Section 2. There are hereby established four state industrial farms for the first, second, third, and fourth districts respectively.
Section 3. The first district shall comprise the counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and York; and the state industrial farm therein located shall be known as the “Southeastern Industrial Farm.”
The second district shall comprise the counties of Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming; and the state industrial farm therein located shall be known as the “Northeastern Industrial Farm.”
The third district shall comprise the counties of Armstrong, Butler, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, and Warren; and the state industrial farm therein located shall be known as the “Northwestern Industrial Farm.”
The fourth district shall comprise the counties of Adams, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cumberland, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland; and the state industrial farm therein located shall be known as the “Southwestern Industrial Farm.”
Section 4. Upon the approval of this act a board of managers for each district shall be appointed by the Governor. Each board shall consist of either five or seven reputable citizens, one or two of whom shall be women. The members of such boards shall serve without compensation, but all of their expenses actually and necessarily incurred shall be paid by the State Treasurer on the warrant of the Auditor General, which shall be issued upon the order of the board, countersigned by the secretary of the Committee of Delinquency of this Commonwealth. The members of the various boards shall serve for a term of five years and their successors for the same period. The Governor may remove any of the managers for misconduct, incompetency, or neglect of duty, and in case of a vacancy for any cause shall fill such vacancy by appointment for the unexpired term.
Section 5. The board of managers of each district is hereby authorized by a majority vote to select a suitable site for the state industrial farm of the district. Such site shall be within the district, and shall either be chosen from lands donated to the Commonwealth for the purpose or purchased by the board with moneys appropriated or donated for the purpose; Provided, That any such site shall not contain more than two thousand (2,000) acres. The title to land donated or purchased as herein provided shall be taken and held in the name of “The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” and shall be examined and approved by the Attorney General prior to the acceptance or purchase of the land. In the selection of a site the board of managers shall take into consideration the objects and purposes of the institution, the accessibility of any proposed site to the counties included in the district, and all or as many as practicable of the following enumerated advantages and resources. The land selected and purchased shall be of varied topography with natural resources and advantages for many forms of husbandry, fruit growing, and stockraising; for brick-making, and for the preparation of all other road and paving material; and shall have good railroad drainage, sewage, and water facilities. Waste land or land requiring drainage may be selected if deemed susceptible of profitable cultivation after its improvement.
Section 6. All buildings constructed in pursuance of this act shall be plain and inexpensive in character and the labor in constructing such buildings, improvements and facilities shall be supplied by persons committed to the state industrial farm or confined in State or county penal, reformatory, or correctional institutions so far as found practicable.
The board of managers shall procure all necessary materials; erect and equip such buildings; employ such skilled labor as cannot be furnished by the persons committed to their respective industrial farms or by persons confined in State, or county penal, reformatory or correctional institutions and provide all proper facilities for their use and for the practical use of the institution.
When the board of managers of any State industrial farm shall have made all preliminary arrangements for the construction of the buildings and equipment therein, they shall notify the Governor who shall issue a proclamation announcing such fact, and thereafter prisoners having more than thirty days to serve shall be transferred to such State industrial farm from any jail or workhouse in that district on the order of the Governor.