shall be submitted by him, with his suggestions, to the general assembly.

The Board may appoint a secretary, who shall be paid for his services, in addition to his travelling expenses, an annual salary. All accounts and expenditures certified as may be provided by the Board, shall be paid by the treasurer upon an order from the auditor of State. The Board shall annually prepare and print, for the use of the legislature, a full and complete report of all their doings during the preceding year, stating fully and in detail all expenses incurred, all officers and agents employed, with a report of the secretary, embracing all the respective proceedings and expenses during the year, and showing the actual condition of all the State institutions under their control, with such suggestions as they may deem necessary and pertinent."

RHODE ISLAND.

The Rhode Island Board, established in 1869, consists of seven members, three of whom are from the county of Providence, one from each of the other counties, and one from the State at large. They are appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Senate, and hold office for six years. The Board has the "oversight, management and control of all the benevolent and correctional institutions of the State," and discharges all the duties which in other States usually devolve upon the several Boards of Trustees. They elect a secretary from their own number, and no member except the secretary receives any compensation for his services, but each is entitled to his travelling expenses, and is exempted from military and jury duty. The Board appoints the superintendents of all the State institutions under its charge, and, upon nomination of the superintendent, it appoints deputy superintendents. All other employés are appointed, controlled, and dismissed by the superintendents. The Board fixes all salaries.

For a small State like Rhode Island this organization is well adapted to its work, and seems to merit all the commendations it has received. For a Board of Trustees the law under which it is operated is a model of its kind, and is worthy of imitation everywhere.

PENNSYLVANIA.

The Board of Public Charities for Pennsylvania (organized in 1869,) consists of seven members, holding office for five years.

The Board elects a general agent who is also secretary, who holds office for three years, and who is ex officio a member of the Board. The members of the Board receive no compensation, but are reimbursed their travelling expenses. The secretary receives a salary of $3,000. This Board have full power, either by themselves, or their secretary, at all times to look into and examine the condition of all charitable, reformatory, and correctional institutions within the State, financially or otherwise, to inquire and examine into their methods of instruction, the government and management of their inmates, the official conduct of trustees, directors, and other officers and employés of the same, the condition of the buildings, grounds, and other property connected therewith, and into all other matters pertaining to their usefulness and good management. The Commissioners, by themselves or their General Agent, are required to visit, at least once a year, all the charitable and correctional institutions receiving State aid, and the General Agent, at least in once in two years, is required to visit and examine into the condition of each of the county jails, and poorhouses. Applications for State aid for charitable institutions must be made to the Board for examination, the result of which is reported to the legislature. Authority is also given the Board to transfer the insane from almshouses. And all plans for new almshouses and jails must be submitted to the Board for approval.

ILLINOIS.

The Board of Commissioners of Public Charities of Illinois (organized in 1869,) consists of five members, appointed for five years. They receive no compensation for their services, but are reimbursed their travelling expenses. They are empowered to elect a president out of their number, and such other officers and agents as they may deem necessary for the proper discharge of their duties. The Commissioners have full power, at all times, to look into and examine the condition of all the charitable and correctional institutions of the State, and to inquire and examine into their methods of instruction, and the government and management of their inmates, the official conduct of trustees, directors, and other officers and employés of the same; the condition of the buildings, grounds, and other property connected therewith, and into all other matters pertaining to their usefulness and good management.

The Commissioners are required, at least twice in each year, and as much oftener as they may deem necessary, to visit all the charitable and correctional institutions of the State (excepting prisons), which receive State aid, and ascertain whether the moneys appropriated for their aid are or have been economically and judiciously expended; whether the objects of the several institutions are accomplished; whether the laws in relation to them are fully complied with, and whether all parts of the State are equally benefited by said institutions; and they report the same to the Governor annually, with recommendations. The Board, or one of them, must make any special investigation into alleged abuses, whenever the Governor shall direct, and report the result, and the members, or one of them, shall also, at least once a year, visit and examine into the condition of each city or county almshouse in the State, and report results. Whenever any charitable or correctional institutions, subject to inspection, requires State aid for any purpose other than their usual expenses, the Commissioners, or some, or one of them, shall inquire carefully and fully into the ground of such want, the purpose or purposes, for which it is proposed to use the same, and the amount which will be required to accomplish the desired object, and shall report the result of such inquiries with recommendations.

MICHIGAN.

