Great Falls tribune., 1921-11-30

planation was given. The former war
den should be compelled to account
for the seven horses or their value.
~.4- Contey's Wood Operations.
A force of convicts, fed and clothed
at state expense, has been employed for
a number of years in cutting wood for
Conley & McTague on what is known
as the Lake place, and in hauling the
wood to the sawmill at the penitentiary
where the wood was sawed by prison
labor in mill operated by prison
power, under the direction of sawyer
to purchasers in prison trucks driven
by convict labor, operated by state gas
oline and oil. And it is impossible
to go back over the period of years
and accurately determine what this
prison labor is worth, it would seem
that it might be set over against the
team hire to which Conley & Nc
Tague are entitled from the state.
The Prison Brick Yard.
The record of the brick yard again
presents a shameful spectacle of mis-
management. This mismanagement
countants, who are charged by law
with the supervision of accounts. Ten
years of business have cost the state q
total of $47,993.60. Yet there is abb
solutely no record of the amount of
brick produced in any year. This sys-
tenn has been an open invitation to
larceny, indeed the former warden has
helped himself to the states brick to
seriously large extent as will herein
after appear and there Is not in the
prison records any item or figures to
show how much, what was done with
it, whether he had any right to it or
ever expected to pay for it.
We have positive evidence to show
that in one item he took 270,OOO brick
which were sold for So $50 by one John
Berne of Missoula. The prison books
are entirely silent on this matter.
This item probably never would have
been brought to light at all had not
we chanced to run across an invoice
to Kroffgans g. Frank Ia contracting
firm) which incidentally mentioned
2700O0 brick. This matter will be ex-
planned later.
The prison purchased brick making
outfit from Conley & McTague in 1911.
at the time of settlement with that
firm for property about the prison
premises. In 1918 it established
brick yard Immediately to the south Of
the prison walls, in that year purchas-
ing complete brick yard outfit from
John Berne consisting of 14o horse
mill, shaft, clutches and pulleys, pay
ing therefor $1O50. This year it pur-
chased five acres of land shown in
tract G of the plat for clay pit. In
1915 the brick yard was moved to its
present location approximately one
mile east and south of the prison walls.
It erected a complete modern brick
making plant and four kilns, with an
approximate capacity Of one million
brick. The various tracts totaling ap-
40 acres which comprises
the brick yard property, with prices
paid therefor are shown in the accom-
panying plat. When the prison brick
yard first commenced to operate brick
was furnished to other state lnstitu-
ton at $3.50 per thousand.
The excess brick was sold to John
Berne, the superintendent of the plant,
who was working for the state at IS
per day, to be resold by him at what
ever price he could get. Later this was
and the prison sold to all COM
crs at varying prices. selling also to
other state institutions at what was
to be the cost OF the brick
in amounts from $3.50 to So
per thousand, and furnishing such brick
as was required about the prison with
no charge whatever.
This state of affairs continued until
the year 1920 when the former warden
saw fit to discharge John Berne as
foreman. Unfortunately for the state
the brick yard representing capital
investment of $15.137.11 had been 10
Gated on real estate, the title to which
was to John Berne. Accordingly John
Rerne received from Frank Conley,
warden, a check for the sum OF $4,000
which the state repaid, in Conley's cash
account claim of April, 1920. There ap-
pears to be no authorization for this
by the prison board or board of exam
Iners.
Big Price for Dirt.
For this six and sixty-one hundredths
acres. Berne was paid at the rate of
S6O5. 30 per acre, while the state OBJ
tained the five-acre tract Immediately
n the south in 1913 at an expense Of
$500 for five acres or one hundred dol
srs an acre, and Tract d at $54O for
I've and four-tenths acres. In 1920
.hc state purchased the 20 acres Of land
iirectly across the road from these
Lracts at $50 per acre. This latter tract
b hilly land and is not irrigated while
he BerAe tract Is irrigated. The Berne
trnct to. the north of the brick yard
was previously used - z city dump