The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-01
'KOLb VIGOROUSLY ASSA|LS JOHN WARD
 OF PROBE COMMITTEE
Takes Exception to Remark Attributed to Committee man-Others Interfere
 and Prevent Trouble

Montgomery, March si.-(special.) )-capt Reuben F. kolb, commissioner of agricui- ture and industries, in a statement before the legislative Investigating committee this afternoon. delivered a caustic ar raignment of John B. Ward of Henry county a member of the committee. Cap | tain Kolp took exception to remark that he had heard emanated from MT I Ward to the effect that the latter had l said the committee had ''treed the old | coon at last and in replying to that statement declared nothing but dirty cur would have made such a remark Chairman Merritt and other members of the committee at once fnterposed and trouble was averted Captain Kolb later retracted his statement, however. upon being told by MT Ward that he had not made such a remark.
 MT. Ward was supposed to have made the statement on a railroad train in discussing a report that Captain Kolb had charged to the state his expenses for attending q Confederate reunion at Chattanooga.
 Captain kolb admitted that he had at tended the reunion. but stated that on his return from Chattanooga he visited several places in the Tennessee valley spending three days in that part of the state in tie interest of his department. and that when he returned he charged one-half of his expenses 10 the state
 Greer Testifies
 The principal witness before the com ,,,itf tod, I E- +,, convict inspector who was on the stand the greater part of the day. MT. Greer was questioned closely concerning the contracts made by the syate for the hire of convicts.
 In referring to the turpentine camps at which convicts are employed Mr. Greer said he would 'rarner spend four years in hell than four years in tur- pentine camp He recommended that the state cancel all it's contracts with south Alabama operators. stating that the tasks are too hard and the hours too long.
 Inspector Greer told the committee of the various contracts made by Governor O'Neal in the former administration and declared that he cancelled a contract with the Henderson Lumber company by which between 800. and 359 convicts were taken from that company and returned to the mines. He said business conditions in the lumber market made this action nee essary. although the cancella ton of the contract brought a loss to the state, be- tween January 1 and October 1 of about $36,000. This contract was the one for which P. G. Bowman was paid s5000. a fact brought out in the investigation of the convict department following the Lacy theft.
 MT. Greer recommended that the asso- ciate inspectors be given the same au- thority as the president of the convict board, except in the handling of money. He declared that eonvicts should not be leased to the Aldrich coal mine, because the seam is too small there. He said the hours of convicts Were too long at all the mines except at Belle Ellen.
 Other witnesses before the committee today were B. M. Washburn and John E. Fuller of Montgomery both trustees of the Confederate Soldiers Home at Mountain Creek. They saId they did not believe the charges made against J. W. Simpson. commandant, and stated they were satisfs-s with the way he was run ming the home.