The record-union., 1897-01-26
COMMITTEE WORK
Of Importance in Senate
and Assembly.
ROcECruSling Plant a Subject
Of Debate.
The Attaches Affair to be PrObed to
the Bottom.
For Consolidation Of the PrEOns-MeaSureS
For Consolidation Of the PriSOns-MeaSureS
Of Merit and Otherwise introduced
i'm the House.

The Senate devoted its session mainly
to the introduction of bills and second
and third readings yesterday. Only
twenty seven bills were introduced, a
large proportion of them being educa-
tional.
Leavitt's Assembly bill apprOpriating
$4,000 as a deficiency for the State
Printing Office provoked considerable
discussion, hinging mainly upon the
point Of how much discretion was
lodged in the hands of the State Print
er in the curtailing of the printing Of
voluminous reports of the various State
officers and commissions. The original
amount asked for in the bill was So
600, but it had been cut down in the
Assembly to $4,000. The Senate
finally amended it by raising the ap-
it viii go back to the Assembly in that
shape. VOORHEES, explained that, al
Though it was called a deficiency bill,
there was no deficiency at present, but
would be before the session was
through.
The proceedings were not enlivened
by anything except a brief tilt between
Senators Bulla and Wilmington on the
question of allowing only Senators and
officers of the Senate to procure bills
and other documents from the Ser
geant-at-Arms. which ended by allow
ing newspaper reporters to be supplied
with two copies each.
The Senate adjourned early, as many
of the committees had work in hand
which they Were anxious to get at.
A joint resolution was adopted, ask
ing the Senators and Representative in
Congress to endeavor to get tariff of
2112 cents a pound on fresh table grapes.
ROCK-CRUSHING PLANT.
In the Senate Committee on Prisons,
the bill to provide for and govern the
operation of the rock crusher at Fol-
som was considered.
Doty spoke in favor of it, adverting
to the claim made by its opposers that
it interfered with free labor He did
not think it interfered with free labor
to any extent worth considering. 1t
was sold very low, of course, and was
intended to be SO. The object was
to furnish it to the people as low az
III =
benefit of it. The question Of inter
ference with free labor is a great one.
and he had always stood as a friend of
labor and would not want to see it at a
disadvantage 1t was necessary to find
some work for these men to do how
ever, in order to keep them from grow
ing fat and lazy, and coTptented with
their lot, thus removing the idea that
they We're being punished
This rock being. produced so cheaply
enables counties and cities to use it
where they would not be able to, and
thus gives employment to more free
labor than would or could be employed
In the different communities by private
contractors.
If we cannot shut out goods manufact-
ured in the State Prisons OF other
States, he said, let us set our own prs-
oners at work to earn their own liv-
ing. This rock has proved itself the
hest that has been produced in the
State, and the people should be al
lowed 90 have it, the city people as well
as those in the country.
A NJ. Townsend contended that while
he did not oppose the rock being used
for country roads. it should not be
used in the cities, as ii comes into com
petition with free labor It could
be sold for fifty CENTS a ton,
while he could not sell under 81
q ton. 1t should not be used to make
streets for which private owners have
to pay. There are enough county roads
that the rock can be placed on to keep
the plant running for ten years.
a contractor from Frurtvale said that
q year ago hss company sold $4,000 tons
of rock in Stockton from their plant,
which cost a quarter OF a million. Now
Stockton gets it's rock from Folsom and
ne cannot sell any more there, but can
still sell in Oakland at a profit. When
the bin was passed 1t was understood
that the rock was to be used only on
country roads. and 1t was therefore not
opposed by the contractors. He sug-
gested an amendment to Section 3 of the
proposed BILL prohibiting the sale Of the
rock to be used in any city. excep. in
front of the property of the Stete.
Mr.. Lewis of san Francisco agreed
with Senator Doty that the question of
convict labor was a great one II the
rock was to be used in cities. ne did not
see that there was any use for the Bu-
reau of Highways and the promotion OF
good roads Products of convict labor
are being sold everywhere in San Fran
cisco at lower prices than they can be
sold for If made by free labor An ef-