Milford chronicle., 1895-02-15
stare workhouae Needea.

STATE Workhouse Needed.
On April 2O.ls9s. the General As
sembly passed an act "to perma
nently improve the condition of Ger
tain public roads in New Castl,
county" This act provided for tn,
purchase, by the Levy Court of thi'
county. within two years after tn,
passage of the act, OF a quarry con
tanning stone of character suitabl,
for being broken into macadam." !" tc
be used upon the roads of the county
1t was also provided that ther,
should be erected adjacent to the
quarry a workhouse, the cost ot
which was not to exceed twent,
thousand dollars, in which were to be
confined prisoners convicted in the
county courts, who were to be EN-
ployed in breaking the stone. The
act also specified how the quarry and
workhouse were to be conducted and
how the crushed stone turned out
was to be used.
Recently the Levy Court, in pur-
suance Of this act. decided to pur-
chase a stone quarry for twelve
thousand doll rs, but the consumma-
tion of the purchase was pastponed
at the request of Chief Justice Lore
and Judge Ball This request was
made in order to give the General
Assembly time to consider the bill
now beforet hat body which provides
for the building of a state work
house. II was deemed unwise to
proceed with the county workhouse
in view of the efforts now being
made to establish the state institu-
ton A bill 70 repeal the act of 1898
has been introduced but it is not ex-
pected that it will be passed until
the question of the state institution
is disposed of. One feature of the
act of 1898 should be repealed or
amended if the act is permitted to
stand, and that is in relation to the
superintendent of the wOrkhOuse.
Section provides that the superin-
tendent shall be chosen for a term of
two wears and that his salary shall
not be more than six hundred dol
laas a year. He would, however, he
required to give bond for ten thOus.
and dollars to ensure a faithful per
formance Of his duties. The bond is
out of all proportion to the salary,
which is entirely too small, if it was
designed to procure a competent
man for the work
As a result of conference between
mem bers of the Levy Court and the
State Senate on Monday action upon
the repeating act was postponed until !
March IS. If the bill providing for
a state workhouse is not passed the |
act of 1893 will be permitted to |
stand 1t would be wiser, and OIL
more lasting advantage to the state
at large, to provide for the erection
Of state workhOuse. The state is
fully able to provide the necessary
money and some new system of treat
ing all prisoners is needed. New
Castle county cannot well afford to
spend twenty-five or thirty thousand
dollars at this time, although it
would be benefited in the improve
nent of the county roads. A state
could be provided, so as
o include the quarry arrangement.
md the county could pay for the
tone used upon the roads. The pro-
)osed state WOrkhOuse would meet
he necessities Of the times in more
comprehensive manner than the
Ounty institution, ana the county {
yould be relieved of the additional {
ebt. By bringing all the prisoners a
{ the three counties under one roof r
nd under one management there z
-Ould be a general improvement in Il
he treatment OF the states wards. S
t Is folly to continue any longer the S
ystem of idleness which now pre- n
ails in the county prisons. e,
The General Assembly should NJ
i've this subject its careful atten- it
on and thoughtful consideration. OF
Te believe that the investment of
oney in a general wOrkhouse tor "a
Ie whole state will pay to the end. r
he institution might, under proper f,
anagement, be made self-support- II,
9 through the per capita payments he
Z the three counties and by the sale g.
goods turned out by the prison -
S. There is no reason whatever ~
ny the taxpayers should be called ~ ~
ION to support the inmates Of the ~
isons. The latter should be made au
earn at least enough to support su
emselves thus lessening the burden oW
taxation now made necessary to
pport them in idleness. The iails Ie
New Castle, Dover and George "r
wa are miserable affairs at the best. go
the county of New Castle will Fo
compelled, within a few years, to tor
lid a new structure in order to the
ct the increasing demands upon bes
old building, which has seen its tina
it days. hin
It is the duty of the state to do bill
The erection of the liey
Inty workhouse would be but a the
liminary step at best, and within any
w years there would have to be ooI.
,ther expenditure of money to tor
Ter improve the New Castle Jail
to erect a new building. The NJ
per solution Of the problem is Was
passage of an act providing for proc
e workhouse with a quarry at relic
led.-Morning Nel0s. as c
has
succ
Dor Outlook for Sha.d Ffshiro, ford