Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-09-21
MAKE HOLLOW WARE.
Warden Hunter Suggests it Be
Made at Anamosa Penitentiary.
THE BOARD LETS MEAT CONTRACTS.
John Morreu and Company, of This
City, Secure the Contract for the
MitcheIlville Girls, Reform.
atory-other State News.

{
atory-Other State News.
Des Moines, Sept. 15.-Warden Hunt
.er, of Anamosa penitentiary, in lieu OF
a binding Irvine factory, has suggested
a hollow ware plant. He says that a
factory to employ $50 men can be built
for So 900, which would be an invest
ment of $50 per man. These plants,
he says, are paying in Maryland, In
diana and Illinois. lie is of the opin-
ion that the state could save money
by using its prison labor in the manu-
facture of nearly all the goods used byI
the state, particularly cloth and wool
en- goods, uniforms, shoes and ma
chinery.
The state board of control has sam
pies from twenty-five bidders who de-
sire to furnish the state institutions
-four for the ensuing. quarter. The
board has hit upon good plan for
comparing the fours. 1t will empty
the samples into plain sacks, carefully
numbered, and will send these to Nit
chellville, where in the institution for
girls there is fine baker,a woman, who
will be requested to carefully test the
flour and to make it up into bread.
The board will then decide from the
bread the kind of flour desired.
%#*
Meat contracts for the ensuing quar-
ter were awarded by the board on
Wednesday. The samples We're very
fine at this showing. The contracts
follow:
Council Bluffs, Swift & Co., Chicago,
Z III.
.Anamosa, Clarinda, Davenport. Edo
"a, Fort Madison, Glenwood. Independ-
ence, Marshalltown, Knoxville, Mitch
ellville, Mount Pleasant and Vinton.
Armour Packing company, Kansas
City, Mo.
i.Anamosa, Council Bluffs, Davenport,
Ft Madison, Glenwood, Independence,
and Knoxville, Swift & Co., South Oma-
ha. Neb.
olarinda, Mount Pleasant and vinton,
Britain & Company, Marshalltown.,
Eldora and A1arshalltown, Cudahy
Packing Company of South Omaha,
f Neb.
Alitchellville; John Morrell & Co., of
ottumwa.
Z When the Industrial Home for Girls
at Mitchellville was established a two
story house of square design about
two blocks from the Rock Island rail-
road and in plain sight Of passing
trains was procured by the trustees.
This building has served the purpose
ofsthe institution ever since. The in
stit,rticn is carefully and creditably
!. mansgsd. BY Superintendent Leonard,
sss.fs wonders with the facil-
tiles at his hand.
improvements are needed. They
consist principally in the building
suited for the purposes for which the
home was established and in further
ance of which the state sexpends about
100000 a year. AT present there lis no
known method OF separating the var.
ious classes of inmates. All classes are
sent there. 1t is an aston
;shing fact, but the truth
nevertheless that in this intelligent
state of Iowa girls are sent to Mitchell
vile because that institution is sup
ported by the state at large, instead o.
the Orphans Home at Davenport, be
cause counties have to support the in
digent children sent to Davenport
Superintendent Gass, of the Davenport
home, says that this is the fact in hi!
\ last report to the state board OF con
troll. So that three classes of girls ge
to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. who are merel,
INDECENT and are not incorrigible, thost
who are incorrigible merely, and thos'
I who are deprayed.
With the present facilities at Nit
chellville all these classes are thrown
4 together. There is no way to separate
them The girl who is evil has con
\ slant opportunity to influence the CIR
n who is not corrupt. Suppose CIR
who is evil minded is thrown in dali,
I contact. constant association with I
4 pure minded girl, perhaps rooms witt
I her aud sleeps in the same bed. Th'
a,vil that is possible is beyond compre
Saension. OF course such extreme case
2tle rare, for Superintendent Leonard
a md his assistants are extremely care
@ul and judicious, but it is possible
& Better facilities are needed, and with
Hutquestionth the state board of control il
N S recommendations to the general as
8 S,nibly will suggest an adequate rem
~ and protection.
HThere are three important subject
~ which the Forthcoming report of tn
VI 3.te board of control may make som
topr recommendations. However
8 board is inclined to be modest an,
) yher holds to the opinion that it vii
better for it to recommend very FEY
hinges in the state law. Therefore
q well defined ideas on most lmpol
OF subjects may not find their wa
VI, the report and its recommends
I ti,s to the legislature.
Enc of the members is known to bf
ote, firmly, that the state and no
M counties should care for the III
s both as to actual custody and a
fInpense. The state at present pay
wahe expenses of the state peniter
,w;ss. and the cost of keeping insan
assnts at state hospitals is allotte
trald collected from the counties az
ing sp to the percapita inmates of tn
49, hospitals. The reason for thi
sknown. It is presumed that orig
10y 10y the penal ward was believed I