Referring to the amount asked for by the Board of Control for the purpose of establishing a music hall and gymnasium for this institution, your committee wish to add, that we believe this request to be along the line of good policy, and should be adopted and carried out by the state at the earliest possible moment consistent with the financial conditions as they exist. We believe that the proper physicial development of these unfortunate children whose bodies and limbs are in many cases crooked, dwarfed and deformed, is of great importance and absolutely necessary for their future welfare and happiness, and we are only restrained from recommending this appropriation from the fact that many of the amounts asked must be cut down, and we think it better to postpone this investment until a more appropriate time; but would recommend that as soon as possible an appropriation be made to carry out this request. All of which is respectfully submitted, DAN TURNER, B. F. ROBINSON, Committee. Ordered passed on file. Senator Wilson of Fayette from the special committee appoint ed to visit the Iowa Industrial School for Boys at Eldora, Iowa, submitted the following report and asked that it be printed in the Journal: To the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Members of the Thirty-tirst General Assembly: Your joint committee to visit the Iowa Industrial School for Boys at Eldora, beg leave to make the following report: Your committee was very favorably impressed with the management of the affairs of this institution and belive that the State is to be congratulated on securing the services of so able and progressive a corps of officers as we have in Superintendent Drake and his assistants. We arrived at the school on the morning of the 15th of January and went directly to Supt. Drake's office, where we immediately began our tour of inspection of the buildings and grounds. We found an enrollment of about four hundred and sixty inmates, ranging in age from 6 to 18 years. We desire to commend the management upon the almost perfect discipline which prevails among the inmates. The buildings are constructed principally of brick and are all comfortably heated by steain supplied by their own plant and have a very effective system of water works in operation throughout the grounds and buildings, making the fire protection very adequate, Sanitary conditions prevail throughout the building and the condition of the health of the inmates is excellent, only a small number being confined to the hospital and those only for minor complaints. We believe, however, the need for a new detached hospital builing is imperative and should be built and installed at the earliest possible date. On account of the settling of the foundation, two of the cottages are badly damaged and sadly in need of repair. We were much gratified to note that the entire work of the buildings and improvements is being done by the boys, all the clothing and shoes worn by the inmates being manufactured in the institution and the Superintendent informed us that not a dollar for contract labor is required or desired, except for a foremen to superintend the construction work. The erection of a cold storage plant now in the process of construction and the building of a 320 foot under ground sub-way for steam pipes, connecting the different buildings, is a fine specimen of the work that can be accomplished by the boys. We heartily endorse the management in furnishing the opportunity for the boys to learn a variety of different, useful trades. We find the building used for blacksmith and machine shop, a one-story frame building, wholly inadequate and unfit for its intended use. We would recommend that appropriations be made as follows: $ 8.000 For drain tile.................... For fencing. For agricultural implements For cows and horses 1,000 800 500 1,900 For farniture ad furnishings... 500 For band and orchestra instrumeuts 150 For lecture and entertainments and reward for meritorious services and for transportation for penniless boys. 150 For hospital building and to equip and furnish same. For contingent and repair fund... 12,000 3,000 Respectfully submitted, A. C. WILSON, CHAS. ECKles, M. A. DASHIELL, J. R. DORAN, Ordered passed on file. Senator Lyons from the special committee appointed to visit. the Institution for the Feeble Minded Children at Glenwood, Iowa, submitted the following report and asked that it be printed in the Journal: MR. PRESIDENT-Your committee appointed to investigate the condition of affairs at the Institution for the Feeble Minded Children, located at Glenwood, beg leave to submit the following: We have visited the above named institution and find it under able management and the affairs in excellent condition. The State is exceedingly fortunate in securing the services of Dr. George Morgridge, as Superintendent, who with his able corps of assistants has succeeded in making the institution one of the very best of its kind. Too much praise cannot be gven those noble-hearted women who are devoting their lives and energy in caring for the unfortunate inmates of this institution. No institution in the State is deserving of greater care at our hands than is this, which is doing such grand work for the most unfortunate of all our people. Past legislatures recognizing this have done their part in providing a home for these unfortunates, where they can be made as comfortable as possible, but the constantly increasing demands that are being made for admission to this institution makes it imperative that more room should be provided for their accommodation. There are at this time enrolled 1038 inmates, which taxes it to its fullest capacity. There are now more than 100 applicants for admission on file that cannot be accommodated. Owing to the constantly increasing demand that will be made upon an institution of this kind it is evident that the legislature must provide a home for them. In order to meet this demand it will be necessary that new buildings be erected. The Board of Control is asking that an appropriation of $110,000 be made to erect two additional buildings for this