6. The Committee on Supplies shall have charge of all matters relating to the purchase and use of supplies; and it shall be their duty to look after the physical comfort of the inmates so far as food, clothing and bedding, and the condition of the dormitories and cells are concerned.

7. The Committee on Buildings and Repairs shall have charge of the plans and construction of such new buildings as may be ordered by the Board; the removal or destruction of such as may become useless; the repairs and alterations which may be needed; and, in general, of everything that appertains to construction and repairs.

8. The Committee on Labor and Discipline shall have charge of all matters connected with the labor of the inmates, not working upon the land; including the making of contracts for the same authorized by the Board, the duties and obligations of contractors, and the hours of labor; and of everything relating to correction and punishment.

It shall be their duty to see that the inmates of the institutions are treated with kindness, and that no unnecessary or excessive punishments are inflicted in the prison, and in the workhouse and house of correction.

9. The Committee on Finance and Accounts shall have charge of all matters pertaining to the financial affairs of the Board; the accounts of the Secretary and of all the employés of the Board; the business of the Board with cities, towns and individuals, regarding the board and clothing of both sane and insane paupers; and shall, in their discretion by one of their number, examine and approve all the bills of expenditure of the Board, which shall be presented by the Secretary before being sent to the State Auditor for payment.

10. The Committee on Hygiene shall have charge of all matters relating to the health of the inmates and the treatment of those diseased, and to the ventilation, drainage and cleanliness of the buildings. It shall be their duty, conjointly with the Committee on Supplies, to examine the food of the inmates as regards both the material thereof, and the manner of cooking it.

11. The Committee on Schools and on Moral and Religious Instruction, shall have charge of all matters connected with the religious services on Sunday; with the schools that may be established at the different institutions, and the instruction of the children in the almshouse; and with the selection of suitable books and other reading matter, and the care of the books.

It shall be their duty to watch over the moral welfare of the inmates; to recommend and direct the employment of every feasible means for their improvement; to do all in their power to elevate their minds; and especially to use their utmost efforts to reform the characters of the inmates of the prison and of the workhouse and house of correction.

12. The several committees,-acting as committees, and not as individuals,— shall have authority to confer with and direct the executive officers employed by the Board in all matters appertaining to their respective duties; but all important measures, outside of the usual routine business of the different departments, shall come before the Board at a regular meeting.

13. In compliance with a portion of Section 17, Chapter 603, of the public laws, which is as follows: "One or more members of said Board shall, at

least twice a month, visit the prison, examine into the condition of the prisoners, hear any complaints that they may make, and see that the rules and regulations of the prison are strictly observed; and the person or persons so visiting shall keep a particular record of such visits and the complaints made to them by the prisoners, whether well or ill-founded, in a book kept for that purpose, open to the inspection of the whole Board, and to be filed with the records of said Board," it shall be the duty of each member in turn-excepting the Chairman and Secretary-to visit the prison, as by law prescribed; but the Chairman or Secretary may take the place of a member at his request, or one member may take the place of another.

This rule shall be extended to the other institutions at the State Farm. 14. The order of business at the regular meetings shall be as follows:

1. Reading of the record of the preceding meeting.

2. Reports of executive officers.

3. Reading and hearing petitions for release.

15. These rules may be changed by vote, at any regular meeting of the Board, notice thereof having been given at a previous meeting.

The Standing Committees were appointed by the Chairman, as follows:

Committee on the Farm-Messrs. CHADSEY, HOPKINS and MATHEW

SON.

Committee on Supplies-Messrs. HOPKINS and CHAPIN.

Committee on Buildings and Repairs - Messrs. PENDLETON and KENYON.

Committee on Labor and Discipline - Messrs. COGGESHALL and CHAPIN.

Committee on Hygiene-Messrs. KENYON and WEEDEN.

Committee on Schools and on Moral and Religious Instruction— Messrs. WEEDEN and CHADSEY.

Committee on Finance and Accounts Messrs. MATHEWSON, COGGESHALL and PENDLETON.

The following officers were reappointed by the Board:

SAMUEL L. BLAISDELL, Superintendent of the State Institutions in Cranston.

GEORGE W. WIGHTMAN, Agent of State Charities and Corrections. NELSON VIALL, Warden of the State Prison.

JAMES PIERCE ROOT, Chaplain of the State Institutions in Cran

ston.

GEORGE T. PERRY, Physician of the State Institutions in Cranston. WILLIAM DOUGLAS, Chaplain of the State Prison (until its removal to State Farm.)

