The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-01-16
Gov. VanSant'S Message
The Thirty-Third Minnesota Legislature Con-
venes and Listens to the Document

aged that there Is now to the credit of
the revolving fund 100000.
Inc financial showing for the entire
prison, TOO, is most excellent as will be
seen from the following statement:
FOR i9O0 there was deficit of $51.SS
for each convict.
year wholly under the management of
Warden Wolfer, there was a gain of
S'Q.ot Tor every prisoner in the institution.
or ~ nave I'VE gone somewhat into detail in
excellent record made in the state prison
during the past two years.
The prison is over-crowded and addi--
tlonal cell-room must be provided for at
this session of the legislature.
Board Of Control.
At the last general session a bill was
| passed now known as the Board of Con-
troll bill. and pursuant to its provisions
entered upon the discharge of its duties
The wisdom of the adoption Of the board
of control system has been amply vindi-
gated. A brief year of the administra-
ton OF the board has passed and it's work
has surpassed the most sanguine ex-
pectations of its friends. Prompted by
the same abiding faith that recommended
its creation, which has been strengthened
hundredfold by it's splendid work dur
ing the past year, it Is safe to predict
that the board of control system will be
this system in Wisconsin and Iowa,
coupled with it's effective work in our
state will, in my judgment, eventually
result in its adoption by every state in
the union. The system has proved SO
satisfactory in the state of Wisconsin that
Governor La Toilette used the following
vigorous language:
ANY party that goes before the state
with a plank in its platform advocating
the repeal of the law will be buried, as
1t should be, In ignominious defeat"
There seems to have been a question
in the minds of the members at the last
general session OF the legislature and of
many Of our citizens, as expressed
through the public press, as to whether
the establishment of the board of control
could be justified from a humanitarian
standpoint. If there is any criticism that
board of control that has been set at
rest, it is the one just suggested. care
full perusal of the report of the board Of
control showing, as it does, what has
been done along humanitarian lines, will
convince the most skeptical that the care
of the unfortunate inmates of our state
institutions has received the greatest at
tention at their hands. 1t has given
practical attention to the subject of die
tary at the different state institutions and
has employed an expert to visit the in
ployeS the proper method of preparing.
food and how best to serve the same to-
inmates. The same class of food is pur-
chased for inmates as for officers and
employees. All articles of food are re-
CURED to be pure, wholesome and palata-
BILE, and the dairy and food commissioner
visits the different institutions and ex-
amines the character Of the supplies, and
sees strictly to it that any food product
unfit for consumption, or failing to COM
ply with the requirements of the law, is
rejected. Thus the intention of the board
to protect inmates from unwholesome
food products is apparent.
l firmly believe that the institutions in
charge of the board of control have never
been in a higher state of efficiency and
that the inmates thereof are safe in the
hands of the board. and ]. do not hesitate
to say that the great saving to the state
has been brought about solely by the
new departure in the purchase of supplies
and by enlarged and improved business
methods, and not in the least at the eX-
pense of efficiency.
The impression seems to have gone out
that under the present system our home
markets are Disseminated against and
that markets outside of our state are
unnecessarily favored. I find the follow
ing table in the report, which speaks for
itself:
19Oo-1sO1. 1sO1-1sO2.
Purchased in towns
where institutions
are located -. $S01 1865. 03 $146,7 06. rs
Purchased in towns
outside Of inSti-
tutions towns -. 263, 1897. 60 81, rs
Purchased in other
states ......... 6I,5oO.bl 6O, 400. 06
$685.. O53. 80 s57S,547. Sc
The figures for 190O-19O1 being compiled
by the stewards from institution books,
board of control These figures show that
the board of control not only purchased
$53,505S3 worth of supplies less than
during the former year, but nearly $1,000
worth less from other states. These facts
certainly disarm the creticiSm suggested.
The board has saved to the state very
large sum of money as will be shown by
the following table: