Telegram-herald., 1891-04-21
ERRORS CORRECTED
Multitudes of Misstatemsnts About
Prison Earnings
SHOWs Up IN THEIR PROPER LIGHT
kxWaraen Watkias Writes . Letter an
Dcfssse of the ionia frssss MAJ
ASsmeat and the Employ
aeat of tSasicts.


mort SUI prise Tic p9ti4sHcu eteSNAss-
letters and lnieryless-ln the Grand
Rapids pa pers. relative 10 the furniture
industry at the State House of Correc-
ton at Ionla.
l have heretofore had no intention Of
taking part in this discussion. But 80
many errors of fact have been pao-
llshed and reiterated that write an the
interest of truth, believing that no
cause is made stronger by mlsrepre-
sentation, he that cause ever SO nler-
itorlous-
The statement has been repeatedly
published that IL Was proposed 10 make
the prison factory the largest al the
world, ana that the list of machinery 10
be purchased with the appropriation
would be sufficient 10 furnish employ
ment 10 from seven 10 nine hundred
men. When 10 Is known that the aver
age of the entire prison population at
the State House OF Correction for the
last two years WAS 377s, and tor the
preceding biennial period i0i. and that
an average of l25 are required 70 DO the
ordinary work about the prison, the
absurdity OF the statement viii be seen.
There Is also IN the institution knit
ting factory. IN which fifty men may be
worked 10 advantage. During the last
year an average of nlnsty-three men
have worked IN the furniture factory,
exclusive of the finishers. This num-
Der includes the team sters, lumber
pliers and iaborers of every class. AT
finishing, which IS not done by the
State, an average of twenty-five men
have been employed on per diem of
90 cents u day mot 80 cents, as stated.
The finishing is done by the company
that sell the goods. This makes us
men all told, and the proposition is 10
about double the number by using the
men who have been heretofore CON
tracted To the cigar company, which Is
now ended by expiration OF time.
Percentage of Prison Labor.
The largest possible number 10 be en-
ployed at furniture making would be
236-which ! am told is about , per
cent of the entire force employed at
furniture making IN the State of Michi-
gan. The query arises: Can TINS be
ruinous competition TO the great furni-
ture traffic IN the city OF Grand Rap
IDS?
The report of Mr.. Wright, labor CON-
missioner of the United States, says
that the entire prison labor of the coun-
try is less than one per cent OF the tree
labor.
In the Democrat of Saturday Hon.
NJ. G. Burch is made to say, There ~
now s. 900 or $1,000 worth Of spoiled
lumber at the Ionia prison, caused by
men incompetent to.handie IT." pur-
chased nearly all the lumber now on
hand at the Iona prison-all that was
on hand the middle of February. and
IT was cut under the supervision of
Henry Bradfield, and under his direc-
ton macbined and put up. The state
ment is unworthy of the Judge, and ut
terly untrue. In the same paper Mr..
Waters, ex-warden, is reported as say
ing that letters were frequently re-
ceived from ex-prIsoners asking TO be
received back into prison." TINS is
stated, | presume, 10 indicate that prls-
oners are treated too well, and wish TO
make the prison their permanent home
rs result.
In eight years experience as warden.
/ have known of but one case Of the
kind, and am assured tbey are extreme
ly rare. But the law calls the prlson IN
question "House of Correction and
Rcformatory,' and requires the man
agcment TO utilize all proper means for
the reformation of the inmates. IL
sends only the young or first offenders
to It's portals. requires school 10 bs
maintained, chapel service, etc. Doubt
less some would be better OF II they
could remain permanently.
The Prison Books Properly Kept
believe a fair percentage OF the men
sent to the Iona prison are reformed,
largely by being steadily employed at a
trade they may follow when they be-
come free. One man says: "Couvicts
should do oil the work bv hand, with
out machinery, if the object i TO teach
them the trade" But everybody knows
that furniture is not made by hand.
Hand made furniture could not be cold
IN the general market. nor would there
be call for that kind OF labor when
the convict became free.
prominent Grand Rapids man saws
IN the same paper. "the books st Ionia
don't show anything about the work
ings of the factory" The fact ~, the
books show all about it. every item Of
expense and every dave labor per-
formed, and the monthly output I
question II the books IN any factory IN
Grand Rapids are kept more uniformly
or accurately. The warden and clerk
are both responsible under their bonds,
that tins be done.
George w. Gay says: "The contract.
ors WHO got the Ions furniture had
only about 5000 capital stock" The
same paper makes Sen. Beers say that
the factory ut Ionia made about sfs 600
worth of furniture month" Instead
of that large amount the monthly out
put docs not average $1,000. For the
last year the entire gross output
by the state was S43.7 37.4Z.
and fof.the previous year $50 ,5ea.75.
VIII that amount OF prison
made goods fsbsnkrup, the furniture
interests OF Grand Rapids Another
thing. the state sells no furniture IN
the general Market" The goods are
sold IN the white, 10 furniture COM
psny st the highest prices obtsinshie.
which company. naturally. sells NJ the
highest prl,e il can get 10 the market.
aud probably 30 not sell much, II any,
lover. than other dealers sell the same
ciass nf gsods. Whether 4 may be
wise of not. % make the appropriation
asked IS the :. n ef g. = question
for the Legislature - determine. Bot
lei the people knv the facts n TIE
case. , {. NArKfss.