The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1893-03-11
IMPROVE THE ROADS.
Hints for the ment of Prison La
boz "a Our


Hints for the HmpIoyment of Prison La
boz O0 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 in its
discussion we are often confronted by
another-to wit, What is the best way
to utilize our prison labor
A plan Is here suggested for the solu-
ton of this second question and for the
material advancement of the work con-
templated by the first. Most 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. l refer to
the broken or crushed stone commonly
employed in making telford and mac
adam roadways. Assuming now that
many OF u prisons are SO situated as
to be within accessible distance of good
stone quarries (Which is in fact the
CASEY, how can we employ our prison Ia
Dor in the making and distribution of
this road material so as to distribute the
benefits equitably among the districts
near and remote? OF course a suitable
plant for the economical production of
good broken stone and it's assortment
into different sizes should he erected at
the expense of the state, and good rail-
way connection, together with a proper
equipment of freight cars, must be pro-
vided to handle and deliver the material
as fast as needed.
This being done, the question of dis
trlbution is next in order. The material
having been produced at the expense of
the state at large, an expense of which
each town, near or remote, share its bur-
den according to the value of its proper
ty, it is manifestly proper that each
town should receive the road material
produced by prison labor at a cost
equal, as nearly as possible, to that paid
by other towns for similar benefits. For
example, Montauk is $50 miles from
Sing Sing prison, while the town of Sing
Sing is, say, n mile, and if the cost of
transportation by rail should amount to
n 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, it would be manifestly unfair
to charge the Montauk s.. so
per ton for material delivered at Mon
tauk, while the same material could be
delivered at Sing Sing for less than half
that sum.
Ii, however, a uniform price of seven
ty-five cents per ton could he added to
the cost OF production Zone dollar), THUS
requiring these two towns each to pay
not the actual but the average cost of
material as delivered at both places, a
principle of equity would be followed in
which the benefits and burdens would
be justly bestowed and general s~atisfac-
ton insured. In a similar way inter-
mediate places could be served, and the
price made the same to all localities. l
have used the illustration as an illustra-
ton 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 this material to in
all parts of the state.
Besides the enormous advantages
which the operation of this system would
bring to the many towns that are now
demanding improved roads, it would Of
fer unquestioned advantages in the set
Element of the prison labor question and
operate strongly to the industrial benefit
OF the %convicts employed. The variety
OF workmanship required to produce
good road material would call into &C.
tivity the trained and skilled convicts,
and others would be educated to the ac-
c~omplishment of work of which they
have heretofore had little or no knowl-
edge. This work would include the
q%uarrying of stone, the care, manage
ment and erection of machinery, the
making and repairing of cars, tools, etc.,
and the performance of other labor
which has no relation to the employ
ment of free citizens.
In view of the lively interest now
shown in the general movement for
good roads, it is in no way likely that
II prison labor would be able to sup
ply a quantity of broken stone which
should exceed the demand, while from
a business point of view the profitable
employment of this labor by the state
would no only tend to largely wipe out
the deficiency annually shown in our
prison accounts, but a plan would be in
sured by which every town in line Of
railroad or canal communication would
an excellent quality of road ma
terial at a less price thaneit could be OBJ
tanned in the general market. and with
out investing in the purchase of expen-
sive stone breakers and similar imple-
ments.
Any method that can be put into prac-
tice by which our criminals may be
usefuliy employed has a tendency to
serve the community at large, and this
is especially true if the method has the
additional merit of teaching industry.
manual skill and public economy. If it
were also provided that each discharged
convict should, as Il reward for good
conduct and industry, receive some sub
stantial compensation to enable him to
make a new start in life, there is little
doubt that society would be benefited
both financially and morally.
The Road Movement Popular.