The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-19
DEPARTMENT NOTES.


of Englshmen, Scotch
men and Canadians in Texas, in aid
If the life boat aud saving association
If Great Britain.
LAND DEPARTMENT.
There was meeting of the land
board yesterday in the governors Of
fee. The bearings of the land laws
were discussed. Commissioner Walsh
was authorized to receive applications
for homesteads, subject to revision by
the board. There were numerous ap-
plications which, however, were not
acted on for the present, from parties
desiring agencies for the sale and
lease of the school and university and /
asylum lands.
Randolph Laurence, lawyer OF !
San Marcos, was elected secretary OF |
the board, at a salary of $3.50 per |
month.
CONTROLLERS DEPARTMENT.
About 5000 was paid into the
treasury Mo day upon warrant from
the comptroller, being for the account
of general fund.
One firm received warrants for rs
pension claims for $113.50 each.
PENITENTIARY BOARD
This board met yesterday. The re-
port of receipts and expenditures
from May IL to June 30, as presented
by the financial agent, Mr.. Haywood
Brahan, was approved.
You will see, says Mr.. Brahan, that
l have received from the comptroller
$4,000 and have collected for the hire
of convict labor on farms and rail-
roads and for work done at the Hunts
vile penitentiary and from other
sources $16,904.78, and have paid out,
as per vouchers inclosed, $38,09047,
leaving Il balance in my hands on the
Both day of June of $381431. AS the
state resumed control Of the peniten-
tiarieS on the 10th of May, have col
lected in June TOR half months labor
on the farms and railroads, and out of
this amount and the $4,000 | drew
on warrant from the comptroller |
have paid all the expenses of both
! penitentiarieS, including salaries. In
| addition L have paid for provisions
and other supplies for the two peni-
! tentiarieS and fourteen railroad farms
sufficient to last from the 10Th of MAY
to August l. | have also supplied
| the cOnVlctS on the seven
teen farms with tobacco,
medicines and stationary to last till
! August |. and have paid bills for
medical services on farms and rail-
roads up to June 80. The sergeants
and guards on the Wynne and John
son farms, near Huntsville, and the
Reagan farm, near Rusk, worked by
the state, have been paid to June,
and provisions have been furnished
them to date. | have also had to pur-
chase corn for the farms at Huntsville
and Rusk penitentiarieS and for the
teams on Wynne and Reagan farms.
L have also bought, as shown by
vouchers, forty-one bales of cotton
aggregating $1765.74, which has been
worked up into cloth for convict
clothing and bedding and towels. l
am still buying cotton and have COM
menced to buy wool for our winter
| convict labor. 1t will take abont 20
600 pounds of wool and about 100
bales of cotton to make our convict
clothing for the winter.
/ am satisfied, after | collect all the
labor bills on farms and railroads for
June, which are due from the 10th
to the 18th Of July, will be able to
pay all the expenses of the peniten-
tiarieS without having to call upon
! the comptroller for further help, unless
your honorable board should deter
mine to make investments to operate
! the shops incident to the different in
| dustries at the two penitentiaries, aud
! [ hope within the coming three or
| four months to be able to refund the
comptroller the $4,000 that [ drew
on warrants from the $4,000 appro-
priation made by the eighteenth legis-
lature for the support Of the peniten-
tiaries.
Our available resources for July are
as follows
Balan ce cash on hand July 1, 1885 . s., SI4 81
! From labor OF fourteen railroad trains
From labor Of fourteen railroad trains
jJunel -.........-.... l4,11 sc
From miscellaneous labor and Their
work at the plantations, estimated. 5000 90
Total. ....:...............S 42 ,4l4 %
Our expenses to be paid out of this
amount, known and estimated, will be
approximately as follows:
Pay rolls officers, ETC., at Huntsville pen
Pay rolls officers, etc, at Rusk peniten- S''-'
tiary; -........., .;.........:........ 1,175
railroad trains Observation-Disclosures. 4 300
Pay rolls sergeants and guards on farms 1886
! worked by state -. .................. COG
Provisions, Huntsville penitentiary 10th
of July to 18th OF August :.......,;.... 1850
! Provisions, RuSk penitentiary, 10th of
July to 10th Of August, :.......:. 1850
Provisions, fourteen railroad trains, for
Miscellaneous expenses for Rask penf- 0'OOO
>, Tertiary 1000
= Penitentiary. ...,........... 1000
nj
Tobacco, medici es, etc, for farms 500
account. ................ 1,5OO
Transportation of convicts, July ac-
Lumber, etc, for improvements at the
Huntsville penitentiary DULY ..... 15OO
Cotton and wool (July) ................. $500
Beef, etc, both prisons duly. .......... 1900
miscellaneous expenses, discharges, etc. 1900
Total ..................s $50, 9o6
The plan of monthly competitive
bids with samples was adopted. By
comparison with market reports you
will see that the great majority of
articles were bought under the mar
ket quotations
The rest of the report is interesting
as to the manner in which the agent
has endeavored to reduce expenses.
He furnishes trial balance of his ac-
count.
Bids were made to the board as fol-
lows:
H. Still & Bro, of Huntsville, want
twenty-five convicts at sixty cents
per day for ten years-thirty cents for
cripples.
Messrs Sleligson, of Galveston, and
others, offer to run wagon, furniture,
blacksmith and paint shops and fur
nishing room of Huntsville peniten-
tiary. Ten years lease with fifty con-
victS at sixty cents yer day, and after
sixty days one hundred convicts and
after twelve months $50 per day or as
many over $50 as the state can fur
nish, the sick and disabled excepted
from per diem.
Conner and Fairs, of Alabama, pro-
pose to lease, for ten years, the Rusk
prison and blast furnace and 1000 con-
victs, taking only enough now and
until January, to get things in work
ing order fully, and then to take the |
1000 convicts at 800 per year for first |
class, $50 for second class, and $50 for |
third class. They Will feed the con-
victs and guards, and will make first |
payment January, 1885, and quar-
terly.
Virgins & Simpson, of Houston,
offer to lease convict labor at Hunts t