Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-11-08

ports-Is American Labor Really
Apathetic?-lmposs to Com
pete With Present Prison Prices.
The subject Of foreign prison made
goods was again debated in the Brit.
ish House of Parliament in August.
Mr.. Lowles, NJ. p, said
The question of the importation Of
foreign prison made goods had stirred
the working classes of London, who
were looking to the present Govern
ment to do something to stop this ter
rible evil"
Mr.. Chamberlain, criticising the
action OF the late Government in the
premises, said:
"The late Government had five
months in which to deal with tho
question, and in the course of that
time did nothing. The present Gov
ernment had already communicated
with foreign Governments tor the pur-
pose of securing their willing assent
to stopping this importation which
was injurious to British trade. That
was the first prescription. The
pledge which his right honorable
friend (Mr. Ritchie) had given to his
constituents was pledge which they
considered in their private capacity
they gave, and which they were pre-
pared to carry out now they were in
office. It would be most improper
seeing that they had made these
friendly representations to foreign
Powers to indicate what their second
prescription would be if their friendly
representations failed. They knew.
however, what steps they would take"
The suggestion here naturally arises
as to what steps the United States
Government has taken to prevent the
importation of similar goods into this
country and what, if any, representa-
tions have been made TO foreign Gov.
ernments. Mr.. Lougb, NJ. p, said:
"It was notorious that carpets were
made in Indian prisons and sent to
foreign countries"
We learn that our Department OF
State has received. through the Con.
sular service, some very interesting
information regarding prison made
goods and prison labor in Germany.
These advices state:
'The competition of convict labor
with free labor seems to be growing
in this country, If the reports of a
number of chambers of commerce and
trade guilds are reliable, which un.
doubtedly they are. The resolutions
and petitions of these bodies condemn
this competition in the strongest
terms and even those who view this
question impartially 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 instance, 60 pfennings, OF IA
cents, are paid for making pair of
pants, aud marks and 60 pfenniss,
or 81. .09i, for whole suit of clothes.
Then, too. in many prisons such ma
chimes are put up which permit the
production of certain articles on q
large scale, thus flooding the market
with convict made goods, as the re-
port of Chamber of Commerce in
Thuringia puts it. Machines OF this
character are chiefly those used for
the manufacture of knitted goods In
fact, hosiery OF all kinds is made in
quite a number OF prisons, viz:
Halle aud Delitzsch, both in the Prov.
ince of Saxony, and Grunhain, Zwick-
au, WAldheim and Hoheneck, in the
Kingdom of Saxony. There are others,
as appears from reports before me,
the names OF which, however, I have
not yet been able to ascertain. The
prison at Zwickau operates fifteen
knitting machines, that ct Waldheim
eighty seven and that at Hoheneck
twenty-five. It is said that some OF
the largest firms in this branch OF in
dustry employ convict labor.
ssThe chief markets for the prison
made hosiery are. according to a
statement obtained from an off1cial