Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-01-05
lMpsovE THE ROADS.
Hints for the Employment of Prison Ia
Dor on Our Highways.

Dor on Our highways.
, The following article, written by James
b. Brewster. of New York, for Good
Roads, gives some good suggestions for
the use Of convict labor. One Of the
great questions of the present day is how
to improve our public roads, and iii its
discussion we are often confronted by
another-to wit, What is the best way
to utilize our prison labor?
plan is here suggested for the solu-
ton of this second question end for the
material advancement of the work con-
templated by the first. Met country
roads and many city and village streets
may be largely improved by the use of
a material produced by the employment
of unskilled manual labor. | refer TO
the broken or crushed stone commonly
employed III making telford and mae
adam roadways. Assuming now that
many Of onr prisons are SO situated as
to be within accessible distance Of good
stone quarries (Which is III fact the
I case), how ran we employ our rrison Ia
! Dor III the making and distribution of
1 this road material so as to distribute the
4 benefits equitably among the districts
near and remote? OF course . suitable
plant for the economical production Of
good broken stone and its assortment
into different sizes should be erected at
the expense of the state, and good rail
way connection, together with a proper
equipment Of freight cars. must be pro-
yided to handle and deliver the material
as fast as needed.
This being done. the question of dis
tribution is next III order The material
having been produced at the expense Of
the state al large, an expense of which
each town, near or remote. share its bur
den according to the value Of its proper
~, it is manifestly proper that each
town should receive the road material
produced by prison labor at cost
equal, as nearly as possible, to that pail
by other 0y To-. similar benefits. For
example. Noltauls IS $50 miles from
Sing Sing prison. while the town 81 Siug
Sing is. say. one mile. and if the cost Of
transportation By rail should amount to
one cent per ton per mile. and the cost
of production Of road material at the /
prison should be found to be one dollar |
per ton, il would be manifestly unfair 1
to charge the Montauk consumers S2.5e |
per ton for material delivered at Mon |
tank, while the same material could lie
delivered at Sing Sing for less than half /
that sum.
If. however, a uniform price of severn
ty-five cents per ton could he added 10
the cost Of production zone dollar, thus
requiring these two towns each 10 pay
not the actual but the average cos, Of
material as delivered at both places,
principle Of equity would be followed in
which the benefits aud burdens would
be justly bestowed and general satisfac-
ton insured In similar way iater-
mediate places could be served, and tie
price made the same to all localities.
have used the illustration as am illustIa-
tion merely. The perfection of the gen
eral plan of course involves extended
and careful computation. So that an
average might be determined which
should be Observed in fixing a uniform
price for tins material 10 consumer III
all parts Of the state,
Besides the enormous advantages
which the operation ofthis system would
bring to the many towns that are now
demanding improved roads. it would Of
Ter unquestiOned advantages IN The set
Element of the prison labor qHts iia ana
operate strongly to the industrial hancat
Df the convicts employed. The variety
IF workmanship required 10 produce
FOOD road material would cali iato nc.
ivity the trained and skilled conricts.
and others would be educated to the ac-. ,
of work oi which they ]
lave heretofore had little or no knowl !
,dge. This work would include the
luarrying of stone, the care. manag
nent and erection Of machinery. the
making and repairing of cars, tools. etc.
md the performance Of other labor ,
which has no relation to the employ
nent of free citizens
In view of the lively interest now e
hown i'll the general movement for
rood roads, 1t Is i'll no way likely that
'nr prison labor would be able To sup
by quantity of broken stone which
hould exceed the demand, while from
1
employment Of this labor by the state
would not only tend to largely wipe out
he deficiency annually shown in orr
'rison accounts, but plan would be ia.
ured 10y which every town in line of
abroad or canal communication would
ecure an excellent quality of road ma
erial at Il less price than it could he Oh
aimed in the general market. and with "
ut investing in the purchase Of expen a
i've stone breakers and similar imple- n,
nents.
Any method that can be- put into prac-
ice by which onr criminals NAV Ice
lsefully employed has tendency 10
erve the community at large. aud lhi, n
! especially true If the method has the :,
dditional merit of teaching Industry,
manual skill and public economy If ii