Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1915-01-08

named were supplemented by many
calls on the part of members Of the Of
fetal staff in the office of the board,
where minor matters are involved.
The board is composed Of three mem-
bers and as visit of all three to the
sixteen state institutions monthly
would not permit Of any attention
whatever to the immense amount of
office and other detail entrusted to IL.
the monthly visits to the five institu-
tlons for the insane are made by indi-
vidual members. In the case Of the
other institutions, with the exception
Of the State Training school where pa
role and other duties require monthly
call, the visits are less frequent and tho
board generally makes its visits in a
body. The board, however, is in daily
communication with all institutions,
and special visits when the occasion
demands it are not uncommon.
AS the law reads, the board may di-
rect its secretary to make the requil ed
visits, but it has always been the pol
icy of the board members since it's ere
alton to do this work personally, and
to SO arrange the visits to the insane
hospitals and asy1ums especially as not
to interfere with office work. AS good
II example as any is the list of visits
cre(":ted to the state hospital for in
sane at Fergus Falls. AS required "a
isits in all were made, one each
r:onth, for the two years. The nota-
lion 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 arrang-
ed that each member was enabled to
inspect and examine all five of the in
stitutions for the insane four to five
times a year.
In the case Of the school for the
blind and also the school for the deaf.
both located at Faribault, the board of
control has only financial responsible
ity, yet six visits Of the full board are
credited to these two institutions in
the two-year period, and the same num-
ber is noted for the State Public school
at Owatonna.
Approximately monthly visits are
the feature at the State Training
school for boys at Red Wing. 1t is
one of the states correctional instltu~
! tions and much in the way of personal
supervision is required. The paroling
of boys who have reached the neriod
Of probation, as well as their final dis
charge, necessitates the frequent GATH
ering of the board at the school. For
the biennial period the three members
of the board are credited with 10 per-
sonal visits to this institution.
AS to the various other state insti-
! tutions; the visits by the board as a
| whole are listed as follcws: State re-
formatory, st.. Cloud, S; State prison,
Saltwater, 10; Home school for girls,
Sauk Centre, 8; Sanatorium for con-
sumptives, Walker, 8; Hospital for In
ebriates, Willmar, S; Hospital for In
digent and Crippled children, St. Paul,
very frequent, as the latter institution
is almost in the shadow Of the state
capitol and is reached by street car.
board here are quite frequent, but are
not noted as there is little in the way
Of travelling expense involved.
That the trainers of the board of
control act, Minnesota's first step in
the centralizing of institution super
vision, Ebuilded well by the incorpora-
tion in the law Of the compulsory visit
provision, is shown in the many i'm
provements made, reforms brought
about and abuses so common under the
old order Of things, wiped out. Py
familiarizing themselves with the prop
erty in their charge and with the needs
of the wards under their supervision,
the members Of the board have been
enabled to evolve system of control
and supervision that is considered the
best in the United States.
The visits by the board to the insti-
! tutions for the insane especially are
generally attended by complaints on
the part Of many of the unfortunates
confined in them. When there is foun-
dation the investigation is thorough,
and those responsible are promptly
punished. Those mentally unbalanced
often show more thao ordinary cum
ming, and the visiting member Of the
board, when leaving the institution, is
certain of finding his pockets flied
with letters containing imaginary
grievances and requests surreptitiously,
placed there by the authors Of the
same. On the occasion Of every visit
to a state institution the inmates are
seen personally and invited to speak
without reservation.
No restitution official has know]-
edpes as to when the board or anv m
dividual member o. it VII drop in on
him and his charges, and in this way
the members are enabled to see condi-