The San Francisco call., 1896-01-12

pay the cost Of their own maintenance by their
labor and thus tighten the burden of taxpayers.
As to the second, am inclined to believe that
conYictS can be made to maintain themselves
without injury to the honest labor of the State
The question is, How can it be done?
Take, if yon please, vehicles. One has only to
look over the Stase and he will farm wagons
which have been manufactured at the Michigan
Sta.e prison ut Jackson, runatout wagons and
carts made at other Eastern prisons, wheels from
the columbus (Ohio) penitentiary and wood
screws and carr.age-bolts produced at the Omen
daga County peutentiary at Syracuse, y. " and
only few months ago aliforna was flooded with
wagon and carriage axles manufactured at the
New YORK state prison at Auburn.
When we consider that California imports 80 per
cent OF all the vehicles purchased from farm
wagon TO n business fine carriage why
could not certain number of convicts be set to
work in this State in such u way as to make good
the cost of their maintenance wi hout competing
with honest labor?
Mr.. Hughson in his letter rather argued that
the convicts could be worked even at 4 profit to
the State, but with that do not agree, because
they could not do so without hurting legiti-
mate labor. However, the letter served Dur-
pose OF some enlightenment, and l at once
sent to every Official labor bureau in the coun-
try Tor data In this was not successful be-
cause the replies l received informed me that
the various State Labor Commissioners were
not in positions 10 obtain for me the facts I de-
sired
That the Eastern labor organizations are
taxing very active interest in the subject was
demonstrated to me in a letter from Chairman
Alex. b. McCulloch of the Richmond WaN Cen
tral Trade and Labor Council.
have managed TO get considerable informe-
tton from unofficial sources though and |
learn that the following articles are largely pro-
duced by convicts:
Iron and steel wagon axles, wagon wheels, car
rage bolts and nuts, clips, stoves, boots, shoes and
clothing, knitted goods, overalIs, blankets woven
woolen goods, foundry work, light carriage hard
ware, castings. names and harness.
Ny correspondents tell me that the method
has been for the contractor to purchase the
convict labor at so much per hour, which has
not proved satisfactory to either side
The capacity of the convict laborer as COM
pared with the labor of tree man is estimated
at two-thirds; therefore the convict who works
at so cents per day cOmpe tes with outside labor
at, say, 70 cents per day.
Thus, even at the very lowest minimum of
wage received by free labor IN comparison, the
showing is conclusive in demonstrating that
the manufacturer employing honest labor is
at great disadvantage, and may ultimately
be driven from business by disastrous compe-
tition.
In his report to the Governor Mr.. Fitz-
gerald included much of his correspond
ence and finally recommended per
son al investigation. His reason for having
one OF his own assistants to accompany
him is that his companion, having already
been schooled in the practical work of
State labor reforms, besides having the
general interests of California at heart,
would be a much more effective aid than
an outsider.