Pennsylvania Act 1943-342 — WELFARE, AUTHORIZING FOOD CONTRACTS

Act text

WELFARE, AUTHORIZING FOOD CONTRACTS
                  Act of Jun. 1, 1943, P.L. 813, No. 342              Cl. 67
                                  AN ACT

     Authorizing the Department of Welfare to enter into contracts
        for foodstuffs to supply State institutions, and to purchase
        the same in open market, and to process the same for
        preservation; providing for transfers from appropriations
        made to such institutions in payment therefor; authorizing
        dehydrating plants and equipment at State institutions and
        the use of inmate labor thereat; conferring power and
        imposing duties on the Department of Property and Supplies;
        and making an appropriation.

        The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     hereby enacts as follows:

        Section 1.  The Department of Welfare is hereby authorized to
     enter into agreements with farmers, fruit and vegetable growers
     and other food producers whereby such producers will grow for
     the department; and the department will buy, when grown, any
     items of foodstuffs, including food, animals, dairy products,
     fruit and vegetables. Such agreements may be entered into during
     the duration of the war and six months thereafter, and may
     specify the quantity of such items to be bought or the acreage
     to be planted, the standards of acceptability and the price to
     be paid, which may be the market price at time of delivery.
        Section 2.  The department is hereby authorized to buy in the
     open market any items of food which the department has the
     facilities to can, dehydrate, store or otherwise process for
     preservation.
        Section 3.  Foodstuffs acquired under the provisions of this
     act shall be for the use of any State institution, whether or
     not under the supervision of the Department of Welfare, but
     shall not become a part of the stores inventory of any State
     institution, until assigned to such institution by the
     Department of Welfare. When so assigned, there shall be a
     transfer from the appropriation for such State institution to
     the credit of the appropriation made by this act. Requisition
     effecting such transfer shall be drawn by the department having
     supervision over such institution, and approved by the Governor.
        Section 4.  The Department of Welfare is hereby authorized,
     from the funds hereby appropriated, to purchase, install and
     erect dehydrating equipment at any State institution, and to
     provide engineering and supervision for such installation and
     construction, and with the approval and under the supervision of
     the Department of Property and Supplies, to construct and equip
     a building and house such dehydrating plant.
        Section 5.  For any of the purposes of this act, the
     Department of Welfare may require the superintendent or warden
     of any State institution to furnish inmate labor at such
     institution.
        Section 6.  The sum of one hundred and twenty-five thousand
     dollars ($125,000), or as much thereof as may be necessary, is
     hereby appropriated to the Department of Welfare for the
     purchase of cans, jars, canning and dehydrating supplies and
     equipment, the purchase of supplies and equipment for
     constructing storage facilities, the construction and
     installation of dehydrating and storage facilities, the
     construction and equipment of a building to house such
     dehydrating plant, the payment of labor costs and the purchase
     of foodstuffs, under the provisions of this act, in addition
     thereto, the amounts made available under the provisions of
     section three by credit to this appropriation are hereby
     appropriated for the same purposes.