The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-09
so THEY SEND SUBS.
Official Members of State Drainage
Board Busy

One of the least conspicuous. but
evidently most essential admfnistra-
tive bureaus of the state, is the state
drainage commission, If the public is to
judge from the indefatigab BILE labOrs
its members put in upon it,
The field of the commission is the
supervision of the work of ditch con
struction on the prairies of the Red
river valley; its composition is the gov
eFnor, secretary of state and the en-
glneer of the Great Northern road.
There are some citizen members Of
the commission who have no other
Pupnc junction, and who really do the
detailed work of the organization The
governor and secretary of state "sit
In at the monthly meetings and some
tunes go on the junkets of inspection.
when they are not too busy.
The commission has so INTERPRETED
the law that the official members. need
not go in person, but may send their
chief deputies or assistants. Gov
Clough has this summer been repre-
sented on one occasion by Executive
Clerk Angel, while on the last junket
which returned at daybreak last Sab
bath. the chief executive was repre-
scented by his private secretary, Roland
Hartley. There was a notable absence
Of heads of departments on this last
junket, Secretary Of State Berg send
Ing as substitute his chief clerk,
George E. Hallberg.
1t is said that the constant strain on
the eyes neceSsitated by this work is
so trying that few officials care to
make the trip but once, and they do
say that one of the tourists on the
September junket dreamed of lack pots
ana the like for a week after his re-
turn Otherwise they could go twice
and make comparisons. Some of the
calumniatOrs of the commission have
endeaVOred to make out that the only
inspection of bitches done by the com
mission was from the car windows, but
this is not true, for. on one occasion
one Of the commissioners took a cam
era with him and brought back some
pictures of the bitches This was an
interesting innovation. the custom hav-
ing been not to bring back any marked
Well-defned "reminiscences of how the
thing looked, but it was within the
scope of the law, and has not been
harshly criticised.
On this latest junket, the party Wis
tied the Middle river, Atherton and
MauStOn bitches, the first named of
which is not quite completed. i'm spite
of the warning to the contractors that
unless finished this fall the commits
sion would look to their boudsmeu
The ditch is five miles long, and three
and one-half miles have been finished
off in good shape. For the remaining
mile and a half the sod has been re
moved and a ditch dug along one side
five feet in width so that great deal
OF water will be carried off. even by
the incomplete portion. but the estab-
lished width Of the ditch is twenty
feet, and there are some 1900 cubic
yards of earth yet to be removed.
The contractors have had to cease
work because the weather has become
so stormy and disagreeable that the
men would not remain with them.
They could find employment at more
congenial work.
at the capitol this morning and de
termine what is to be done in regard
to this ditch as we'll as the approval Of
the others, on which the work was
finished up in good shape