It is safe to say, that at least from twenty to thirty per cent. of the above would have been saved if the contractors, when they put in their proposals, could have been sure that they would get their pay according to the conditions of their contracts, and if we had had money to pay for those articles not contracted for, and that we could not contract for, nor do without when we bought them. Another fatal consequence arising from the unavoidable want of punctuality on the part of the Commissioner, in granting payments as they became due, by the conditions of contracts entered into, results in the fact, that none who know the lack of finance in the prison will put in proposals for furnishing, except such as are pecuniarily able to wait the slow pay day which is most sure to come. While many good men would venture to put in bids for such furnishing if they could be sure of their pay quarterly. Under the circumstances, the few with ready capital alone bid, and make the idea of general competition in the matter a mere farce; and, consequently, almost all articles purchased under contract, are paid as highly for, and, perhaps, in many instances, more highly than if bought on private bargain.

I would, therefore, most earnestly but respectfully ask, that the funds necessary for defraying the expenses of the prison be kept on hand, in order that the Commissioner may be able to fulfil any condition of the contracts entered into on the part of the state, and also to purchase such other articles as we must have, and that we are unable to contract for under existing circumstances, or else repeal that part of the law that requires the Commissioner to advertise for proposals, and let the contracts for supplying the Prison to the lowest and best bidder.

As the law now stands, the Commissioner has has no right to purchase, a single article for the Prison without first advertising for proposals, and obtain the articles required upon contract, and under existing circumstances with a full knowledge on the part of the people, that there is no money in the treasury, or in the hands of the Commissioner to pay them for what they would contract to furnish, and altogether uncertain when there will be, they will

not, in many cases propose at all. In such case the law requires the Commissioner to advertise again. In the mean time, many of the articles needed, and for which the Commissioner advertises for proposals to furnish, must be had without delay.

And, again, the strongest propability is, that no one will propose at all, for the reason that there is no money to pay them if they should enter into contract.

Again, if they do propose and they get the contract, the day conditioned for payment arrives, and unless their demand is satisfied, they are of course disappointed, and depending, as in most cases they are necessitated to do, upon the means that accrue from the business they are engaged in, to progress with the fulfilment of their contract, they in turn must necessarily disappoint the party contracted with, and when complaints or threats are made to them, they will say the "state has not fulfilled;" and when it does, it will be time enough for you to find fault. In the mean time, dinner hour arrives, and seventy-five or eighty prisoners are not apt fully to appreciate the financial trouble that prevents them getting it.

I would, therefore, most respectfully recommend in the event of there being no money in the treasury, that that part of the law which requires the Commissioner to advertise] for proposals and let the contract for supplying the Prison to the lowest bidder under all circumstances, be repealed, because the Commissioner cannot live up to it, and must needs violate it, for without money, one half of the articles needed at the Prison will not be proposed for at all, and those that are, will be at high prices.

SOUTH WING.

The south wing of the new Prison is nearly completed, and will be ready for use and occupancy in the course of two or three weeks.

This building was commenced from the foundation on the 14th day of April, and was prosecuted with unceasing vigor by all the contractors engaged in its erection; and, taken in itself, separate

from the main building and other wing, as laid down in the plan of building the whole Prison, it is a most beautiful structure, and a credit to the builder and the state; indeed, I am constrained to say, that there is not a better building for its purpose in the whole Union. Its foundation is laid upon the solid rock, ten feet below the surface of the earth, and it is built after the enlarged plan contemplated by the legislature at its last session-two hundred feet in length, by fifty feet in width in the clear, and contains two hundred and eighty-eight cells.

I cannot let the occasion pass, without awarding to the various contractors who have been employed upon the building, the justly deserved credit of having unsparingly exerted themselves to do justice to the state as well as to themselves in the prosecution of the work.

The contract for furnishing the stone, brick, &c., and all material for laying the same, was entered into, on the part of the state, by my immediate predecessor, Ex-Commissioner Brown, with Andrew Proudfit, Esq., conditioned to pay as follows:

For furnishing cut stone and laying the same, per perch, $13 95

For placing all iron in the building, per pound,

0.03

As early in the past spring as practicable, I entered into contracts on the part of State, for doing all the other work necessary to the completion of the building, with different individuals, as follows:

With John N. Ackerman, Esq., for making and preparing all
the iron work, at the rate of 3 4-10 cents per pound,
With John Taylor, Esq., for furnishing all cast iron necessary
at the rate of 64 cents per pound,
for making sheet iron ventilators at
3 cents per pound,

do

do

$

03 4-10

for doing all painting and glazing, and
furn'ing materials, including glass,

061

03

695 00

With John Taylor, Esq., for tinning roof, and furnishing ma

do

do

terial, per square,

for making conductor from roof, and
furnishing material, per foot,

With Wm. Reinhard, Esq., for doing all the carpenter and

joiner's work, and furnishing

11 96

40

all material, except lumber, 1,000 00

do

do

for doing all lathing and plaster-
ing and furnishing all mate-
rial, per square yard,

25

The iron was furnished by J. S. Sherwood, Esq., under contract made with Commissioner Brown, at an average rate per ib of The lumber was mostly furnished by James K. Smith, Esq., under contract also made with Commissioner Brown, at an average rate per thousand of

The locks were furnished by A. Proudfit, Esq., under contract made with myself, for cell locks at the rate of

For all larger locks, at the rate of

06

17.00

81874

650

The following abstract of the estimates made out for the various contractors, will show the expense of building the South Wing of the Prison, up to the 28th day of last November.

Names of Contractors

ABSTRACT of Estimates made out for the Contractors engaged in building the South Wing of the new prison, showing the cost of erecting and finishing the same: