hand, and whether the goods shown by the storekeeper's books are actually on hand. To properly check in goods in, the several storerooms and to know that no goods leave the storeroom without a proper requisition from the chief executive officer, and then only in the exact quantities requisitioned, and to be able at any time to account for all of the goods received, requires the utmost diligence and painstaking care on the part of the storekeeper. The checking up of the storerooms on June 30, 1900, disclosed errors by way of shortages or surpluses at nine out of the twelve institutions, while at the checking up one year later, June 30, 1901, it appeared that in the storerooms of ten of the institutions there were no errors, and the errors at the other two institutions were trifling in amount. When it is considered that in the aggregate these institutions carry stores of the value of nearly $100,000.00, and that mistakes and errors not exceeding three dollars in value were found, it shows that the system itself is not only excellent, but it is capable of being practically applied by intelligent, careful persons, with results not surpassed in the best business house in the land.

In its visitations to the several institutions the Board has not confined itself to the actual number of visits required by law, but has, as a Board, or by some of its members, visited an institution whenever it seemed either necessary or desirable. Our purpose has been, at all times, to keep in close touch with the several institutions; this has been accomplished by visits, by constant correspondence, and frequent reports. A statement of the number of visits made, time when made, and by whom made will be found in Chapter XIV of this report.

The observations and conclusions of the Board respecting the several institutions and their inmates will be found in Chapter XIII of this report.

The requirement of the law that this Board shall fix the salaries (subject to the approval of the governor) of all officers and employes of the institutions, except those fixed by the General Assembly, has been complied with, and in Chapter XV herein will be found the names, occupations and salaries of all officers and employes of this Board; also of all such in the institutions under its control.

The books, accounts, receipts and expenditures of the educational institutions have been carefully investigated, as required by law, and the result of such action is set forth in Chapter XVI of this report.

The matter of fire protection, fire escapes and water supply is treated of in Chapters VII and IV, respectively.

The subject of fire insurance is discussed in Chapter VI, and it need only be said here that the Board has thus far adhered to the policy adopted when it was first created, viz: of insuring boilers and no other property. Steps have been taken, however, to lay before you and the members of the legislature facts touching the cost of carrying fire insurance on the property of the state as shown in Chapter VI. The biennial estimates of the sums needed for the several institutions and suggestions respecting needed legislation will be found in Chapters XII and XI, respectively.

The matters of railway switches to the several institutions not now having them, and of institution farms, is treated of in Chapters V and II, respectively.

For several years past the number of persons committed to our penitentiaries has constantly decreased; such decrease has been marked during this biennial period. The following statement shows the average population at each penitentiary in July, 1898, on June 30, 1900, and at the close of the last biennial period:

It is probable that the number of persons committed to the penitentiaries will continue to decrease for some time to come. The Bertillion system of measurements is still used in the penitentiary at Anamosa, and at both penitentiaries the graded system has been in operation for some time. It is the opinion of the wardens and of this Board that the system has greatly aided the discipline and that it holds out an inducement to the men to do well.

In Chapter 13, on Observations Respecting Institutions, we set forth in detail the steps taken for the completion of the hospital at Cherokee and the progress of the work.

Conferences have been held each quarter, as required by law, with the chief executive officers of the institutions. Further experience has confirmed the opinion expressed in our last report as to the great value of these meetings. They have been exceedingly profitable and instructive to the Board, as well as to the institution officers and employes. During the period we have, by personal solicitation, secured the presence of distinguished institution men from other states at some of these meetings, some of the members of this Board and some of the superintendents having paid the expenses of these gentlemen while they were in attendance at the meetings. Those thus honoring us with their presence were Colonel L. D. Drake, of Boonesville, Mo., superintendent of the Missouri reform school; H. A. Tomlinson, M. D., superintendent of the state hospital, St. Peters, Minn.; J. C. Corbus, M. D., superintendent of the state hospital, Kankakee, Ill.; A. C. Rogers, M. D, superintendent of the State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children at Faribault, Minn. These gentlemen read papers before the conference on live topics relating to institution management and the care and education of inmates, all of which were published in our bulletins, and some of which were re-published in leading papers and magazines of the country.

