The roll was called, and the following senators answered to their names: Senators Ackley, Adams, Bennett, Carey, Chase, Colman, Comstock, Cottrill, Erwin, Flint, Hill, Hudd. Jonas. Kingston, Lord, McDonald, Meffert, Minor, Palmetier, Parry, Pingel, Randall, Reed, Ringle, Ryland, Sherman, Smith, Stanley, Wall, Warner, Webb and Wiley. The journal of last evening was approved. RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED. By Senator Erwin: Res. No. 17, S.. Resolved, That the chief clerk be authorized to renumber the sections to No. 161, S., A bill to incorporate the city of Tomah, So that section 32 will stand as section 31: section 33 as section 32, and so on to end of the bill. Which was adopted. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. The committee on Education, to whom was referred A bill to provide for a public guardian in each county of this state and prescribing his official duties and compensation. Have had the same under consideration and have in structed me to report the same back with an amendment, and the recommendation that it be recommitted to the committee on Judiciary. So ordered. VAN S. BENNETT, Chairman. The committee on Engrossed Bills have examined and find correctly engrossed No. 19, S., A bill to fix the minimium price of all public lands which have not been offered for sale, at public sale, at the sum of three dollars per acre. W. C. MEFFERT, A majority of the joint committee on Charitable and Penal Institutions to which so much of the governor's message was referred as related to insane asylums, have had the same under consideration, and after a careful consideration of the whole matter, beg leave to report the following facts. and their conclusions deduced therefrom: The total cost of constructing the state hospital to date $515,270 $1.098 Taking the average of inmates for the year ending September 1882 as a basis. Total cost of land and construction of Northern hospital.. $720,000 $1,361 Average per capita per patient for both. $1.229 Total cost of Milwaukee asylum $202,000 Which is a cost per capita of. 8671 Which is a less cost per capita than the average of the two state asylums.. As the Milwaukee Asylum is equal in every respect to the State Asylums proper, your committee cannot understand why the latter cost so much more than the former, and think the matter ought to be investigated by the proper state authorities. The cost of the county asylums which are reported by the State Board of Charities and Reforms, to be equal in all essential points to the state asylums are as follows: DANE COUNTY. Asylum built of solid brick, as near fire-proof as possible $34.000 Will accommodate inmates 120 $283 $29.000 100 $290 $9.73 Cost per capita.... Average cost per capita.. Which is less than cost of the state asylums, per capita, of....... Average cost of patients in county asylums, per capita, per Average cost of patients in state asylum, per capita, per week.. annum... $1.66 $3.72 $2.06 $107 12 Which would make a difference in one year on 2,000 patients of $214, 240 00 The above statement of the cost is based on the supposition that the cost of acute cases cost no more than chronic. Now reckoning that one-third are cases of acute insane, the saving on the remaining two-thirds would be $144,826 annually, which your committee consider is paid under the state system more than would be required under the county system. We This is the pecuniary view of the question; now let us look at the matter as to which is the most humane. know of no better source for information on this subject than the report of the State Board of Charities and Reform. That board is composed of gentlemen of more than ordinary abilities and are men known to be of the kindest feelings towards suffering humanity. After their twelve years experience they ought to know whereof they speak. We quote from the address of Hon. H. H. Giles: "Almost irredeemable mistakes have been made in dealing with the question of insanity: none perhaps more serious than the attempt to care for all and to gather both acute and chronic insane in the same building." We gather from their report that it is their opinion, in which we concur, that the massing of large numbers of the insane in our state hospitals is" refined cruelty." There seems to your committee. judging from the reports of the superintendents and from other sources, that there is a lack of proper medical treat 23-S. J. |