402 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 213

be feasible, except that no additional equipment for industries
now in operation in the producing institutions other than
necessary replacements shall be installed in said producing
institutions for manufacture of any products which said pro-
ducing institutions are equipped to produce on the date on
which this Act shall become effective; all of said Consuming
Institutions are hereby required to purchase their require-
ments of the same from the Board of Welfare exclusively
except products such as the Board of Welfare shall in writing
notify the State Purchasing Bureau cannot be furnished by
the penal or reformatory institutions of the State, or such as
their perishable nature may render impracticable for such in-
stitutions to furnish; provided, however, that this require-
ment to purchase their said needs of the Board of Welfare
shall not apply to any State-aided, managed or controlled pub-
lic or semi-public institution which does not receive at least
fifty per cent of the funds for its upkeep (exclusive of receipts
from its patrons) from the State of Maryland and/or some
political sub-division or sub-divisions thereof. It shall be the
duty of such Board of Welfare in the exercise of the powers
hereinbefore contained to diversify its industries in such a
manner as to not work a hardship on any one particular free
industry.

(4) The Board of Welfare is hereby authorized and empow-
ered to publish and distribute to the State Purchasing Bureau
a schedule of prices for the purchase of all such products, pro-
vided that such prices shall not exceed the wholesale market
(or equivalent) rates for similar products manufactured, pro-
duced, or mined elsewhere in the State of Maryland. The
Board of Welfare is also authorized and empowered to con-
sult and cooperate with the State Purchasing Bureau and the
representatives of such consuming institutions, in establish-
ing certain standards of production, and shall with such Bu-
reau and representatives determine the style, design and qual-
ity of the products of the producing institutions. Any differ-
ence of opinion on prices, standards, styles, design, and quality
of such product or products which may arise between the
Board and a representative of such Purchasing Bureau or of
any particular consuming institution, agency or sub-division
of the State shall be forthwith submitted for immediate arbi-
tration to a representative of the Board, a representative of
the Purchasing Bureau and a representative of the State
Comptroller or to a representative of the Board, of the par-
ticular consuming institution or agency or sub-division and
of the State Comptroller as the case may be, whose joint de-
termination shall be final and conclusive.

(5) The said Board shall have power and authority: (a) To
place prisoners at labor upon State works whenever in the