time not exceeding thirty days; every voucher shall be duly filled up, and with every abstract of vouchers paid, there shall be proof on oath that the voucher was properly filled up and the money paid. The board of managers or trustees shall make all needful rules and regulations to enforce the provisions of this section. The fiscal supervisor, a member or officer of the state board of charities or manager or officer of any such institution, shall not be interested, directly or indirectly, in the furnishing of materials, labor or supplies for the use of any such institutions nor shall any manager or trustee act as attorney or counsel for the board of managers or trustees thereof. Such contracts shall not be let except in conformity with the provisions of this act in relation to estimates. All goods for the use of such institutions except those furnished pursuant to law by some other institution of the state shall be bought, as far as practicable, of manufacturers or their immediate agents. All contracts, if let, shall, subject to the provisions of this article relating to estimates, be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. Each of such institutions may manufacture such supplies and materials to be used in the institution as can be economically made therein. Between the first day of July and the thirtieth day of September in each year the fiscal supervisor shall call the superintendents of the state charitable institutions, the Elmira reformatory and the New York state school for the blind to meet at his office in Albany. The fiscal supervisor shall notify the president of the board of managers or trustees of each state charitable institution and of the Elmira reformatory and the New York state school for the blind, at least ten days in advance, of such meeting of the superintendents, and each such president may designate a member of the board of managers or trustees of which he is president to attend such meeting

as a representative of such boards. The necessary traveling expenses of a manager or trustee in attendance upon such meeting shall be paid in the same manner as the traveling expenses of managers or trustees when in attendance upon meetings of boards of managers or trustees. The superintendent and managers or trustees present at such meeting shall consider, and shall deter mine, subject to the power granted to the fiscal supervisor in section forty-five of this article, the following matters:

1. Which articles of supplies it is practicable to purchase for all the state charitable institutions, the New York state school for the blind and the Elmira reformatory, or some of them, by joint. contracts.

2. The specifications for articles of supplies to be purchased by joint contracts.

3. The provisions of the contracts under which articles of sup plies are to be purchased jointly.

At such meetings of superintendents and managers or trustees there shall be designated by those present a purchasing committee, to consist of not more than six superintendents, who shall serve as such purchasing committee until the next annual meeting of superintendents and managers or trustees. Such meeting of superintendents and managers or trustees may refer to such purchasing committee any matters which might be considered and determined by such meeting of superintendents and managers or trustees. Such purchasing committee shall meet whenever so requested by the fiscal supervisor, and shall possess the same powers as the annual meeting of superintendents and managers or trustees, provided for in this section. Such purchasing committee may also consider proposals and make awards under joint contracts for the purchase of staple articles of supplies for some or

all of the state charitable institutions, the Elmira reformatory and the New York state school for the blind, and shall appoint a committee of two to execute joint contracts in accordance with such awards, subject to the approval of the fiscal supervisor. All powers conferred in this section upon the annual meeting of superintendents and managers or trustees, and upon the purchasing committee, shall be exercised subject to the powers now possessed by, or hereafter conferred upon, the fiscal supervisor of state charities.

§ 49. Plans and specifications, contracts, special orders, orders for extra work, special fund estimates, payments.-The governor, the president of the state board of charities, and the fiscal supervisor, or a majority of such officers, shall approve or reject plans and specification for the erection, alteration, repairs or improvements of buildings or plant for any state charitable institution or for the New York state school for the blind; and no such erection, alteration, repairs or improvements shall be made until the plans and specifications therefor have been so approved. Contracts for such work of erection, alteration, repairs or improvements may be let by the board of managers or trustees, with the approval of the governor, the president of the state board of charities and the fiscal supervisor, or a majority of such officers, for the whole or any part of the work to be performed, and, in the discretion of the managers or trustees, and subject to such approval, such contracts may be sublet. Special orders for such work in amounts less than one thousand dollars may be issued by the state architect upon authorization by the board of managers or trustees, subject to the approval of the fiscal supervisor. Copies of all such contracts and special orders shall be filed with the fiscal supervisor, with

the comptroller, and with the board of managers or trustees. The fiscal supervisor and the board of managers or trustees shall determine to what extent and for what length of time advertisements are to be inserted in newspapers for proposals for the erection, alteration, repairs or improvements of buildings or plant of state charitable institutions, the New York state school for the blind or the Elmira reformatory. A preliminary deposit or certified check drawn upon some legally incorporated bank or trust company of this state shall in all cases be required as an evidence of good faith, upon all proposals from contractors for such work, to be deposited with the superintendent of the institution for which the work is to be performed, in an amount to be determined by the state architect. All such contracts and special orders for the erection, alteration, repairs or improvements of buildings or plant of state charitable institutions, the New York state school for the blind or the Elmira reformatory shall contain a clause that the contract shall only be deemed executory to the extent of the moneys available, and no liability shall be incurred by the state beyond the moneys available for the purpose. All contracts in an amount greater than one thousand dollars shall have the performance thereof secured by sufficient bond or bonds, to be approved by and filed with the comptroller. All work done by special orders in an amount less than one thousand dollars need have no surety bond provided payment is to be made only after the work is completed and approved. The work of erection, alteration, repairs or improvements of buildings or plant of state charitable institutions, the New York state school for the blind and the Elmira reformatory, may be done by the employment of inmate or outside labor, either or both, and by the purchase of materials in the open market whenever, in the opinion of the

fiscal supervisor and state architect, such course shall be more advantageous to the state. No compensation shall be allowed for the employment of inmate labor. Where money is appropriated for any specific purpose other than for maintenance, and the work, materials, furniture, apparatus or other supplies are not to be performed or purchased pursuant to contract or special order duly made therefor, such money shall be expended pursuant to special fund estimates made to the fiscal supervisor by the board of managers or trustees of the institution for which such appropriation is made. The provisions of this article relating to the estimates of the expense required for state charitable institutions, for the New York state school for the blind and the Elmira reformatory, shall apply to such estimates; and when such work is to be performed in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by the state architect or is to be paid for from appropriations for the erection, alteration, repairs or improvements of buildings or plant, such estimates shall also be subject to his approval. Except as above specified all such work shall be done by contract or special order. The form of the contract or special order shall be prescribed by the state architect. All pay ments on contracts, special orders and special fund estimates shall be made on the certificate of the state architect and the voucher of the board of managers or trustees as the work progresses or the purchase of material is made, and upon bills duly certified, rendered and audited and approved by the fiscal supervisor. No item of an appropriation made for the performance of such work shall be available, except for advertising, unless one or more contracts, special orders or special fund estimates shall first have been made for the completion of such work within the appropriation therefor. If an appropriation be made for the erec