The evening times., 1895-09-17
DRIVES OUT FREE LABOR
Convict Production ln Germany Is On The
Increase.
Protests Seem to Be UnavallIng and
Great Quantities Of Cheap Goods
Are Manufactured for Export.

Consular advices received at the Depart
ment of State give some interesting sta
tistics relative to prison-made goods and
prison labor in Germany The latest ad-
vices state:
"The competition of convict labor with
free labor seems to he growing in this coun-
try, IL the reports of a number OF chambers
which undoubtedly they are. The resulu-
tions and petitions OF these bodies con-
denim this competition in the strongest
terms. And even those who view this
question inipartially, admit the ruin this
competition works on the trade
THE cheapness with which goods are
manufactured In the prisons can NO longer
be met, it is claimed, by free labor In
the prison at Erlangen, Bavaria, for in
stance, sixty pfennigs, or fourteen cents,
are paid for making a pair of pants, and
four marks and sixty pfennigs, or 81 .09 1-2,
for whole suit of clothes
Then, too, in many prisonssuch ma chimes
are put up which permits the production of
certain articles on a large scale. thus
flooding the ma rket with convict goods
as the report OF the chamber of commerce in
Thuringia puts it. Machines of this char
acter are chiefly those used for the manu-
facture of knitted goods. In fact, hosiery
of all kinds Ire made In quite a number of
prisons, viz: Halle, Delitzsch, both in the
province of saxony; Grunhain, Zwickau,
Waldheim, Hohcneck, in the kingdom OF
Saxony.
There are others, as appears from re-
ports before ME, the names of which, how
ever, / have not yet been able To ascer-
tain The prison at Zwickau operates
fifteen knitting machines: that at Wald-
helm eighty seven, and that at Hoheneck
twenty-five. II is said that some Of the
largest firms in this branch of industry
employ convict labor
THE chief markets for the prison-made
hosiery are, according 10 a statement OBJ
tained from an official source, Turkey,
Brazil and the Argentine Republic, for goods
from the Zw;csau prison; Germany and Eng
land for goods from the prisons at WaIdheim
and Hoheneck.
1T will be observed that the United States
are not mentioned as market for these
goods. But it seems strange that the latter
should go 10 every other country on the
globe except the United States, whereas
this country is the chief market for Saxon
hosiery.
The manufacture of baskets and basket
ware is another very extended prison IL
dustry in Germany. The prison at Bruchsal.
Baden, works up annually not less than 200
tons of willows. The prisons at Munster
and Hamm, in Westphalia, are formidable
in this industry with free labor,
and are noted for the excellency OF their
work and for their large assortments
Free labor can no longer compete. it is
asserted, with these prisons The United
German Basket makers at their last session
five weeks ago resolved therefore to address
a formal protest against this competition
10 the Government
Judging from the fact that the motion
for this protest was made by the Basket
makers Guild, at Hamburg. it seems that |
there the competition is felt most keenly. |
And, in fact, Hamburg is the great |
center for this industry. Here all the |
prison-rnade baskets are brought together; |
from here they go with free labor baskets |
abroad. principally to the United s ties |
anu EHSianu- lne total amount. IN 1893, |
Of all the baskets and basketware sent to |
the United States. was, according to !
German statistics, S132.SOO. just how
many OF these goods are couvict-made. is |
lfficult to ascertain; but have no doubt |
that an approximate figure could be ar
rived at and the shipment of these and
Dther convict-made goods checked. il a
thorough and systematic investiga tion
were made.
"A cooperation with those complaining
Of prison competition will be found help
'ul in this work. With their aid. it seems
% me, it ought to be possible to obtain
pretty good Observation-Disclosures show
ng that we are getting more than only
mats, brushes, dolls, and buttons;' but
llso baskets, basketwarc. hosiery of all
Kinds, artificial flowers, read y-made
etc.
But besides the best efforts of q
consular officer. such an investigation will
equire an outlay larger than the consul
an be expected to make from his own
rocket"