Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-10-31
GOVERNOR TELLS
fcontinued from PAGE .one)

(Contlnued from rage 'Onel
no cverdraft of the Contingent Fund.
and will be none.
1.-THE balance in the Fund on Aug
ust LIST was $154,4e7.20, and ] give
below a statement of each item men
toned in the said paper.
"s43,S00 for a storage house In
which will be placed all the great
mass of inf1ammable material now
in the State House dome, and which
unless removed sooner or later will
take fire and destroy the Capitol
For Cells at States Prison
"S32,0 for thirty-one additional
! cells at Thomaston State Prison. 20
or IS prisoners now are sleeping in
the corridors, which is unsafe and
unsanitary. Something had to be
| done to provide cell room and this
| completes the Prison in every detail.
This money will not become due I'M
til 1925.
Reformatory Order Not Approved
"$225,00 for Mems tteformatory at
South Windham. Not a dollar Of
this amount has been contracted for.
nor is the State under any obligation
in connection with it. The Council
Order authorizing this was passed
subject to the approval of the Gov
ernor.' My approval has not yet been
given. The trustees have no power to
place the State under any obligation.
when the Reformatory burned in
March 1924 there was no money
available to rebuild permanent build
ings, and a temporary camp was
constructed. In September when the
State received $4,000 inheritance
taxes from the Smith Estate I called
the Reformatory Trustees together
and told them I wanted to rebuild
| the institution. but insisted that time
should be taken to study other refor-
| matories and make proper plans.
This has been done. but it has re-
| quired time, longer than we suppos-
ed. Cold weather approaches. the
Legislature meets in about 60 days,
and although there is money enough
| in the Treasury it may be wiser to
leave the matter to the Legislature.
| All the information we have collect
ed and the bids will be useful. If
we could have begun work in Sep
| TENDER ] should have approved do
| ing so. ] have my hand on this mat
| ter and it is in my control: during
the next few days a decision will be
preached. The Reformatory must be
built next year at the latest.
| $4,000 for a brick yard at the Re-
formatory. The trustees say they
can make the bricks for the Reform
atory themselves, for there is a good
supply of clay on the states property.
This will employ the prisoners, and
seems good business.
$4,000 to purchase the Jordan prop
erty at South Windham. piece of
land that is entirely surrounded by
the states land and is likely to fall
into undesirable hands. This could
not wait.
Needs Of Women's Reformatory
The next four items relate to the
Women's Reformatory at Skowhe-
gan:
$500 to build a vegetable cellar in
which to house their winter supply
of vegetables raised by the women in
mates: $2250 to repair farm buildings
that We're falling down: $500 to lay
out their grounds on which work had
been commenced and if left through
the winter would be washed away
and damaged; $500 to build a sun
room and piazza on the building in
which live the women prisoners and
their babies. These unfortunates
nave no place for recreation and are
cooped up within four walls of n
J building that has not even a bay win
! dow.
For the Sanatoriums
$500 for a school building at He
| bron Sanatorium. The little children
| there. sick with tuberculosis, We're
| going to school in shack of a build
! ing that resembles a huge piano box
more than anything else. 1t is a
crime and inhuman to send them to
| such n place.
| $500 for radio set at Pressure
| Isle and Hebron Sanatoriums The
Fairfield Sanatorium installed a ra-
dio set and every tubercular patient
| mas n headpiece connected with It.
| The doctor tells me that it has work.
! ed marvels. and instead of dreading
! the evenings and the nights as they
used to. the patients now look for
ward to them with pleasure. The
councillors and myself felt that If
| this had done SO much for the in
| mates at Fairfield it would do the
| same at Hebron and Pressure Isle.
We felt that the state could afford
! this relief to the sick.
Highway and Health Oepts' Building
S44,30O for a wing on the storage
| building. This is an addition on the
! building above referred to and is to
| accommodate the State Highway and
I state Health Departments that now
are crowded. The latter is across the
river in building of the Insane hos
pital that is needed for hospital pur-
poses. This space will do away with
all agitation for the building of an
addition to the State House. that
would cost million dollars. It will
take care of the states needs for 50
years to come and not over one half
the money will be used this year.
These are the Council Orders
that total S369.35O. 500 900 is an es
innate only. and $4,000 more will
not be payable until after the new
year. Instead of calling for $500
$50. only $77,350 will be asked for
this year.
| $435.O0O to Lapse Into Fund
There will be no overdraft ana
on December 31st next the auditor
tells me that S435, 900 will lapse into
the State Contingent Fund. This
shows that the financial affairs of
the State are sound. We have today
a cash balance Of $3.50, OO4.57.
which gives us enough to do all the
work IL we wish to.
| In September when the Smith es-
tate paid us $4,000 / told the Coun-
| cilors of the needs OF some of our
| institutions. They authorized me to
| make survey. We have three in
f! stitutions and unless we can proper
ly care for them we should not run
| them. 1t takes money to do so and
we felt that the Smith estate money
| could be put to no better use than to
| make repairs and provide equip
| ment where needed
The Contingent Fund was de-