The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-07-12
THE BOARD OF CONTROL.
viii Have Full Charge Aug. LIST and Do
All Buying for State Institutions.


Minneapolis Journal:
After Aug. 1 every state institution
in Minnesota, except the state univer-
sity and the Soldiers Home, will buy
it's supplies through the state board of
control. Not a penny will be spent
| without first obtaining the consent OF
this board, and making full account
ing. All supplies which do not have
' to be obtained locally will be bought
on contract by the board.
The five state normal schools, the
| schools for the blind and deaf, and the
state public school, were put on little
different basis from the others, but
they will not see the difference when it
comes to buying supplies. Local boards
will administer the affairs of these
schools, hire employees and fix their
salaries, but the board of control will
have control and knowledge of every
cent they spend. 1t will buy their
supplies according to uniform sys-
tenn.
The members of the board have COM
pleted the details of their system, after
a long course of preparatory work.
Messrs Lee and Leavitt were on the
commission which Investigated other
state boards of control before the bill
passed. After their appointment they
visited other states and worked out a
plan much on the line of the Iowa sys-
tenn. In this they were ably assisted by
h. W. Wright, the new secretary of
the board, who was trained in Iowa
and is thoroughly familiar with the
details of the system. G. A. Morey,
before his deplorable accident, did
much of the preliminary work, which
was practically finished before O. B.
Gould, the new member, came into
the Office.
The Minnesota plan, in skeleton
shape, is as follows: The fiscal year
begins Aug. 1, and the quarters begin
with August, November, February and
May. Two or three weeks before each
quarter commences the head of each
institution will make out an estimate,
complete in every detail, showing
every article and commodity that will
have to be bought. This estimate is
reviewed by the board. If there is any
item the board deems superfuous or
excessive, it is cut. This revised esti-
mate is sent back to the institution,
and not cents worth may be pur-
chased outside the estimate without a
supplementary estimate approved by
the board.
Each estimate is preceded by at stats
tical statement, showing the number
of inmates and employees to be cared
for. The items are grouped under the
following heads: -.
Salaries ; and wages; provisions ;
household stores; clothing; fuel and
light; hospital and medical supplies !;
shop, farm and garden; ordinary re-
pairs, library water and ice postage
and stationery :. transportation Of in
mates miscellaneous, and.scontingent
fund.
1.-The estimate also shows..how. much
it will costss..the~s-state-for each inmate
per day. The sper .-capita..ssday lis the
basis on which: an comparisons are
made 1t is even carried down to the
different lines of supplies, showing
how.-much each one will cost per
capita. -. =. =
when the revised estimates ..ares sent
back, g such ), articles as. have...tosbe
bought in the local market are referred
to the Institution steward..fo purchas-
ing. Everything else: is grouped &C
cording to lines of trade. For instance,
all the soap asked for will be entered
according to items and institutions,
on a single sheet. Copies of this
sheet will be sent to all the houses that
desire to bid on soap In the same
way, staple groceries will be entered