directly or indirectly interested in any supplies furnished or ordered by them, or either of them, and no accounts shall be audited by said board of supervisors for services rendered or supplies furnished for the poor of said county, unless the same shall be made out in items, with dates, stating the time and nature of the services rendered, the quantity and quality of the articles furnished, and the time when the same were delivered, duly verified according to the form prescribed by law, applicable to accounts audited by boards of supervisors.

§ 5. The superintendents of the county poor of said county shall, in each year, render under oath to the board of supervisors of said county, at its annual meeting, a true and faithful statement of all moneys received by them from said county, and from the commissioners of emigration for the support of county paupers, of all the products raised on the county farm belonging to the said county poorhouse, and of the disposition which has been made of the same, and of all labor which has been performed by the county paupers, or of any property belonging to the county, with the manner in which, and the persons for whose benefit, the same has been performed.

§ 6. It shall be the duty of each overseer of the poor in said county of Seneca to enter in a book, to be kept by him for that purpose, a full and accurate statement of all sums of money by him received or expended as such overseer of the poor, with the date of the receipt and disbursement thereof, the name, age and sex of each poor or indigent person relieved by him, and the cause of pauperism or indigence in each case, so far as the same can be ascertained, and the items of expenditure in the relief of each such poor or indigent person. It shall be the duty of each of said overseers of the poor to make and furnish the supervisor of his town, within one week preceding the annual meeting of the board of supervisors, a just and accurate transcript of all the statements and entries so required to be made by him, for the year ending on the last day in October in each year; and it shall be the duty of such supervisor to whom such statement shall be furnished, to deliver the same to the clerk of the board of supervisors of said county, on or before the first day of the meeting of said board in each year.

§ 7. The board of supervisors of said county shall have power to direct, by resolution, to be entered on its minutes, in relation to and the manner in which the supplies for the county poorhouse, or any portion thereof, shall be purchased, obtained or contracted for, and also as to the amount and manner of affording temporary relief by the overseers of the poor of the several towns in said county, and when any such direction shall be given by said board of supervisors, the same shall be observed and carried out by the said superintendents and overseers of the poor.

§ 8. The committee of the board of supervisors, appointed at their annual session, on the accounts of superintendents and overseers of the poor shall, on the first Wednesday in February in each and every year, meet at the county poorhouse with the super intendents of the poor, and the superintendents, and said committee of the supervisors shall jointly constitute an auditing board to audit and settle all accounts for temporary relief furnished to the poor outside of the poorhouse, from the first day of November preceding the time of meeting of said auditing board. The said auditing board shall elect one of their number chairman, and also a clerk from their own number, and the said clerk shall, under the direction of the board, draw checks upon the county treasurer for all bills audited which shall be paid by the county treasurer, the same as checks drawn by order of the board of supervisors. (As amended by chapter 12 of the Laws of 1878.)

§ 9. All provisions of law, so far as they are inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.

Westchester County.

AN ACT to create the office of commissioner of charities and corrections in the county of Westchester, and to prescribe the powers and duties of such office.

Chapter 242, Laws of 1916.

Section 1. There is hereby created in and for Westchester county the office of commissioner of charities and corrections. The VOL. 3-15

term of office shall be three years, and the salary shall be fixed by the board of supervisors. In case of a vacancy occurring during a term the same shall be filled by appointment by the board of supervisors until the first day of January next following the ensuing general election, except that if such vacancy occurs within thirty days prior to the general election a commissioner shall not be elected until the general election in the year following, and the commissioner appointed by the board of supervisors shall continue in office until the first day of January following such election. A commissioner elected at a general election shall hold his office for the full term of three years. The commissioner shall give a bond in the penal sum of ten thousand dollars for the faithful discharge of the duties of his office. A commissioner shall be elected at the general election in the year nineteen hundred and sixteen.