The value of such interchange of opinions with leading men engaged in the same line of work can scarcely be realized by those not actively employed in institution work. We ask that an appropriation of $500.00 be made for the biennial period to be available to the board, from which it may be authorized to pay the actual expenses of gentlemen from outside of the state, who may be by it secured to be present and read papers before these quarterly conferences.

In obedience to the statutory injunction to gather and present information touching Soldiers' Homes, and the charitable, reformatory and penal institutions, and to encourage and urge the scientific investigation of the treatment of epilepsy and insanity, and to publish bulletins of reports, we have continued the publication of the Bulletin of State Institutions on the same general plan as heretofore, which has contained many able articles of great value to institution people from leading men and experts from many of the states of the Union. The demand for copies of the Bulletin is constantly growing. By means of the publication of the Bulletin we have been enabled to procure valuable information along the lines contemplated by the statute.

The laboratories at the Hospital at Independence and at the Institution for Feeble-Minded Children at Glenwood have been in operation during the period, and a pathological and manufacturing laboratory has been opened at the hospital at Mount Pleasant where many drugs used at the institutions are made. How successful the experiment will prove to be it is yet too early to determine. Much successful laboratory work has been done also at the hospital at Clarinda.

Owing to the great demand from members of the legislature and others for bound copies of the Bulletin, we have caused 400 copies of each volume to be bound. Copies of these have been distributed to state officers, members of the legislature, public libraries, persons contributing articles to the Bulletin, to the chief executive officers of our institutions, and to some persons and boards engaged in such work.

Mr. H. F. Liebbe still continues to act as State Architect, and has proven very useful and capable in that capacity.

The training schools at the hospitals and at the Institution for Feeble-Minded Children have done efficient work, been well attended, and resulted in improving the character of service rendered by the nurses and attendants.

The plan of purchasing supplies for all institutions at one time and for a period longer than one month at a time has now been in operation more than three years. Contracts for some articles such as canned goods, flour, and coal are made for a year's supply. The system has proven very satisfactory and economical.

Some unimportant changes have been made in the style of uniforms for the officers and employes of the several institutions.

The system of complaint books for all institutions, record of mechanical restraint at the hospitals, and the punishment books kept at the industrial schools and penitentiaries are still in use with gratifying results.

Institution men and others interested in the work in many other states have, during the past two years, given much attention to the system in force here for the control of institutions for the care of the dependent, defective, delinquent, and criminal classes. Many letters of inquiry regarding our law and its operation have been received by this Board, and a widespread interest in the success of such a method seems to exist. The Board has been visited by several gentlemen from other states, who investigated the operation of our system. Several such visits have been made

by gentlemen from the state of Minnesota. In February last a committee of three gentlemen, appointed by the governor of the state of Minnesota, visited our office, and, after a thorough investigation of our system so far as the same could be made in our office, accompanied by the chairman of the Board, visited three of our state institutions and made a painstaking examination of the situation as it existed under the former law and also under the Board of Control system. They examined carefully into the dietary, clothing, and care of inmates, and the satisfaction with which the present system was regarded by the people generally and by the institution officers and employes, and reported that under the present system inmates were better cared for in every respect and at less expense than formerly. The result was the passage of a law in that state providing for a Board of Control, the principal provisions of which were based upon and identical with our statute.

At the close of the biennial period ending June 30, 1899, there was in the state treasury to the credit of the support fund of the several institutions under our control the sum of $115.562.94. At the close of the last biennial period, June 30, 1901, there was in the treasury to the credit of said fund and said institutions the sum of $90,342.60, and there is now, November 1, 1901; a balance to their credit of $96,979.44. In view of the shortage in farm and garden products this season on the institution farms, and the sharp advance in prices of food products generally, we may expect that most of this balance will be absorbed in addition to the regular per capita in the meeting of necessary expenditures at the several institutions. It appears now that it will require excellent management and rigid economy to meet all needed and legitimate demands with all the funds available therefor. The wisdom of the legislative enactment prohibiting the charging off of unexpended balances of the support funds, and making them available for the use of the institutions, as recommended by this Board, is now manifest.

The following table made up from the inventories returned to this office by the several chief executive officers shows the number of acres of land owned by the state at the institutions, the value of the same, the value of the personal property and of buildings at each institution.