The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-12-27
PRISONER EXPENSE
; LAW ENOUGH
Senate Committee Brings Out Testi-
mony Regarding State Sup
ply Costs.


ment that some of the heads of state
Institutions formerly made requisition
upon the Switchboard of public affairs
for luxuries, such as canned cherries,
queen olives, canned strawberries and
raspberries, as a part of the supplies
Intended for feeding inmates, was
made by f. d. Howard, secretary OF
the bofed, to the senate investigation
committee today. Mr.. Howard also
said that acquisitions were made by
at lesist one state normal for football
uniforms.
The board of affairs took a number
OF these acquisitions to the governors
office, according to Mr. Howard, for
his inspection, and as a result the
chief executive wrote a letter to the
board of affairs, authorizing it to dis
approve all such items, and also wrote
letters to some of the institution heads
notifying them that the state would
not pay for such things The commit
tee asked the board to prepare a state
ment from its records showing wheth-
er or not the former board of affairs al
lowed such items.
1t was brorght out that the board
approved a claim for about $400 for
rent for temporary quarters for the
Durant Normal, although the head of
the institution would not approve it,
and that the state auditor afterward
held the claim up after he had issued
warrant because of supposed agree
ment of citizens to furnish free rent
to the state. Secretary Howard testi-
fed that the claim was approved by
the former president of the institution
who was in charge whe nthe bill was
incurred and sworn to by the presi-
dent of the Durant City school board
and that the board considered this
sufficient authority for approving it,
Coffee Prices Higher.
Secretary Howard answered the
question asked yesterday regarding
the purchase of coffee, testifying that
on August 10, 1911, requisition was
made upon the board for 4,500 pounds
of coffee of certain brand at 19c per
hAed, but that it was not purchased
until Dec. of that year In the mean
time, he said, the price of coffee ad-
vanced &c per pound.
tro.o4.,, FT,t,xv,oos ncIyad paUarlfacr tIl a
. hoords method of handling the states
printing Secretary Howard replied
that the board was merely an adjunct
To the state printing department, only
being authorized to approve contracts
awarded to the state printer
In reply to an inquiry from Senator
Thomas as to the letting of the con-
tract for printing the code Eugene
Norris, a member of the board, read
from minutes of the board showing
that the contract was let to St Paul
printing company. which was the
| lowest bidder He stated that Mr..
! Howard voted no on this contract,
! ising the opinion that extras, by rea-
n IN of the distance of the printing es-
bnshment from Oklahoma, would
the cost up to that of Oklahoma
tacerns, and also for the reason that
job should not be let to nonunion
tiers.
NV. Dick, warden of the state peni-
tatiary, vas examined relative to the
rauisitions made by him for khaki
clth at 45c per yard Dick corrobor-
atd the testimony of members of the
board OF affairs relative to securing
for the state two rebates, amounting
to total of 915c per yard, on the cloth
! as a result of an investigation by him
\ self and the board before paying for
gcods. He admitted that he might
have made a mistake in this purchase
He said he knew practically nothing
about this class of goods, relying on
mo statements of the storekeeper at
! the prison aud merely inserted the
Y price in the requisition as a sugges
Alton to the DOdfu Oh dHdliS
j Cost of Maintenance.
Warden Dick stated that the best
evidence that the penitentiary buys
goods cheap is a comparative state
ut rom reports of wardens of other
tmtiares which shows that the
: .Dma prison has the lowest main
ae cost per capita of any
ln oklahoma cost is 40c, he said
Il other states run from 4Sc to 72c
lrden Dick was asked relative tC
rance Of the penitentiaiy build
angs replying that policies were writ
Ten up by several companies and sub
Emitted to himself and the loard o
affairs for approval but that the rat'
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