GEORGE W. CARR, Physician of the State Prison (until its removal to State Farm.)

FREDERICK W. PERRY, Deputy Superintendent of the Asylum for the Insane.

WILLIAM G. WARD, Deputy Superintendent of the Almshouse. TIMOTHY PAIGE DODGE, Deputy Warden of the State Prison.

The office of Deputy Superintendent of the Workhouse and House of Correction has been vacant since April 1, and that of Farmer during the year. The duties of both of these offices have been performed by the Superintendent of the State Institutions, in addition to his own.

CONSTRUCTION.

Addition to the Cottage for Excited Patients at the Asylum for the

Insane.

This building is of wood, with tinned roof; and is 40 feet long by 30 feet wide. It contains two dining-rooms, one for men and one for women; with pantries attached, in which are sinks, closets, &c. Formerly the inmates of the cottage were obliged to go, in all weathers, to the pavilions for their meals.

The work was done, mostly, by contract. The steam-heating apparatus and plumbing, however, were put in, and the foundations laid by inmates of the Workhouse; and the closets, sinks, tables, &c., were made, and the painting done, by inmates of the Asylum. The cost of the building was $1,089.84.

Piggery. A building, in which swine could be comfortably sheltered and conveniently cared for, has long been needed. One has been constructed during the year, which fulfils these requirements very satisfactorily. It is complete with the exception of plastering. The building is connected with the barn, standing at a right angle with the wing on the south side; and is 102 feet in length by 32 feet in width. It is built of the same material as the barn, the walls being of stone, and the covering of the roof slate. The interior is divided into twenty pens, ten feet by ten feet; with a central alley, eight feet wide, running the whole length of the building. Before cementing the floor of the alley, joists were laid upon which rails may be placed; so that a feeding car can be used, if required. On the outside of the building, on either side, are yards, one for each pen; and doors, which can be lifted by means of cords by a person standing in the central alley, enable the animals to pass in and out. Eighteen windows on the sides and two ventilators on the roof, easily opened and closed at pleasure, afford ample means of ventilation.

Shed and Carriage-House.-On the north side of the wing of the barn, a shed has been built of sufficient capacity to protect from the weather all the farm wagons, implements and tools of every description. It is in the form of an L; and, with the barn, encloses a yard 814 by 76 feet. Its length, measured midway between front and rear, is 191 feet, and its width 34 feet; the area covered being 6,511 square feet. This measurement includes the carriage-house, which is made by enclosing 39 feet of the length of the shed at the end; thus giving 1,326 square feet for carriages. The rear of the shed is formed by a stone wall, laid in mortar, 13 feet high and about two feet in thickness; and the front is supported on posts 15 feet in height. The roof

is tinned in the best manner.

In building both the piggery, and the shed and carriage-house, a large part of the carpenters' work was done by inmates, only a master builder having been hired; and the painting was done entirely by them. As far as possible the material from the old barns, which have been torn down, was used in the construction of these buildings.

The barn has been plastered on the inside and outside, with the exception of a portion of the basement, which was not in condition to work upon. The area of wall plastered is 4,672 square yards.

The outlay for the piggery, shed and carriage-house, and for plastering the barn was $3,901.99.

A wall without mortar has been built, entirely by inmates, under the old basket-shop roof; which was moved last year to the rear of the new barn.

To complete the barn, the following items of work remain to be done: namely, plastering the shed wall, piggery, and a portion of the basement; cementing the cellar of the main barn and the floor of the carriage-house. The cost of these items will be but a few hundreds. of dollars.

Plastering the Workhouse Yard Wall and Storehouse. The cost of plastering the former, which was built in 1874 and 1875, was $545.60; and the area of wall plastered, 38983 square yards. The cost of plastering the storehouse, built in 1875, was $119.82.

A second oven has been built in the bakery; and two ventilators have been placed upon the roof of the cookhouse, one over the cookroom and one over the bakery. The cost of these improvements was $255.24.

In July a telephone was attached to the telegraph wire running from the office in Providence to the office at the State Farm. It works admirably, and has proved to be exceedingly useful in communicating between the Farm and the city.

WORK FOR THE NEW STATE PRISON.

The Board has continued to furnish, during the working season, the stone for the Prison, Workshop, Warden's House, &c. In the agreement entered into between the Prison Commission and this Board, no price per cubic yard of stone was named; but men and teams were to be furnished at prices agreed upon. Teams with drivers, for hoisting and moving material, &c., at the Prison, and derricks, have also been provided by this Board as heretofore.