New-York tribune., 1885-03-26
EMPLOYMENT OF CONVICTS.
DISCUSSING THE THREE SYSTEMS.

wrATuREs OF PALMERs BlLLS-oBsECiioNoo of
LABOR REFoRMERs.
(ygoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF The ii"po,'
Albany. March 25.-The professional labor
teforners disclosed to- day in the Assembly tna' y
favor keeping the nvcts idle in the state pri7o anu
nenitentlaries Ostensbly they favor giving lne oon
yIots employment but they have strenuous opJeouon
TO every bill that is framed to accomplish this o'o.
Tho concerning the prisons sprung up over MI
Palmer's bill authorizing the superintendent Oh rron
Introduce the piece price system III lhe o't'o P'
Mr Palmer introduced amendment 10 MS Dill pro'
ing that not than per cent OF the cohVic'
m amvoyed at any one trade. This had for It's op)ect
h raduction of the competition of the conycts WIN
frae laborers The contract labor system WHICH
made the prisons selfsustaning, was aoohsheu ~ Wv
Legislature of 1884, owing to this alleged conpo !:
Walter Howe had two amendments In the lh'ero'' VI
the workingnan. One of these provided that no con
tract for the labor of the conycts under the peoe
nr,ce system shall be for longer term thah three
wears. and the other that these contracts shouo oo
rnbiey advertised before being awarded 10 any con-
tractor -,
Mr. Hooley of Troy, who claims to be the SPOKESMAN
of the worknsman not appeased, however py 'eso
amendments, aud declared that the P'eco
,IrIce system was the contract system In new
form The honest wOrkngmen were to be despoleu Oh
the fruits of their LABOR by convots 100 huen ~ @
ers regarding taxation. 1t had been shown recently
that they only paid one-twelfth OF inc taxes h w. %
AZ womu 9e in dIeness than that they should
pete the least with the honest labor OF Tue Mr. Hoo
leys views Through the overthrow OF the cohtrnce %
SynbIIc account system as its sole resource From
september 80, 1854, to September 80 1870 the % IVo
earnings of the prisons under the pu6ic aocone %
amounted to 473 662 80, while the expenses Oh e
prisons for the period amounted to dS'
leaving deficiency of $9.l 5o Mnle ,I the pre- RS
ons were showing this vast deficiency no peTceppe TO
fomatory influence was going on within wen men 'e a one
tract system established It's superiority was Nv n
shown The deficiency the first year OF thaI s!S%CSn, %
1877, amounted to only ~ afc,i 20 was nnlv
s7soo sS!s as in fs79 $SOs7l 1s in 1880 81 sos6
IN ISL SS4 y $of n 81 sss IN Surplus u't Of
1854 surplus OF $lO,657 81. Bat the Legsiotare OF
his having system. The prisons had again become
burden on the State. Last year they poured INTO te
Sad approprate for support of the prisons
Not satisfied with thshe labor refomers desired 70
an aDor in the state and thus increase Vhe cos
OF their support even beyond the present large oua!
that they required The argument mace tn' de r bc
piece price system not well founded ihero @ @Meie
and 500 The convict labor therefore repre-
sened less than fouTtenhs OF one per cent ol te eo
Ishor of the state or as / is to go.
Mr Haimes of ontario County charged that the labor
reformers were opposed having the eonvics enoyed
at any labor They pretended, he said to favor th OF
idle That the cause of their opposition 10 the pres
Mr. Palmer said that the State would have an excellent
chance learn which of the various systems Oh
he Three systems would soon ne
trial If the present bill became law There were loou
cOnYicts employed under the contract Systeh III
Sing Prison the contracts not yet having eXpred 4Oo
conyics were employed under the state account system
at Clinton Prison; and II was proposed 10 employ
500 conyicts under the "piece price system
at Auburn Prison. He had recently Nsileo olihton h
Prison and had there found the contract system WOh4
we'll There were 400 men employed In making clo hlhg
This was large number but II would not De cohsueIeu
so when the magnitude OF the business was known.
There were 10000 persons engaged in making clothing
i'm The State The 400 convcts therefore, only per
cent of he But there was actually no cOmpe-
titiOp as every clothing made in the prison
sold outside OF State in the south and sGulnWs II
had been found Impossible TO sell the goods IN New l9Lh
The labor refOrmeTs, however, were inpractcaDIe
They did the brains To prepare any sane
for the government of the labor OF te pSons. All to
hills they had prepared or visionary character
AT bottom they did not want the coDyics to DO stroke
of work. -. 4, 80
Mr. ONei pointed out that the labor reformers one
of their schemes adopted. would compel the e&-
penditure of S3, 100000. This Of course, would IN
yOlye a taxation that would have 10 be borne Dy 'he
laborlng classes New York would pay over thrd OF
this amount. 80, 49,. -
AT the close OF Mr. ONeis speech further debate OH
the hill yyns nnsinnned TIL to-nOrIOW.