MINNESOTA. 



CU3 



committed since opening of school, September 

 2, 1856, 2,135; in school September 80, 1878, 

 827; received during the fiscal year, 189; re- 

 leased during the year, 159 ; remaining in 

 school September 80, 1879, 807; net current 

 expenses of the year, $31,654.86. The com- 

 mitments for the year were for the following 

 offenses : Grand larceny, 1 ; burglary, 6 ; as- 

 sault and battery, 11; larceny, 86; attempt to 

 murder, 1; rape, 2, malicious trespass, 4; 

 vagrancy and disorderly, 21 ; arson, 1 ; return- 

 ed, 8. Their ages were from 10 to 16 years, 

 averaging 13} years. Their social status was 

 as follows: 81 had lost a father, 38 a mother, 

 and 9 both parents ; 21 had relatives who had 

 been arrested for crime, 87 had used intoxicat- 

 ing drinks, and 58 had been in jail one or more 

 times ; 14 did not know the alphabet, and 67 

 could not write. Of those leaving the school, 

 116 were discharged reformed, 7 to go out of 

 the State to reside with parents, 19 given one 

 year's leave of absence, 14 sent to live with 

 farmers, 1 escaped, and 2 died. 



The annual report of the State House of Cor- 

 rection at Ionia furnishes the following : 



Number of prisoners October 1, 1878 283 



" transferred from State Prison 13 



received on sentence daring 1ST9 811 



returned by order of court 2 



discharged during year. 971 



pardoned 8 



" escaped 9 



" In institutions September 30, 18T9 257 



Receipts from all sources $62,573 90 



Expenditures $61,436 60 



Gross earnings $15,363 57 



Average net cost of supporting Inmates in 1S79... $153 53 



" daily cost of supporting each inmate .... $0 43 48 



The State Prison statistics for the fiscal year 

 are as follows : 



Number of prisoners October 1, 1873 804 



" received during the year 970 



' transferred to State House of Correction. 13 



" transferred to Detroit Ilouse of Correction 2 



" discharged 247 



" died R 



" pardoned 17 



tt In prison September 80, 1879 777 



" of life convicts received during the year. . 2 

 Average length of sentence of prisoners received 



(omitting life-prisoners) 8 y. 10 m. 23 d. 



Expenses of prison (net) $34,035 !>1 



Income from convict labor (net) 85,420 63 



Total not earnings 68,255 25 



The State Board for the general supervision 

 of charitable, penal, pauper, and reformatory 

 institutions report only biennially. For in- 

 formation as to jails, poor-houses, etc., see the 

 "Annual Oycloprodia" for 1878. 



MINNESOTA. The Legislature of Minne- 

 sota assembled in its twenty-first session at 

 St. Paul on January 8th. In the Senate Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor Wakefield presided, and in 

 the House Charles A. Gilman was elected by a 

 unanimous vote. 



One of the earliest measures was the ap- 

 pointment of a joint committee to investigate 

 certain charges of cruelty made against the 

 officers of the State Prison. The report of the 

 committee subsequently made entirely exoner- 

 ated the officers of the charges. It also rec- 



ommended that the Governor should appoint 

 some one, unknown to the prison authorities, 

 to visit the prison at any time, talk with the 

 convicts, look at the food, or, in other words, 

 constitute himself a detective, and report upon 

 each occasion to the Governor the result of bis 

 trip. 



An act was passed to regulate the rate of 

 interest, which provides that " interest on any 

 legal indebtedness shall be at the rate of seven 

 dollars upon one hundred dollars for a year, 

 unless a different rate is contracted for in writ- 

 ing; and no person, company, or corporation 

 shall directly or indirectly take or receive, in 

 money, goods, or other things in action, or in 

 any other way, any greater sum or any greater 

 value for the loan or forbearance of money, 

 goods, or things in action, than ten dollars on 

 one hundred dollars for one year ; and in the 

 computation of interest upon any bond, note, 

 or other instrument or agreement, interest shall 

 not be compounded. But any contract to pay 

 interest not usurious upon interest overdue 

 shall not be construed to be usury." 



The weighing and inspection of wheat were 

 provided for in an act which makes the half- 

 bushel measure the lawful standard. The act 

 also provides that, " if the parties to the sale 

 of any wheat shall consent, it may be lawful 

 to use a two-quart measure to determine the 

 grade of wheat, provided said two-quart mea- 

 sure shall be sealed as herein provided, and so 

 arranged as to easily demonstrate that it is 

 truly balanced with any means of weighing 

 the same, and that such measure is filled in such 

 manner and by such method and device as may 

 be prescribed and approved by the Farmers' 

 Board of Trade of the State." It is then made 

 the duty of the Farmers' Board of Trade, or, 

 previous to its organization, of three men ap- 

 pointed by the Governor, on whom its powers 

 are devolved, to designate what shall be the 

 manner of filling the measures to be used in 

 testing the grade of wheat, and to prescribe 

 such methods as shall best secure uniformity 

 in determining them. The act then goes on 

 to require the Farmers' Board of Trade of the 

 State to designate what shall be the manner of 

 filling the measures to be used under its pro- 

 visions, in testing the grade of wheat, and to 

 prescribe such methods as shall best secure uni- 

 formity in determining the grades of wheat ; 

 and they shall require all measures used and 

 means of weighing employed in grading wheat 

 to be sealed and stamped by the lawful sealer 

 of weights and measures. The Board of Trade 

 shall fix and designate the several grades of 

 wheat to be in force each year, after their an- 

 nual meeting in September, and cause to be 

 published a circular for the use of grain-deal- 

 ers in the State, defining the rules and regula- 

 tions to be observed in the grades of wheat, 

 and testing the same, and naming such meth- 

 ods and devices therein to be used in the man- 

 ner of filling the half-bushel and the two-quart 

 measure, if its use shall be authorized. This 



