112 State Papers and Addresses

It is necessary also constantly to provide additional beds for mentally ill
patients. The State operates four institutions for the care of the mentally
ill, and two institutions for the feeble-minded. About 8, 000 patients are in these
institutions. The increase in the population in the mental disease hospitals
averages 300 per year. To provide for this increased population, the following
allotments to the institutions were made from the bond issue.

Crownsville State Hospital, for additional buildings........... $500, 000

Eastern Shore State Hospital, for alterations, additions and

equipment for additional patients...................................... 78, 000

Springfield State Hospital, additions and equipment........... 200, 000

Spring Grove State Hospital, for building for 200 additional
patients and equipment.............................................................. 285, 000

Rosewood State Training School, for additional building for

100 patients and for equipment....................................... 400, 000

Total............................................................. $1, 463, 000

With the additional buildings, much greater hospital facilities will be
afforded and in order to secure adequate care during the period of hospitaliza-
tion, I included increased appropriations in the budgets for these institutions.

It is highly important too that our training schools be of sufficient size
to meet the needs of our community and that they be adequately equipped and
staffed for efficient operation.

For the Montrose School for Girls, a bond issue appropriation gives
$75, 000. 00 for the construction and equipment of a vocational building. At
the Training School for Boys, $3, 000. 00 was provided for needed equipment
and additions to the buildings. For the Training Schools for Colored Boys and
Girls, funds totaling $90, 000. 00 were appropriated for badly needed buildings
and equipment.

In the penal system, women prisoners are committed to the House of
Correction and they have been housed in a portion of the general institution
set aside for that purpose. This arrangement has not been satisfactory, and
I included in the budget an appropriation of $51, 000. 00 to pay the cost of
operating buildings built especially for housing women prisoners. This ar-
rangement will be helpful in solving some of the problems in connection with
the administration of our institutions for the care of women prisoners.

One of the most frequent causes of death in our State is pneumonia and it
is a good investment of public funds to exercise all means of control of this
dread disease. In the last few years, treatment of the disease by drugs and
sera has saved many lives but these savings have been confined to that portion
of the population able to pay the comparatively high cost of the remedies. I
believe all our citizens are entitled to these benefits, and I included in the
budget an appropriation of $10, 000. 00 to the Health department for the pur-
chase and distribution of remedies for the treatment of pneumonia to those
persons unable to pay the cost of the same. It is believed that many lives
will be saved during the coming winter because these remedies for the treat-
ment of pneumonia are, for the first time, made available to all.

In the field of public welfare, legislation was enacted creating a Depart-
ment of Public Welfare in order to increase efficiency and to systematize
procedure. In this Department was placed the administration of the Social
Security program providing for care to the needy aged, aid to dependent