purpose. It is the judgment of the committee that the institution at Glenwood has reached the maxium number of inmates that can be successfully cared for in one institution and that it would be the part of wisdom for this legislature to take action relative to the establishment of another institution of this kind, to be located in the north and eastern part of the State, and for this reason we would not recommend the erection of additional buildings at Glenwood. The water supply at this institution is a miserable makeshift, endangering the lives of the inmates and exposing the property of the State to the ravages of fire, and should be remedied at once. We would recommend that an appropriation be made for this purpose, to be expended by the Board of Control as they deem most advisable and as much thereof as may be neccessary. In view of the above and after considering the needs of the institution" we would recommend that the following appropriations be made: Senator Stirton from the special committee appointed to visit the penitentiary at Fort Madison submitted the following report and asked that it be printed in the Journal: MR. PRESIDENT-Your committee appointed to visit the penitentiary at Ft. Madison beg leave to submit the following report: We examined the Institution with care and found it exceptionally well managed. The warden, Mr. Jones, is a man who possesses the executive force and efficiency necessary to a thorough and painstaking performance of his duties. While the Institution is not well located, geographically, being in an extreme corner of the State, and not the most accessible, it would not be feasible to discontinue needed improvements with the view of ultimately abandoning the site. The State of Iowa has many hundreds of thousands of dollars invested there, and it would seem to be a very poor business proposition and a woeful waste of money to discontinue the site. We find the Warden receives an annual support fund from the State of $250.00. In view of the fact that the Warden entertains a great many people who are nominally State guests, we recommend that the sum be made $500.00. We found the new hospital building well nigh completed and ready for use It is built along sanitary lines and is modern in all its appointments. The new power house is completed and will be ample for the needs of the Institution for long years to come. It is our belief that the State should receive higher wages for the contract labor of its convicts. Forty-five cents per day, of ten hours, in the chair factory and fifty-five cents per day, of ten hours, in the garden tool factory, appears to us inadequate. We found the water supply to be excellent in every particular. It is obtained from four wells, each one hundred feet deep, pumped into a' tank and from there forced by atmospheric pressure to a reservoir on high ground, where sufficient direct pressure is obtained for fire purposes. The most pressing and imperative need of the Institution at this time is a new cell house. The one now in use is a dark, dismal, disgraceful, diseasebreeding dungeon, without sufficient ventilation to purify the atmosphere; the sanitary conditions are of the very worst. A new cell house with partition walls of metal and commodious steel cages should be constructed without unnecessary delay. There is ample space for such a building on the north side of the enclosure. When a convict is detained in the service of the State for a certain period of time, he should not be discharged in poor physical health by reason of the unsanitary place of bis confinement. We recommend the allowance of $2,500.00 for the transportation of discharged and insane convicts and $7,000.00 for the contingent and repair fand and such other allowance as may be necessary for the purchase of sufEcient land to grow what vegetables may be consumed in the institution. All of which is respectfully submitted, WARREN GARST, ROBERT C. STIRTON, Ordered passed on file. T. H. HUME, F. M. LAIRD. THIRD READING OF BILLS On motion of Senator Garst, House file No. 37, a bill for an act to legalize the incorporation of the town of Lidderdale, Carroll county, Iowa, the election of its officers, the passage of its ordinances and resolutions, and all acts done by the council of said town, with report of committee recommending passage, was taken up, considered, and the report of the committee, adopted. The bill was read for information. Senator Garst moved that the rule be suspended, and that the bill be considered engrossed, and the reading just had be considered its third reading, which motion prevailed. On the question, "Shall the bill pass?" The yeas were: Bleakly, Brooks, Bruce, Courtright, Crawford, Crossley, Dowell, Dunham, Eckles, Elerick, Ericson, Gale, Garst, Gillilland, Harper, Hartshorn, Hasselquist, Hayward, Hogue, Hopkins, Hughes, Jackson, Jamison, Jones, Kimmel, Kinne, Lambert, Lewis, Lyons, Molsberry, Newberry, Smith of Des Moines, Smith of Mitchell, Spaulding, Stirton, Stookey, Stuckslager, Taylor, Turner, Wade, Warren, Whipple, Wilson of Fayette, Wilson of Clinton, Winne, Young of Lee, Young of Calhoun, Young of Washington-48 The nays were: None. Absent or not voting: Maytag, Saunders-2. So the bill having received a constitutional majority was declared to have passed the Senate and its title agreed to. The President announced that he had 'signed in the presence of the Senate, Senate file No. 26. On motion of Senator Molsberry, Senate file No. 29, a bill for an act empowering the Governor and Secretary of State to execute quit claim deeds conveying to the grantees of L. Dunham all of the right, title and interest of the State of Iowa in the southwest quarter, the west half of the southeast quarter, the south half of the northwest quarter and the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter section twenty-eight (28) and the east half and the northwest quarter of section twenty-nine (29) all in township seventy-three (73) north, range one (1), west of fifth principal meridian, with report of committee recommending passage was taken up, considered, and the report of the committee, adopted. |