Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-03-12

into Penitentiary Management Finds
Much to Criticisc--Report on State
Superintendent of Schools Puts tine
Matter Of Fees UP to the Attorney
General for Action.
Bismarck. March S--Thc Eleventh
legislative assembly adjourned sine
die on Friday Tho last night ot the
session was buster than has been the
case ut many a previous session. fCr
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
penitentiary investigation committee
was made or Thursday and occupied
more than an hour in the reading. II
went over the affairs of the pcnit"n-
tiary for the past twelve years and
while it was reported that there had
been a loose system Of bookkeeping
aud that opportunities had existed for
the illegal disposal Of state property
no actual proof was offered that amy
had been 80 disposed of. II WAS stat
ed that the wardcns and trustees had
used state funds wronstully in the
drawing OF per diem and mileage on
slccial trips out Of the state and that
q large quantity Of brick made at the
prison yards was not accounted for
OH the books. although il was not
claimed they had been divertc,! to any
particular purpose. Reports OF cruelty
to prisoners were reported to- I've suS-
tained under previous administrations
and number Of irregularities and
layiticS in prison management were
reported With respect to one tralls-
action at the time the machinery for
the state Irvine plant was installed ii
was stated that two OF a former board
of trustees had received a rebate from
the machinery company and that a
former warden Of the prison had also
received a rebate. but that this money.
after heing held for some time. had
bee;: paid back into the state treasury.
The reading Of the report was heard
by one cf the largest crowds that Al
tended a legislative meeting il, The
course OF the session. Subsequently
resolutions were passed authorizing d
committee Of three Of the state of
GERS to continue the work Of inNcs;i-
gaticn Of the state Irvine plant and
the attorney general was authorized
to bring action TO regain any moneys
that might have been illegally paid out
of the st ate treasury
81. !. !.
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
rrs Of the 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 SUI
perintendent to members Of his fam
lily and others for services claimed to
have been rendered under the LAW
The fees collected since 1908 under
the state certificate law have been
some ST., 900 and no accounting Of
them hes ever been made to the state
treasurer, nor has any payment Of
these fees heen made to the state
The state superintendent claims that
Under the law he is entitled TO retain
these fees. or that part OF them not
necessary to pay out for the reading
OF examination papers. The commit
tee odotes the sections Of the Law that
provide that all fees snail be paid into
the state treasury and advises an eN-
animation by the attorney general to
ascertain whether these fees should
not be recovered to the state a de
tailed statement Of Die receipts and
disbursements to this fund is made as
far as i: was possible to get. The
statement n,ade by the com i1littee
shows that the total payments TO w
L. Stockwell and other members of
the family have lecn something like
$4,000, all of which the state super
iNtendent claims he was entitled so
tc pay under the law on the statute
books.
The special committee to invest.
gate the office OF the secretary Of
state made a report signed by F. 4.
Plovhar and G. ~ Putnan, two mem
bers Of the COMMITTEES, quoting bill
Of supplies furnished by c. ". La
Moure. deputy secretary Of state. and
claiming that the prices charged were
considerably above market prices for
the goods furnished 1t was also stat
ed that state printing was siven out
for political purposes and that other
irregularities existed This brought
out a communication, from Secretary
Of State Rlaisdell to the house and