The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-20
A STATE BOARD OF CONTROL.

n
The bill introduced by Senator Snyder
''for an act to create a state board Of
control for the charitable, reformatory,
and penal institutions of the state, in
wolves questions that call for most
careful consideration. In the first
place there is the matter of expenditure.
The bill calls for board of three MEM
hers at $3.50 each per annum; secre-
tary at $1,000; an architect at $1,000 and
an assistant architect at $1,500; sum
total for the more important positions
81, coo a year Then the board is au-
thorized to employ the necessary
clerks and stenographers. 1t shall, by
proper authorities, be also furnished with
all necessary books, blanks, stationery,
printing, postage stamps, and such other
office supplies as may be necessary and
travelling expenses, as well as various
other incidentals, are also provided for.
To estimate the cost of such a board at
$50, 600 a year would be very conserva-
tive and it may reach $50, 200. Any prop
osition to spend that much of the state
funds annually cannot fail to interest
the public.
The question whether there is any
occasion for all this outlay and whether
it will bring adequate returns is readily
answered by a perusal of the bill The
section requiring all officials of state
institutions to give proper bonds. is
superhuous, as an existing law covers
that point Of course, under Republican
uisrule, this law was largely dead
letter until Gen. Pope, the public eX-
aminer, instituted a reform.
The section providing for uniform
system of records and accounts for state
institutions is likewise superhuous, as a
law to that effect has existed for years.
The law was not enforced until Gen.
Pope's regime put an end to Republican
mismanagement. but at present the sys-
tenn of bookkeeping, of records and ac-
counts is uniform for all state institu-
tons The board is authorized to en-
ploy competent and expert help to intro
duce such uniform system, which, as
noted, was introduced some time ago.
1t is hard to say whether this is merely
a piece of egregious ignorance on the
part of the Trainer of the bill, or wood
chuck"
The section requiring the board to have
the books of the state institutions ex-
anlined at least once a year is equally
superauous as the duties of the public
examiner require him to have them ex-
amined at least twice a year. In this
| manner the board would have to employ
expert accountants to do the same work
over again that has already been done
by the public examiners department
In this way, practically every import
ant section of the bill has already been
provided for by the duties of some de-
partment or other
The present supervision of the state
institutions is sufficient to prevent any
dishonest use of the state funds. More
over, the main complaints in this respect
have always been against the state uni
versity and normal schools, which would
not come under the control of the board
IN examining the records of the state
charitable and penal institutions the
public examiner found no occasion for
complaint whatever, and in the case OF
the state university and normal schools
too there was no dishonesty discovered
though eerhaps there were some in
stances u. carelcssness in handling state
funds
The only provision OF any merit in the