§ 2. Upon the taking of office of the commissioner elected in the year nineteen hundred and sixteen all the rights, powers, authority and jurisdiction now possessed by, and all the duties devolving upon the superintendent of the poor, the keeper of the almshouse or poorhouse, and all the duties of caring for and the management of the hospital connected with such almshouse, or of any general hospital to be constructed in the county of Westchester, and also the management and control of the Westchester county penitentiary and workhouse now under construction, shall devolve upon and be possessed, exercised and performed by such commissioner in person or by deputy; but all expenses of maintaining the institutions under the charge and care of the commissioner of charities and corrections, together with the expenses authorized by this act, shall be audited and paid as other county charges are paid. (As amended by chapter 6 of the Laws of 1917.)

§ 3. The commissioner shall appoint and may at pleasure remove a deputy commissioner of charities and corrections. The deputy commissioner shall perform such duties under the direction of the commissioner as the commissioner may prescribe. In case of the absence of the commissioner from the county or his inability to perform the duties of his office the deputy commis

sioner shall act as commissioner until the commissioner returns

or the disability ceases. The salary of the deputy commissioner shall be fixed by the board of supervisors. The commissioner shall appoint and may at pleasure remove the following heads of departments: A superintendent of the hospital, a warden of the penitentiary and workhouse, a superintendent of the almshouse, a superintendent of the county farm, a director of child welfare, a steward of county institutions, each of which divisions is hereby declared to be a county department. The commissioner with the approval of the head of the department shall appoint and at pleasure remove all other officers and employees serving in or connected with any institution under the supervision of the commissioner. Each of the above named officers shall have such powers and perform such duties under the direction of the commissioner and head of the department as the board of supervisors may prescribe. The salaries or compensation shall be fixed by the board of supervisors. The commissioner may appoint an advisory board of not more than seven members to assist in the management of the county hospital and may designate such physician as he may deem proper to constitute a visiting staff for rendering medical service in the county hospital. The members of the advisory board and of the visiting staff shall serve without pay and during the pleasure of the commissioner. In addition to the powers conferred upon the commissioner by existing laws or by this act he may appoint and at pleasure remove all deputies, subordinates, clerks and employees authorized by the board of supervisors and at the salaries or compensation fixed by the said board. The commissioner shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as the said board of supervisors may prescribe and shall have supervision and control of all charitable and penal institutions hereafter established by the said board of supervisors.

§ 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the board of supervisors of the county of Westchester are authorized to adopt by an act of said board such rules and regulations governing the employment of the inmates of all institutions under the supervision of the commissioner and the disposition of the products of such employment, and the compensation, if any, to be

allowed for such labor, and the method of the payment thereof; also adopt such rules and regulations governing the discipline of such institutions as to them shall seem for the best interest of said institutions. The county of Westchester and the political divisions thereof are hereby required to purchase such supplies needed by them as can be furnished by such institutions, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law; the prices therefor shall be fixed by the board of supervisors or by such parties as they may authorize so to do.

§ 5. Commitments to institutions by overseers of the poor or by commissioners of charities of any city in Westchester county shall hereafter be limited to commitments to almshouses, and all such commitments shall be subject to the approval of the commissioner of charities and corrections, who shall commit to such institutions as to him may seem proper, subject to the general requirements for the commitment of children as now provided by law.

§ 6. The commissioner shall have the power to make such arrangements for the care of needy children as may be authorized by the board of supervisors.

§ 7. The commissioner shall have the power to transfer inmates from one institution to another under his supervision as necessity may arise, but no person shall be transferred to a penal institution without judicial process.

§ 8. The commissioner shall have the power to detain and it shall be his duty to care for all feeble-minded inmates duly committed to the hospital or the almshouse until admission can be obtained for them into a proper state institution. The commissioner is further authorized to detain under his custody per sons committed by the courts as feeble-minded, pending their admission to a state institution.

§ 9. All commitments to the hospital shall be subject to the approval of the commissioner or of the superintendent of the hospital when duly authorized by the commissioner. The commissioner shall have power to establish and maintain a training school for nurses in connection with the hospital when authorized by the board of supervisors.