"The Board of State Commissioners, for the general supervision of Charitable, Penal, Pauper, and Reformatory Institutions," in the State of Michigan, was organized in 1871. It consists of five members, including the Governor of the State, who is ex officio chairman. They receive no compensation for their services. The Commissioners have power to appoint a secretary, not of their number, whose duties they may prescribe, and whose salary they may establish and determine. By the terms of the law,

The said Commissioners, by one of their number, or by their secretary, shall, at least once in each year, visit and examine into the condition of each and every of the city and county poorhouses, county jails, or other places for the detention of criminals or witnesses; and the said Board, or a majority thereof, with their cretary, shall, at least once in each year, visit and examine the form School, State Prison, Detroit House of Correction, and te and county asylums for the insane, and the deaf, dumb and , and for the purpose of ascertaining the actual condition of

the institutions by them or by either of them visited, the method of instruction, government, or management therein pursued, the official conduct of the superintendents or other officers and employés in charge thereof, or connected therewith, the condition of the buildings, grounds, or other property thereunto belonging, and the facts as to all other matters in any manner pertaining to the usefulness and proper management of the institutions, poorhouses, and jails above named. They, or either of them, and their secretary, shall have free access thereto at any and all times, and shall have authority to administer oaths and examine any person or persons in any way connected with or having knowledge of the condition, management, and discipline of such institutions, jails, or poorhouses, as to any matters or inquiries not contrary to the purposes or provisions of this act.

Every second year the Board is required "to report in writing to the Governor fully, the result of their investigations, together with such other information and recommendations as they may deem proper, including their opinions and conclusions as to the necessity of further legislation to improve the condition and extend the usefulness of the various State, county and other institutions by them visited; and the said Commissioners, or either of them, shall make any special investigation into alleged abuse in any of the institutions which by this act they are authorized to visit, whenever the Governor shall so direct, and report the result thereof to him at such reasonable time as he shall prescribe. And whenever any abusive treatment of those confined in any of said institutions shall come to the knowledge of said Commissioners, which, in their opinion, requires immediate attention and redress, they shall forthwith report the facts of such abusive treatment to the Governor, with such recommendations for the correction of the same as they shall deem proper."

WISCONSIN.

The Wisconsin "State Board of Charities and Reform" consists of five members, appointed by the Governor for five years. They serve without compensation, except in cases of special examinations ordered by the Governor, when they receive five dollars a day, in addition to their expenses. They have had complete powers of inspection, and of demanding reports from all charitable or correctional institutions in the State, but have no powers for correcting abuses except by reporting upon them. By a recent Act of the legislature, a sweeping change has been made in the manner of governing the State reformatory and benevolent institutions of Wisconsin, and all powers heretofore exercised by local boards of Trustees are concentrated in a single Board which

is called the "State Board of Supervisors of Wisconsin Charitable, Reformatory and Penal Institutions." This Board consists of five members, holding office for five years and receiving salaries of $2,000 each, per annum. By the creation of this new Board the powers and duties of the "Board of Charities and Reform” have been somewhat modified, but fortunately it has not been abolished, and we doubt not it will demonstrate in the future, as it has in the past, its great usefulness to the State.

KANSAS.

"The Board of Charitable Institutions" for the State of Kansas, like the "Board of State Charities and Corrections" for Rhode Island, is purely an administrative body, and discharges all the functions of ordinary Boards of Trustees. The constitution of the State provides that "the Governor shall appoint Boards of Trustees for the Benevolent Institutions," and the law of 1876 places the control of the asylums for the insane, blind, and deaf and dumb, under a Board of five Trustees, none of whom shall reside in the representative districts where the institutions are respectively located. The Reform School, and the School for Feeble-Minded Children were also placed in charge of this Board in 1880. All local Boards were thus abolished. The members of the Board are paid a per diem and mileage. Supplies for all the institutions are bulked and purchased at semi-annual lettings. The army system, or a plan similar, obtains in the management of commissary and property stores. Supplies are issued on requisitions, approved by superintendents. Stores and property are charged to officers or employés accountable therefor. Articles worn out are dropped by order of a Board of Survey, and property lost or destroyed through negligence is charged to the delinquent party, and its value deducted from their monthly pay. Quarterly inventories are made by the Board.

CONCLUSIONS.

By a comparison of these powers and duties of Boards of State Charities in the several States, it appears at once that in some, advisory powers only are granted,-as, for example, in Ohio and Michigan, whilst in others full administrative powers are added, -as in Rhode Island and Kansas. Again, in some of the States upervision is given over charities only, whilst in others corrections