New-York tribune., 1895-12-28
A WAY TO WORK CONNlCTS.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STATE
PRISON COMMISSION.
:r ADVISES THE LEGISLATURE TO HAVE PRISON
Frs ENGAGED IN MAKING SUPPLIES
FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND

FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND
IN oADBUILDING
Albany. Dec. 1.-THE State Commission Of Prls-
ons has agreed upon It's first annual report 10 'ie
Legislature IT will be an important document as
+, recommends a system for the employment o. tne
ronvcts consistent with the provisions OF the ne
vised Constitution. which provides that the co'-
vcts shall be kept employed bat that after J'u'i|
1857 :Aer labor or the product OF 1t shaii not "e
f,rned or contracted out or sold or given 10 any
nerson or CORPORATION. except that their lapor NAV
no for the safe or It's political divisions. or me
nrodlIct of Il may be disposed Of to the puDlc IN
s,itutions OF the State or iis political uNs'o"s
Through some inaiNerterce. no appropriation WAS
made TO pay the expenses OF the COMMISSIONER
but the report shows that they have proceeded JUS.
tbe same in view OF the eXiGenc!es o. the case anu
have visited and inspected PRISONS reformatories pen
itentares and jai and have called for and OBTAINED
the statistics required They have called before mem
all prison. pcnentiary and re.ormdtory oin@aF
representatives of manufacturing AND labor interests
anl persons specially informed as to prison matters
and have listened 10 their views and interrosaied
them.
The report reviews the operations OF the present
law under which labor has been contracted out on
the piece price" plan. or by manufacturing 10 some
extent on State account for sac N the open Hd.he"
If shows that the unfair competition caused D. the
CONTRACTING out of labor has disturbed the marhe''
injured some industries and driven others out en-
trelv harming both manufacturers and iaborers'
while the State has been the loser. as the amount
received hardly covered the expenses OF Keeping
buildings and machinery in repair
The Commission called for estimates from all pub
lie institutions of the supplies purchased by them
annually OF such articles can be manufactured
In the prisons and Il finds that IL Is practicable 10
have such estimates each year. and upon them pase
distribution Of the labor os filing the or1efs among
the several penal institutions All OF the labor OF
The convicts in the Blackwers Island Penitentiary
ls devoted to the use Of the public Institutions OF
New-York city alone. and cannot half supply them'
and the city gets the full value Of the labor OF its
convicts with all the profile on IT, instead OF con-
tracing il out and then buying ma teral at highe:
prices for the use OF its institutions. Sone-cut;irS
can be done in the prisons. and also Woodworking,
ironworklng and the manufacture Of furniture, cloth
ing shoes and many other articles. all OF when
would furnish useful trades to the convlcts.
There arc about $1,000 people n the various public
institutions of the state, in hundreds OF buildings,
all requiring supplies of clothing and furniture ana
improvements every year. The manufacturing ana
labor interests are willing to foreso the profits
tbev get from the sale of their products to public
institutions rather than have the market disturbed
by the competition OF contracted-out labor or OF
manufa curing ana selling at reduced prices.
The state also has several thousand acres OF iihl
near Clinton Prison, and by making that prison
place Of confinement for those afflicted Win pii-
n6narv diseases they be benefited 5y prohtaDe .
outdoor work and the other prisons renewed OF te
conf tagiOn , ..,o
The Commission recommends n general revision
of The Prison law to bring it in accord with the
Constitution the employment or conVicts, 10
forbid any institutions taking conVc,s from WITH
out the State and prevent the pcnitenGar.es TAX
ing feons and keeping them with persons accused
of mjsemean0rs. It also calls attention 10 the iact
that convcts have been worked on the roads III
this and other States with marked success, no
chains being required ana 10 more guards being
necessary than for the same men in tne prisons.
those conyicts VINO are the last year OF their
terms usually being selected for highway labor
1t recommends further trial, and that the counn- n
ties nave power to utilize their shor-term convicis
the roads. /. ...,,, t, ,
an Improvement to have one place separate from
the prisons where executions should 'aAe Pdce'