922 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

A. I would say realistically there may be not a cutdown, but an
expansion. Because when we run into problems with the current
flow of revenue, sometimes where matters are critical — and I point
to the need for construction of new mental facilities so that the
crowding in places like Rosewood can be alleviated — it's necessary
to go ahead with these things, regardless of our temporary financial
bind. In some cases we may utilize capital money if it's possible to
do what we have to do even though we don't have the operating
revenue. Now this doesn't mean, I want to assure you, that I am
going to pervert to everyday expense the use of capital improvement
money. But I don't think it would slow down capital improvements.
I think it may tend to speed them up.

Q. Governor, are you convinced that the conditions in mental hos-
pitals have reached the stage that you are going to have to go beyond
what you had planned to do?

A. Well, I can tell you this much. The situation in our mental hos-
pitals has been greatly improved in the past four or five years. There
isn't any question about that. All of the people are agreed that are
experts in this area. But this does not mean that we have by any
measure approached the quality of care that is necessary. It's just
like with everything else where conditions do improve, they improve
enough to encourage you into thinking that they should improve
more. And that's what, of course, we need to do — improve them even
more than they have been improved. I am not satisfied with them.
I told a meeting I had this morning with Dr. Solomon, the chairman
of the Advisory Council, and with Dr. Carson, the acting head of
Mental Health, and other State professionals that I wanted them to
sit down and do everything they could possibly do to provide me
with a program that was going to make certain that we provided the
level of mental care in this State that's necessary to remove some of
the abuses, the callous disregard of the needs of individuals that I
find in some cases takes place here. I am worried about this situation
and we're going to do something about it. Dr. Solomon is going to
continue to meet with these people and propose to me within the
week an overall revision in the five-year planning for mental hos-
pitals.

Q. Would that mean that the five-year planning will be cut down?

A. It will mean — I am pretty sure that certain things are going to
be accelerated. Yes.