SALARIES AND WAGES, AND MAINTENANCE

Requested For

 

 

 

1930-31 1931-32 1936-37 1937-38 1938-39

Salaries & Wages $100,000 115,000 86,250 145,000 145,000
Maintenance 50,000 41,743* _46,500 75,000 77,000
Total $150,000 156,743 132,750 220,000 222,000

Unlike other divisions of the University, Medicine and Nursing
showed increases in enrollment rather than decreases during the depression

years.

Increased Enrollment, Decreased Appropriations:

The opening of the New Ward and Nurses Home in 1930 increased
the hospital bed capacity and this in turn provided clinical facilities
for additional medical students. The legislature of 1931 recognized
this fact by increasing salary and maintenance appropriations by $27 ,000
annually for the next biennium. The intervention of the depression, how-
ever, necessitated an emergency reduction of appropriations of 11 per
cent in 1931-32 and about 25 per cent in 1932-33. Legislative appropri-

ations for 1933-37 were continued on the reduced basis.

Reserve Balances Exhausted:

In the meantime the enrollment showed no decrease, For

several years the appropriation reduction was offset by the savings
effected through the horizontal salary reductions. In addition the
hospital accumulated a surplus due to the low market prices. Rapidly
shifting conditions soon altered the situation materially. Wage ad-
vances in Kansas City forced adjustments for both skilled and unskilled
hospital employees; the cost of food and hospital supplies advanced
sharply; the demand for cha¥ity medical services increased five or six
times over that of 1930; the State took advantage of opportunities to
secure a great amouné of construction and landscaping work through
PWA and WPA; and a Tubercular Ward was opened at the old medical plant
to relieve the overflow at Norton and to provide clinical patients for
medical classes. The result is that by the end of the current fiscal
year the reserve balances will have been exhausted, and in addition a
deficiency of $22,000 will result.

Increases Needed:

 

The amounts requested are essential to operation of the
School of Medicine and Hospitals on an acceptable basis, The reasons
for the increases are, in brief:

1. Reserve balances having been exhausted, additional
funds are needed to maintain the current budget.

* The original appropriation was $62,000. The emergency reduction
brought it to this figure, however,

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