The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-02-20

Dean of the Board, with a record OF
many years of untiring, unselfish SER
vice, is c. j. Swendson, while actively
assisting him with a keen and SYM
pathetic insight, is the woman member
of the Board, Mrs. Blanche LaDue.
The third member of the board, John
Coleman, has been little in evidence
as far as the legislature is concerned.
In the Board of Control, whose re-
sponsibilities are so heavy, the legls-
lature, session after session, has re-
posed the utmost of confidence. The
administration of Minnesotas institu-
! tions for its unfortunates has been
highly satisfactory from every point OF
view. Minnesota has in fact, pointed
the way to all its sister states.
An Increasing Charge.
The population of these institutions
and the cost of their maintenance, is
slowly increasing. The complete list
of them includes the asylums for the
insane at Anoka, Hastings, Rochester,
st. Peter, Willmar and Fergus Falls,
the colony for Epileptics at Cambridge,
the State Training school for Boys at
Red Wing and the Home School for
Girls at Sank Centre, the State Public
School for orphans at Owatonna, the
deaf and blind at Faribault, the hos
pital for crippled children at st. Paul,
the state Saratorium for consumptlves
at Walker and the various county SAN
atoliums the refornatory for men at
st. Cloud, the reformatory for women
at Shakopee, and the state peniten-
tiary at Saltwater.
The finance committee of the senate
and the appropriations committee of
the house have each completed drafts
of the Board of Control bill" which
appropriates, every two years, the
money necessary to carry on the work
of the Board of Control and maintain
the states institutions for its unfor-
Inmates The board of control this
year requested 915 millions. The Bud
get Commission cut tller- ~equests to
81a million, but even that figure is one
million more than was appropriated
two years ago.
It is noteworthy that these Board of
Control Appropriation. lis have been
drafted this year ear,i-- Il the session
than ever before in the history of the
legislature. The reason lies partly in
the desire to relive Unemployment by
means of a building program. Appro-
priations for the new buildings for the
institutions are made Immediately
available so that men may be put to
work at the earliest possible moment.
The building program, amounting with
repairs and requirements to nearly two
millions, includes new buildings at st.
Peter, Owatonno CD, Cambridge Cd
WiIlmar (2), Fergus Falls, Faribault,
St Cloud CD and Walker, and COM
plete new power plant at Cambridge,
with structures at Faribault, Hastings,
and st. Paul in dispute.
Farmers" Curious Argument.
One of the institutions under the
Board of Control is the state prison at
Saltwater which has something Of a
reputation throughout the United
States by reason of the fact that it
is entirely self-supporting. The thir-
teen hundred prisoners at the Mime
sofa penitentary earn their board and
keep. The taxpayer doesn't have to
put up a cent for them. No grumbles
the farmer, but I do; I'm supporting
the perntentiary for the people of the
state, and I don't think it's fair" 60
farm representatives at every session
introduce bills to cut the cost of farm
machinery made at the prison and to
require prison made Irvine to be sold
at cost. For it is out of the profit it
makes on Irvine and farm machinery
that the Minnesota state prison pays
all the heavy cost of its upkeep.
There's even money left for new prison
cell blocks and other required build
ings.
The rest of the legislature has con-
siderable difficulty in following the
farmers argument in this matter.
Because of the low price at which the
prison sells its product to the farmers
of Minnesota, the Irvine trust and the
harvester trust is compelled to cut its
price in Minnesota Even the farmer
admits that were it not for the prison
twine plant the cost of Irvine in Min
nesota would be much higher. He adj
mits, in fact, that the prison saves him
hundreds of thousands of dollars, but
still he's sore because he is paying all
the cost of the penitentiary. This cur
iuos argument hobs up at every session
of the legislature ard creates bicker-
ings and backbitings. In measure
the farmer is getting away with it"
too, for almost every session sees some
cut in the price of Irvine or farm
machinery provided for by law.
Other Appropriation Bills
The cost of state government is pro-
vided for at each session of the legis-
lature through four major appropria-
ton bills The Board Of Control bill
has been first debated and drawn at
recent sessions. Following this will
come the educational bill, providing for
the support Of the state university and
the state teachers colleges and for the
payment of the rapidly mounting mil
liens for aid to the public schools; then
the bill providing funds for the work
of the various state departments;
fourthly and lastly the bill appropria-
ting money for the support of various
state activities such as state parks,
fish hatchefies, tuberculin tests for
cattle county agricultural agents, etc
A fifth app: opriation bill, not so bulky
as the Others is the claims bill. thru
which claims against the state are al
lowed, for no man may sue the state
If the state owes you anything, the
Legislature alone can pay you, and it
takes a law to do it.
The appropriation bills are drawn by