New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-14
TO KEEP CONVICTS BUSY.
HOW THE PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED
AFTER JANUARY l.
THE MEN AT CLINTON WILL HAVE BUILDING
TO DO. AND THOSE AT ELMIRA. SING SING
AND AUBURN WILL. MAKE SUPPLIES

A.
AND AUBURN WILL MAKE SUPPLIES
FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
Albany, Nov. 13.-The State Prison Commission
has received word from Superintendent Brockway
Of the State Reformatcry at Elnira. that under the
new constitutional provision going into effect
January l. which prohibits prison labor from coming
into competition with outside labor. he can keep
the inmates of the institution fully employed within
the provisions OF the Constitution. This lessons b.
Coz the number Of prisoners for whom work must
be provided by the Commission after January /.
There 1900 prisoners in Emira Reforma tory,
but half Of them already employed on work for
the institution.
Many persons interested in solving the prison
labor problem in pursuance of the provisions Of
the new Constitution have an impression that
work VIII have to be provided for several thousand
prisoners. The State Prison Commission finds that
this is not 1t has been learned that work will
have to be provided for only 1850 prisoners. and
they all in the TIN ee State prisons. There are
now employed on productive Industries 100 in Sing
Sing Prison. 700 In Auburn. and 400 in Clinton
Prison. The total population OF the three state
prisons is about 800 and the remaining prisoners
now employed In working about the institutions
and In various other ways. that they do not now
compete with outside labor
Warden Thayer. of Clinton Prison. says that
after January the 400 prisoners now employed on
productive industries be used in erecting the
prison for insane criminals at Dannemora lie
estimates that II will take year or two TO fnish
this institution. and says that the prisoners can
work the buildings in the open season and IN the
winter months cut stone. All that remains ls Tor
the Commission to provide work Tor fW prisoners
in Auburn and 700 in Sing Sing II Is proposed 10
keep them busy In manufacturing clothing. baskets.
brOoms. brushes. tnware furniture spreads. bian-
kets. towels and napkins IL, addition to the 1ore-
going items the Commission is considering whethe.
the prisoners could not engage In putting up earned
goods The State institutions this year used over
106. 900 cans and cases of these goods. ~.
Thasa N
prisoners for the thousands of inmates In the fol-
lowing State institutions: The Buffalo, bingham
ton. Middletown Poughkeepse. Ogdensburg. l tlca.
willard Rochester Long Island and Manhattan
State Hospitals the Hous. of Refuge Tor women
at Hudson. the Western House OF Refuge Tor
Women at Albion. the State Industrial Scnooi u,
Rochester, the Rome Stat. Custodial Asylum al
Rome. the Craig Colony at Sonyea. the Thorlas
Asylum a; Gowanda. the Syracuse lnstNu'e LOT
Feeble Minded Children, the 'ustodiaj Asylum TOT
Feeble Minded Women at Newark. the insutution
for the Blind at Batavia and the SoIdiers anu
Sailors Home AT Bath The Prison CoinmissioneTs
believe that in the three STATE prisons every iapo-
saving device absolutely necessary 10 the quar-
ity of the articles manufactured should he thrown
As a large percentage of the inmates OF tho peni-
tentiares sentenced for short terms the Prison
Commission has directed the Boards or Supef-
yisors make provision for the prisoners IN penn
tentiaries to manufacture supplies for nearby
county institutions after January !.