The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-01
HAS PAID EXPENSES
Penitentiary Made a Profit OF
500, 900 Last Year.
1887 CONVlCTS AT WORK
Fiftv-Four Thousand Dollars
Worth of Cotton on Hand.
BssTHEALTH RECORD SINCE 1870
A Statement of the Operations by De-
tai---Every Department Made
Money Except the Central
Prison in Raleigh.
Prison in Raleigh.

wears and managed until yesterday
TO keep out of the penitentiary, never
having once been within the enclosure
until yesterday morning. 1t is the
biggest building but one that the State
has erected. and every time | pass by
on the train | think that so handsome
and commodiouS structure ought to
be used for better purposes, for so
large a building is not needed for the
$50 men who are confined whiting its
walls. The change of policy, whereby
the COnvictS are made to earn thelr
living on the farms. makes the mann
moth building largely unnecessary.
When it was planned, the convicts
were kept in the penitentiary, and il
the 1921 were now kept within its
walls, its capacity would be taxed.
The Executive Board held meeting
yesterday to receive the annual report
of superintendent Leazar, and to
transact the usual bi-monthly bust
ness This Board is composed oil
Messrs A. y. Young, of Cabarrus; r.
j. Armstrong, of Fender; ID. n. Ben
nett, of Stanly; DR.. l. +. Green, of
Halifax, and w j. White, of Warren.
In addition to the routine business,
the Board has under consideration
various propositions looking u the
establishment of other industries
within the walls of the penitentiary,
so as TO make the Central prison self
supporting as are all the other branch
es of the penitentiary.
There is an air of thrift, economy
and industry about the penitentiary.
1t was never better managed. There is
scruDulous care and rigid economy
coupled with Il system of business
methods that manifest themselves IN
the report No convict is more closely
confined than the superintendent. lie
has a room fitted up just across hs
hall from his office. and sleeps and
eats in prison walls, thus being near
so as 10 give much time at night rs
well as in the day TO the complicated
and difficult undertaking committed
10 him.
''When | first began 10 sleep here,
said Mr.. Leazar, Il must confess that
it did feel somewhat uncanny and
queer. but | became accustomed TO il
and now never feel differently than
when in any other house"
[ took dinner with the Officers
very substantial midday meal-prt-
pared and served by two conyicts, and
enioved it very much, feeling when it
was over somewhat like the darkey
convict who wrote to his brother:
t'Dear Zen: | like this place very much.
The fare is better than | get at home.
You had better come
Few people comprehend how big an
institution the penitentiary is, and
how many men it takes to direct lis
management and prosecute it's varied
operations. There was an average
number of 1927 convicts in 1895, three
more than in 1894, divided as follows:
Central penitentiary .......... $50
Caledonia farm " 529
Northampton farm .......... 10
Halifax farm ...............+.*. l4o
Castle Hayne farm and mine. -
Great Fall canal. ............ 81
Rocky Mount 1.-TWO months) 49,. -
One hundred and fifty men are en-
ployed, the payroll in 1895 being $47,-
27S.4e. There has been a gratifying
reduction in this item of expense, II
being smaller in 1895 than in any year
for ten wears. In 1894 the payroll was
s4s. sol. 76: in 1893, S51, 337.83; in 1891,
SCI, 1886; in 1889, SOC, 0s8.08; in 1888,
sri, 07e. 90.
The tOSI run 1893.
The year 1895 was a prosperous one
for the penitentiary. as is evidenced
by the report made yesterday TO the
Board of Directors by Superintendent
A. Ieazar. The total expense of the
penitentiary for the year aggregated
S1s6, 494.49. including salaries, ex-
penses of Board, and every item of eN-
penditure. Of this amount, the peni-
Tertiary itself raised products, &c, TO
the value of $54, 869.23, and $131 ,625.26
was paid out in cash. The following
statement shows the total receipts and
assets:
Collections from labor and
products ..................S 80 ,uo3.f {
Value from products not
SOLO Ia, 9>o.J0
Increase in live sock. ... 5,294.30
Value of bricks on hand 49,. 7,555.00
Bills receivable Jan. list. 17,123.s2
Cash on hand ...... 6,235.75
Total credits ... $255, 1887
This leaves a surplus, in cash and
products and accounts that can be
turned into cash or used for the sup
port of convicts in 1896, of 500, 225.08.
This consists chiefly of cotton and cot
ton seed valued at $4,000, and $4,000
bushels of corn worth at 40 cents a
bushel, aggregating $4,000. In addi-
ton there is a large quantity Of for
age, brick, collectible bills, etc.
WHY $4,000 WAS TAKEN OFT OF
THE TREASURY.
During the year 1895, supt. Leazar
drew from the State Treasury to pay
expenses for the year 1895 thirty
thousand dollars The whole expense
of the penitentiary for 1895 was $780,
40449. OF that amount the 100000
drawn by Mr.. Leazar came from the
State Treasury.
Il thought the penitentiary was
self-supporting," / said TO Mr.. Leazar
"Why did you draw 100000 from the
State Treasurerf'
1T would appear - he said, from
the $4,000 profits on various opera
tions and only $4,000 losses, that not
all of this $4,000 should have been
used We used the cash in the Treas
ury because our crops were not in