24 Anderson IVilliaiii Clark 



EXPERIENCES OF IOWA BOARD OF CONTROL 



Iowa was fortunate in securing excellent men on the Board 

 of Control at the beginning. These men are well-known through- 

 out the commonwealth, and have the confidence of the people. 

 At the same time they are men of great business ability, broad- 

 minded, sympathetic. The state treasurer's report at the end 

 of the first year showed that this Board of Control saved the 

 taxpayers of Iowa $175,000. In addition to this, the inmates, 

 as well as the officers of the various state institutions, agree in 

 their testimony that since the Board of Control took charge they 

 have better food, better clothing, and better care. There can be 

 no doubt that this testimony is true. 



The superintendents of the institutions are pleased with the 

 new system and testify that the needs of the various institutions 

 are quickly met. Three men upon this Iowa Board of Control 

 are in session every working day of the year from 8 :oo o'clock 

 A.M. until 3 :oo p.m., and have long distance telephone connec- 

 tion with every state institution. 



Great improvement has taken place, especially in the care of 

 the insane of the state. When the State Board of Control came 

 into authority, one of the members of the board, after visiting- 

 different parts of the state, among other things reported the 

 following: "At one county house, I found a poor dement who 

 was tied to a tree in summer and to a bedpost in winter because 

 there was no one to take care of him. Another patient I found 

 confined in a cage, and had been kept there for years because, 

 when given his freedom, he persisted in running away." Both 

 of these patients are now in state hospitals receiving proper care. 



Another part of the experience in Iowa is that members of the 

 board have no difficulty in securing needed appropriations for the 

 various state institutions. Members of the board never lobby, 

 never solicit the support of a single" member of the legislature 

 for an appropriation. They make reports after a thorough in- 

 vestigation as to what is needed at the state institutions, and upon 

 careful investigation the legislatures have found the reports and 

 recommendations to be just and right. 



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