Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-15

milk to the prison, with which tn,
prison board was well satisfied. During
Governor Toole's administration thu
board visited the prison three or foul
times a year, he said.
When the state took over the prison
in 1908 the board advertised for sup
plies, he said, and then continued the
system of purchasing milk from Conley
and McTague at eight cents per gallon
He said it was part separated milk, sup.
posed to be about half and half.
Asked by Attorney O'Connor what
arrangements were made with Conley
and McTague regarding the use of their
horses, Judge Galen said:
Commandeered Contey Horses
I'VE gave Conley a hard deal. We
really commandered the horses and told
him to go to the legislature for relief
What use did you make of other
equipment he was asked.
When we got to operating the brick
plant. the A%ylesworth ranch, doing road
work, constructing power plant to
develop electricity, and constructing
buildings at Warm Springs VI used
Conley's horses and equipment as far
as required. In 1910 we were using
about 20 wagons, so or 80 horses, and
harnes belonging to Confey and Nc
Tague, and it was agreed by the prison
J commissioners that the cost of main
tanning the horses should be paid by the
state
The witness told of the equipment
of the insane asylum when the state
acquired it, and added:
"Visitors there at that time would
not recognize the institution now, with
its modern buildings erected by Conley
with prison labor"
Regarding the proposed power plant
on Race Track creek Judge Galen said
that this development work, undertaken
by the board. was nearing completion,
that the state was awaiting the arrival
of a turbine wheel, that a hydraulic
engineer had been brought from Cali
fornia, that Galen himself had made a
trip to Washington in behalf of the
proposition and he thought the state
had made a great mistake IN not gong
through with it.
Asked as to why the plant was not
finished he said it would have required
a disposition upon the part of the sue
ceeding board of prison commissioners
to obtain an appropriation from the
legislature to complete it.
Says Good Shape Ia 1919
Everything had worked well up to
the time / left Office he said. What
happened after that / am not in a posi-
ton to say"
Justice Galen said his board took
a great interest in the prison. %inaugur-
ated the trusty system. took the men
out Of stripes and provided work which
gave the convicts something with which
to occupy their time and energies. He
said the board frequently visited the
prison. at which times it would go
over the entire plant. and that he per-
%sonally visited every prisoner in his
cell and talked with them, and that
without exception they begged for en-
ployment. He said the board provided
boxes in which the prisoners could
deposit requests for interviews with
the board, that it called the prisoners
in to discuss matters with them and
in no instance did he ever hear a COM
plant as to food.
Asked as to the providing of prison
labor in connection with the milk con-
tract Judge Galen said Conley was al
lowed the free use of prisoner labor
in connection with his dairy herd and
that this concession was reflected in
the price by which milk was supplied.
He said the state was short on money
and long on labor and the arrangement
was pleasing to the state.
He told of the leasing of the Ayles-
worth ranch in 1908 as necessary to
aid in making the prisoners self-sup-
porting after Conley & McTague had
sold their ranch. He said the PROPOSE
ton made by Conley, the state paying
two-thirds Of the rent for the vege-
tables and Conley & McTague paying
ohe-third for the hay. especially in
view of the price the state was getting
its milk for and the terms under which
horses were supplied, looked good to
the board and the contract remained in
existence up to the time he left office
in 1913.
Couldn't Sell Dairy Herd
Judge Galen told the court that from
the time the state took the prison over
Conley insisted that the state buy the
dairy herd but it ran up into a large
sum of money and it was decided to
let Conley continue to furnish milk
until some legislature should be in
duced to make an appropriation. He
said Conley also wanted the state to
take over the hogs but that Governor
Norris objected to the state going into
the hog business. 1t was agreed that
should be given the prison Stops
and he should furnish pork to the
at a price eminently satisfactory
to the board and below the market
price, which price, he said, was al
ways satisfactory and about half the
price.
Questioned as to the furnishing of
supplies for Conley's residence the wit
ness said it was customary to maintain
of state prisons and as Con-
ley was occupying his own residence
at the prison it was agreed by the
board he should have the supplies TO,
his house. He said Secretary of States
Yoder wanted to limit him to such sup
plies as could be obtained from the
commissary. but that Governor Norris
and himself did not feel like limiting
him and no limit was fixed.
As to the ice supply Judge Galen
said the board practically considered
the ice which had been put up by Con-
lar while under The contract system