The San Francisco call., 1897-01-28
CONVICT LABOR
COMPETITION
Trades Representatives Ask
That It Be Restricted
by Law.
Combat tie Claim That It Is
Not Hurtful to the Work
mans Interests.
Hearing Accorded at Sacramento by
the Committee of the Lsgis'
lature.

ests in the several bills before the commit
tee. Assembly bill 282 was first taken up.
1t provides that it shall be unlawful for
any person confined or employed in any
penal institution in this State to engage
or be employed in the manufacture OF
anything whatever that is an article of
commerce in this State except jute bags
and broken stone for roads and highways.
The bill does not apply to the manufac-
ture OF any article consumed in the penal
institution where manufactured.
Oscar Lewis introduced substitute pro-
hIbiting the qusrrying of raw material or
the manufacturing of any article of COM
merce except jute bags and broken stone
for use In country roads only.
Mead of Los Angeles said that it would
be better to allow crushed rock to be sold
to contractors and cities for street i'm
provement. because such street work would
employ much larger number of laborers
than the number that would be deprived
of work in the stone quarries by virtue of
the competition OF the prison at Folsom.
Powers, an attorney, informed the board
that cut stone was being made by convict
labor in Folsom for sale to private con-
tractors.
City Trustee Devine of Sacramento, a
stonecutter by occupation. said that if
the stonecutters in the Folsom prison
would be allowed TO supply small dealers
in cut stone with material for their work,
two stoneeutters would be employed
where only one was employed at present.
He argued in favor of supplying munieipal
corporations and others with broken
stone for street purposes. 1t would not
be necessary to create q commission to
attend to this matter, because Warden
Aull and his assistants would be amply
able TO take care of it. and to supply
Boards of Supervisors with the informa-
tion needed by them.
City Trustee Bentley of Sacramento said
that the private quarry at Oordelia could
not turn out in one year enou h rock to
complete one job of street work in Sacra-
mento. That statement was maze by NJ.
Mcdonald, one of the most extensive con-
tractors in the State.
Mr.. Thomasson, owner of the Cord ella
quarry. said that the capacity of his quarry
was $50 tons per day, while the capacity of
the Fulsom crusher was between 400 and
500 tons. He had not sold a quarter as
much rock last year as he did the year be-
fore. He did not make two months run
on his qusrries during the whole of last
year on account of the com mpetition OF the
Folsom crusher.
With regard to the argument that cheap
convict-made macadam material would
give employment to many more men than
were now employed in street work, he
said that in his experience in quarrying
with 100 men he produced a quantity of
rock which would employ only ten men
to spread on The streets. 1t would be
necessary to put ten convicts at work in
order TO give one free man employment
on the outside in handling the material
after it left the quarry; so, in order to give
ten men work on the streets, the bill pro-
posed to throw ninety free quarrymen out
of work.
The speaker contended that the trap
rock taken from the Folsom quarry WAS
not so good road metal as basalt rock, and
that the testimony OF engineers was that
basalt was the best rock for macadamiz-
ing. He surprised the committee by stat
ing that owing to the competition of
prison labor he would be obliged to close
his quarry after the termination OF his
contract with Mr.. Mcdonald. He would
lose $4,000 per year If he continued to oper-
ate his quarry.
Mr.. Thomason also called attention to
the fact that the State did not derive one
dollars worth of revenue from the rock.
crushing plant. The State had donated
the power, the plant and the labor, and
the Prison Directors were not allowed to
charge any more than the actual cost of
the wear and tear of the machinery and
the oil used in lubricatiug the machinery.
Oscar Lewis of San Francisco addressed
the committee on behalf of the laboring
people of San Francisco. He began by
saying that the original idea of the
Bureau OF Highways was in connection
with the rock-crushing plant, and it was
the understanding that nothing was 10 be
charged for the power or the labor of the
prisoners and that the State should
charge only 10 per cent above the cost OF
tue wear and tear, the power and the oil
used on the machinery.
"But it is contended here" said Mr..
Lewis, 'that because Sacramento, Stock
ton and Marysville are within the radius
OF cheap transportation from the Folsom
quarry tue pSOpl0 OF the W1OIe state
should be taxed 10 support that institu-
ton for the benefit of those three cities.
The principle is wrong. It is the growing
idea all over the States of this Union to
confne convicts to such work and to the
production of such things as are used in
the prisons. New York State is now con-
fining its prisoners to the manufacture of
such articles as are consumed in the pris-
ons.
'You might just as well come here"
added Mr.. Lewis with warmth, "and ask
the State to furnish the city of San Fran.
cisco with a tiourmilI, so that we could
get cheap -four and bread for the working
people of that city. So far as the rock
plant is concerned at the present time, you
have done nothing but exercise your pris-
oners. You might Just as well have ex-
ercised them in riding bicycles, for it
would be much cheaper. You have not,
with all this prison labor, earned even q
cup of coffee for the convicts.
''Let the State charge enough for the
rock. so that at least the cost of produc-
ton, including to some extent the main
tenance of these prisoners, comes back to
you; otherwise / don't see where the tax
payer has any advantage. 1t is one
sided proposition"
Walter Macarthur of San Francisco was