The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1915-01-02
PERSONAL, VISITS TO
AL INSTITUTIONS
Board of Control by Work Since Es.
tablishment Of System Has Evolved
Method Considered Equal Of Any
KNOWS ALL CONDITIONS
Keeps in Constant Touch With All
Hospitals and Asylums Under It's
Supervision Parole of Boys.

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF Boys.
One of the requirements of the law
creating the state board of control
and defining it's duties is that the
members of the board shall visit each
hospital or asylum for the insane
once each month. .......s* ,"
Futher, any member of the board,
at these visits to any of the institu-
tions under it's control, must inspect
every part of each institution, ex-
anime the general and special
dietary, look over the stores and
method of supply, see any inmate Of
the institution who desires an inter
view, and give such as asked for it
suitable opportunity to converse
apart from the officers and attend
ants. ALL complaints must be. in
vestigated.
Made 40 Visits.
In compliance with the above re-
quirement thP individual members
of the board make an aggregate of
ITO official visits to the various state
institutions during the two years end
ing July last, and of this number 12O
were to the hospitals and asylums
tor the insane. OF the latter class
OF state institutions there are five
in all, while the others over which
the board has supervision number
eleven. The visits named. were sup
plemented by many calls on. the part
of members Of the official staff in the
Office of the board, where minor mat
ters were involved. 81,
In Daily Communication.
The board is composed of three
members and as a visit of all three
to, the sixteen state institutions
monthly would not permit of any at
tentton whatever to the immense
amount of Office and other detail en-.
trusted to it, the monthly visits to-
the five institutions for the insane
are made by individual members.
II the case Of the other erinstitutions.
with the exception of the State
Training School where parole and
other duties require a monthly call,
the visits are less frequent and the
board generally makes it's visits in a
body. The board, however, is in
daily communication with all insti-
tutions, and special, visits when the
occasion demands it are not uncom-
mon. -
Did So Personally. =
AS the law reads, the board may
direct it's secretary to make the re-
quired visits, but it has always been
the policy of the board members since
it's creation to do this work PERSONAL
ly, and to so arrange the visits to
the insane hospitals and asylums
especially as not to interfere with
office work. AS good an exemple as
any is the list of visits credited to the
state hospital for insane at Fergus
Fails. As required "a visits in all
weresmade, one each month for the
two years. The notation in the
official records show that two of the
members each made eight visits to
the institutions and the third, nine
visits. All visits were so arranged
that each member was enabled
to inspect and examine all five of the
institutions for the insane four to
five times a year. m. =
In the case for the school for the
blind and also the school, for the
deaf, both located at Faribault, the
board of control has only financial
responsibility, yet six visits of the
full board are credited to these two
institutions in the two-year period,
and the same number is noted for the
state public school at Owatonna.
Paroling Of Boys.
approximately monthly visits are
the features at the state training
school for boys at Red Wing. It is
one of the states correctional insti-
tutions' and much in the way of per-
sonal supervision is required. The
paroling of boys who have reached
the period of probation, as well as
their final discharge, necessitates the
frequent gathering of the board at the