The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-23

"a. #f. - III v.
Nj. CARRoLL D. WRlGnT, chief oil the
Massassachusetts Bureau Of Statistics, fur
nisheS some figures in his report, jnstpub'
lished on the subject Of convict labor,
which furnish some means OF arriving at
aGoncIusion as to the effect OF prisonlabo
N outside industries.
Mr.. Wright has gathered his informa-
ton from all the States and Territories OF
the Union and classified it in tables show
ing thcindustrics in which convicts are
employed, and comparing the numbers 90
employed with the number tout Of jail
engaged in the same occupations. He
inds that there arc 1870 penal institutions
in the country, The inmates OF which are
kent more or less at work. The whole
number of inmates Of these institutions is
~, 789, and the number employed in labor
OF one kludor another, 4O,l29. OF the lat
ter, 1880 are engaged in duties connected
with the prisonsthemselves, leaving 35,l92
10 compete in general industries with the
whole force OF tho 'free labor OF the
country. OF this last number, 1854 are
employed ut "skilled" work, that is in
mechanical trades and various kinds Of
manufacture, and / 1905 at "~unskilled''
work, on firms and plantations, in quar-
ries and mines. on roads and levees, &c.
The number OF conyicts set down rs farm
ers aud lab6rers is l0,GO7. Neither this
report nor The United States census fur
nishes information as to the number Of
psetsons in the country with whom they
are competing, but it is obviously SO large
Z that TIE competition is wholly insignif-
cant in It's effect upon the wages or oppor-
~tunities Tor work Of the great mass Of
laborers. The department of manufac-
lures in which the largest amount Of
prison labor is employed is that OF boot
and shoe making. Convict Crispins are ct
work in the penal institutions Of 20
States, and the total number employed
is $751;. The whole number OF persons
engaged in the same industry In these
States Is l29, 1889, and in the United States,
ilS5,8S9. Thus less than 5 per cent OF the
boot and shoe making OF the country Is
d6nei Id prison. In certain States, how
ever, the proportion is much greater. In
New York, for instance, where 1t is Q
prominent industry in the prisons, and
not appointment one outside, it is some.
thing over 10 per cent. Next in promin-
ence is the manufacture Of iron goods,
which Is carried on the prisons OF IA
States, and employs 1854 persons. But
the whole number engaged in this in
,dustry in the country is lS7, 545, so that
little more than % per cent Of our iron.
workers are toiling In prison-shops. In II
States there are 1854 Convicts en-
ployed in iurniture-making, and this
number Ia about s per cent. OF the whole
number set down to this employment;
2,,2B2 make clothing in eighteen different
States; the whole number Of clothing
makers In tho country being 1880, or
about fifty times as many; l,6SI In sixteen
States are workers in stone, and consti-
tute nearly 8 per cent. Of the stone.work-
ing force. Other prominent prison indns-
tries are carriage making, the manufac-
tfie OF brooms, brushes, wooden ware,
hats, leather goods, and cigars and tobac-
co. The ratio to outside workers varies
from attraction Of per cent. to about 10
RI per cent, but in general, the variation Is
betWeen'2 and Q per cent.