Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-01

further that the firm S implements
machinery should be used and replace
nents would be make by the state.
In this connection. he testified, when
the old prison board was going out of
office in 1912 he asked for a settle
ment and put in a claim of $4,000
for the use of the horses, but the
board said that as he had used prison
labor it would cut the charge down
TO 1886 per team for month, making
a total charge of $1,000 up to January,
1918.
State Had $50, 1000 at First
He further testified that when the
state took over the prison it made an
inventory of the Conley & McTague
property in the prison. amounting to
about $4,000. upon which the state
paid interest at the rate of 6 per cent
up to the time of the next meeting
Of the legislature. He said this in
ventory did not cover livestock and
farming machinery.
At the time of the sale by Conley
& McTague of its ranches to the Deer
Lodge Farms company, said the wit
ness. the firm retained the Silo ranch
of about 1874 acres. a piece of about
40 acres where the ice house is
located. so acres at the lake from which
most of the rock used in the prison
buildings was secured. and the Deer
Park tract of 40 acres, upon which is
located the water works reservoir.
At the time Of the sale of the large
ranches the witness said the state
leased the Aylesworth ranch upon which
to raise vegetables for the prison at
a rental Of $1,000 per year for the
first two or three years. and $3.50
-. ooo,o, tbnrAoftnr This 1ooco IN
oral one, ran up to 1917, he said.
Present Cancelled Checks
Cancelled checks issued by Conley
& McTague to Mrs. Aylesworth in
amounts equal to the firms proportion
of the annual rentals for the years
| 1909 up to and including 1917, were
then introduced by the defense.
The witness testified that the state
was to allow him the use Of convict
labor in putting up hay and caring
for the dairy cattle and the pigs in
exchange for the use Of his horses.
and that the hay annually produced or
the Aylesworth ranch aomunted to from
100 to 100 tons. He added that when
he left the prison there was still about
IS ton of the Conley & McTague hay
in stack on the Aylesworth ranch.
alleT l'1t 1 ilSuiFu We Nttt get |
ting the worst of it. We were not .
getting enough hay to feed our horses
off the ranch and we did not pay any
part of the rent after 1917" said Mr..
Conley.
At this stage Attorney O'Connor in
troduced and read into the record a
long. printed rppor; of the prison COM
missioners under date Of January Z.
1911. covering Investigations and mat
tiers relating to the method of conduct
of the prison following its acquisition
by the state and making recommended
tons to the legislature then in session.
During the afternoon session Mr..
Conley was under direct examination
until 4:15 o'clock. He told that in 1908 !
and 1909 it was necessary to keep
about $50 prisoners on the ranches be-
cause of lack of Accommodations at the
prison. that in 1912 a new cell house
was built. the most modern in the
United States. which would accom-
modate 80 prisoners and that it was
provided with running water and a
lavatory in each cell.
Improvement at Prison
Besides this there was built outside
the walls an office. store house. cold
storage plant. creamery. barn. ware
house. TRUSTEES quarters and kitchen
and guards kitchen: that at the insane
asylum was built two dormitories for
women. kitchen and dining room for
employees, dining room for inmates.
dorInitory for men. az office. five miles
of water pipes and one mile of sewer:
and that at the tuberculosis sanitarIum
at Galen was built a large hospital. IN
addition to the kitchen. power house,
barn. cellar, water works and two miles
of sewer.
All these were built by prison labor
under the supervision of Mr.. Conley
he said, and with the aid of horses
belonging to Conley & McTague. He
said he had never received compensa-
ton for this work and had never as
much as rendered a personal expense
account. All of this work was done,
he said. under the authority of the
board Of prison commissioners.
The witness said the board knew
all about his system of bookkeeping and
that he had been told to employ on
victs on the books as the state had no
money with which to hire civilians.
Firm Low Milk Bidder
Taking up the subject of milk fur
nlshed the prisoners the witness said
the same kind of milk was served after
." tdN tpoh tfeE IUe DTlSDu us udu
been provided under the contract sys-
TEN. He said the board advertised for
bids in August. 1908. and at that time
the matter of prison labor in the dairy
was discussed and il was agreed Con-
ley & McTague could have the free
use of labor as their bid of eight cents
per gallon was lower than could be /
under any other arrangement.
He said that the price of eight cents
per gallon was equivalent to a whole
price of about 20 cents for this
same class of milk in Butte, where.
he had ascertained. the wholesale price
for whole milk during a five year period
averaged 80 IL cents per gallon. He
said he charged the state 81 per gallon
cream. of which very little was
used. in comparison to a 50 charge in
and that he sold butter to the
prison at the Elgin wholesale price
for butter. which fluctuated from %
to 60 cents.
The witness testified that as a rule
about six cans Of separated milk and
IN fyrn cams &c r,ka1o r,Sll- r-oc |