It shall be the duty of the supervisor to visit at least once each year every county jail, city jail, reformatory, juvenile training school, county and city convict farm and alms house in the state. His business shall be to enforce the humane and economic management of such institutions and to aid in securing erection of sanitary buildings for the accommodation of the prisoners. He shall have power to investigate the management of all such institutions and the conduct and efficiency of persons charged with their management. Reports shall be made of such investigations to the governor and to the local authorities, together with orders relative to improvements which in his judgment shall be required. And it shall be the duty of said courts of county commissioners, city commissioners or boards of aldermen to obey such order, and provide for the payment of the expenses incurred necessary to a compliance with said order out of the funds of the county or city or by issuing county or city warrants for this expense. The power of summoning witnesses, administering oaths and taking testimony is conferred upon the supervisor and his deputies to enable the conducting of such investigations as are provided for in the bill. It is intended also that the evidence of prisoners or ex-prisoners shall be taken when necessary to ascertain the facts about the management or condition of penal institutions. When the interests of the inmates of any institution demand it the supervisor may order their removal to other quarters, the expenses of the transfer to be borne by the city or county. And fines for the refusal by city or county officers to obey such orders are provided for. Special provisions are made for the assistance and rehabilitation of paroled prisoners, data in reference to whom shall be kept on file in the supervisor’s office. Local probation officers, serving without pay, shall assist in this work. * * * * * _The Jails of Illinois._—The Chicago _Tribune_, commenting on the recent report of the Illinois board of state charities that “conditions in most Illinois jails are no better now than in 1870, when they were abominable,” says that no one will venture to question the accuracy of the report. “These and other shameful violations of law,” continues the _Tribune_, “have been unnoticed and unchecked by successive grand juries and judges. And what is sadder yet, there has been no popular protest anywhere against the jail horrors and abominations set out in the report of the state charities commission. Even in countries where the odious jail conditions are well understood there is no public opinion which condemns them. Must we conclude that local self government as far as jails are concerned is a failure, and that some humane and intelligent central authority should take the matter in hand and enforce obedience to the laws?”