The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-03-11
final DAYS OF
LEGISLATURE
Closing Hours Crowded with
Important Business.
REPORTS OF INVESTIGATORS

Special Committee Named to inquire
into P%enitentiary Management Finds
Much to criticise-Report on State
superintendent Of Schools Puts the
Matter OF Fees Up to the Attorney
General for Action.
Bismarck, March 8.-The Eleventh
legislative assembly adjourned sine
die on Friday. The last night of the
session was buster than has been the
case at many = previous session, for
the reason that a large amount Of
business aside from the consideration
Of bills took up much of the time of
the two bodies. The report of the
p~enitentiary Investigation committee
was made on Thursday and occupied
more than an hour in the reading. 1t
went over the affairs of the peniten-
tiary for the past twelve years and
while it was reported that there had
been a loose system of bookkeeping
and that opportunities had existed for
the Illegal disposal of state property
no actual proof vas offered that any
had been 10 disposed of. 1t was stat
cd that the wardens and trustees had
used state funds wrongfully in the
drawing OF per diem and mileage on
srecial trips~out of the state and that
q large quantity of brick made 1T the
prison yards was not accounted for
on tho books, although it was not
claimed they had been diverted to any
particular purpose. Reports Of cruelty
to prisoners were reported to be sus-
tanned under previous administrations
and a number Of Irregularities and
laxities in prison management were
reported. With respect to n trans
action at the time the machinery for
tho state Irvine plant "a installed it
was stated that two of a former board
Of trustees had received q rebate from
tho machinery company and that a
former warden Of the prison had also
received a rebate, but that this money,
after being held for some time, had
been paid back into the state treasury.
The reading of the report was heard
BY one Of the largest crowds that at.
tended q legislative meeting in the
course of the session. Subsequently
resolutions were passed authorizing a
committee of three of the state Off
csrs to continue the work of investi-
cation of the state Irvine plant and
tho attorney general was authorized
to bring action to regain any moneys
that might have been illegally paid out
Of the state treasury
+ + +
The report of the special committee
that was named to investigate the
office of State Superintendent Stock.
well reported that about $4,000 of fees
that had been received into the Office
Of the state superintendent from teach.
ers of tue state for certificate fees had
teen retained by the state superin'
tendent, under a claim that he was
entitled to them under the law, and
that other considerable sums of this
fund had been paid by the state su'
perdntendent to members of his fam
ily and others for services claimed to
have been rendered under tho law
The fees collected since 1903 under
the state certificate law have been
some 81, 900 and no accounting o.
them has ever been made to the state
treasurer, nor has any payment o.
these fees been made to the state
The state superintendent claims thai
vpder the law he 10 entitled to retair
these fees, or that part Of them mo-
necessary to pay out for the reading
Of organization papers. The commit
tee uuetos the sections Of the law tina
provide that all fees ahsll be paid int!