The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-10-01
BOARD
FOR LONG TENURE OF
STATE employees
Also Recommends Parole Office
and Instructor for Night
School in Pen.

report, just sent to h printers by w.
III. King, secretary, Of this place, the
state board OF charities and correc-
lions recommends most urgently the re-
moval of administration of the states
institutions from partisan politics.
or the five recommendations OF tho
board, ii is most insistently urged that
the legislature enact n law fixing terms
OF office for a considerable number of
years if not during good behavior, for
all the officers and employees OF institu-
tions and fixing limitations for their
salaries. This alone, IL is claimed, will
end the ';pernicious influence of party
and fractional politics. and make com
potency and faithfulness the test. Some
| years ago the present board adopted a
resolution that Sin the selection Of Off
GERS for the various institutions Of the
state, competency and fitness to do
honest and honorable service are the
chief requisites to commend, and tfIat
political afiliation or opinion should in
no manner have weight" In this, the
board will surely receive the moral sup
port of Governor Crawford, who has
earnestly advocated civil service in the
states institutions.
A School in Prison.
The board suggests also the creation
of a parole officer for the penitentiary
and training school, who will conduct,
at least part OF the year, a night school
at the penitentiary. The letter was
suggested by the efforts of several of
the younger convicts to study higher
text books in their cells.
1T liz recommended also that a re-
formatory be created for the younger
prisoners and that the principle of the
indeterminate sentence, which the
board holds to have been proved a
success by other states, be adopted,
and that u law be passed prohibiting
the employment in any institution OF
any member of the family of its man
aging officer.
The board, composed OF d. g.
Thomas, of WATERFOWL, VIM. M. Pow
ers, OF Yankton, and w. r, Upton, OF
Mitchell. expresses pleasure with the
progress that has been made in the i'm
stitutions In the past two years, The
board has never asked for a deficiency
appropriation, but On the contrary has
turned back an u~nexpended portion OF
the regular appropriation. This year
the board viii return, OF the monies
available for support, the neat sum
OF $780, 46.59. OF this s I, 405.25 is from
the training school fund, $50, 043.79 from
the p~enitentiary, S451.52 from the hos
pital for the insane, $2,625.62 from the
northern hospital, $3,820.S7 from the
school for deaf mutes, SO, 560.3 from
the school for the blind, and $5,1S9.1S
IrOW the mSuTaHCe 1unu,
Value Of Institutions.
An appraisement by the board OF the
state institutions shows the state owns
in them property of the handsome sun
of 81. 321,026, as follows: Training school
$106, 315; school for blind. $39,50O; schoo
for deaf, $40, 1888; pe~nitentiary, S289,081
state hospital for insane, $685., 900
northern hospital for feeble minded
$57, 792.
During the past year the total aver
age number of people cared for In thu
penal and charitable institutions wal
1890, as follows: Hospital for insane
725: northern hospital for feeble mind
ed, 1876; ~penitentiary, 203; training
school, 10; school for blind, 80; schoo
for deaf, rs.
Most remarkable as a financial enter
prise Is the shirt factory installed a.
the state penitentiary three years ago
at a cost of $4,000. The board reports
that the total net profit TO the stat
from this investment has been $43,650.8S
The shirts are made under contract TO
large firms, so the state is relieved from
the work OF selling the product. TIL,
prisoners receive pay after they hay,
worked a minimum number of hour
and in this way have accumulate
quite a little in the way of savings
besides generating in them habits D
industry.
The machinery for making Irvine ha
all been purchased and is being in
stalled and the board declared the plan
to be The finest that could be built.
Silos have been erected at the hos
pital for the insane, the hospital 70
feeble minded, and the training school
and at each a herd of Holsteins
maintained. The silos We're built fror
savings and the herds save a large sur
by supplying milk and butter. Elec
trio lights have been installed at tn
school for the blind, an importan
change owing to the danger of fire fror
| kerosene lamps. Many thousands q
} small trees have been see out at tn
} hospital for feeble minded.
In closing the board expresses its ap
, probation of the faithful service =
the employees in the institutions an
! felicitates itself upon the fact tlIa
there has been no hint of corruption
, of scandal, of cruelty, or inhumanit
in any Of the penal o. charitable inst
tutions of this state, while rumors G
: wrong doing were rife in more tina
one Of our neighboring states"
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2 nfIcrAMcIN MAM