The record-union., 1897-01-26
fort is being made TO shut these goods
out of the market
< E,E,P TIL EN- A II INlRK

Iii EN- AL WORh.
Senator Holloway asked if there was
ait present enough demand for crushed
rock for country roads to keep the rock
cruSlher at work. and Warden Aull said
that i'm the past there had been only or
ders for some rock on the Riverside
road, and that would not run the
crusher for a week. No rock had been
used, as far as he knew, except on the
highways. New York some years go,
passed a law to stop convict labor, but
it resulted in much trouble and many
cases of insanity had followed. Con-
Victs must be kept ait work or insanity
prevails among thECn. That is the prop
osltion that has been we'll demonstrated
in penology
The proposition has been made to
make them break rock simply to keep
them employed, but it Will not work
No man will work unless he can see
some results 10 follow. The proposed
law was drawn to otovfate some of the
difficulties in the original Act, which
made the State Prison Directors, the
Bureau of Highways and the Governor
a joint commission to direct the rock
crushing without defining the powers of
each.
AS the plant is ait Folsom it should,
he thought be under the direction of
the State Prison Directors The price
of the rock is fixed at - cents ton, the
cost is 20 to 2l cents. The old Act pro-
vided for 10 per cent. to be added to
the cost, but there are some expenses
that cannot we'll be put unto the cost
bill, and for which the State ought to
be reimbursed for from the sale of
rock.
Stockton has done far more work
since rock was cheap than it did be-
fore. The prisoners must be kept at
work for their own good and for the dis
cipline of the prison.
Mr.. Townsend said the counties
could bond themselves for roads and
thus take the rock. The Bureau of
Highways has done good work in build
ing up a sentiment in favor of
good roads and should now build up a
demand for rock
Warden Aull asked Mr.. Townsend
if it would not give more men employ
memt in Stockton and Sacramento than
were employed under the old prices.
but the latter thought not The rock
crushing plant cannot compete with the
San Francisco and Oakland quarries in
the sale Of rock around the Bay.
STREETS AND HIGHWAYS.
Highway Commissioner Maude said
that he had drawn the original bill for
the benefit of the roads. The Attorney
General had given his opinion that the
streets We're highways, and rock had
been sold accordingly for them. The
bureau recommends the building of
good State reads ard if the reconmen-
dation is adopted by the Legislature
they will use up all the rock the rock
crusher can furnish. The Supervisors
Of the various counties, however, will
not buy Ill and that would make the
prisoners break it at greater cost.
Senator Holloway believed that if the
amendment We're adopted it would en-
tirely destroy the usefulness of the
plant, as the Supervisors do not use the
rock. 1t is much better to have the
prisoners employed and on such pro-
ducts as will interfere as little as pos
sible with free labor.
AN OBJECT LESSON.
Senator Doty said he had introduced
a bill allowing residents of Folsom and
along the road to Sacramento to build
road from the crushed rock, the State
to bear part of the cost as a sample
Of what can be done. He believed
sentiment was growing in favor Of
building good roads and that there
will be plenty of work for all the rock
crushers. If the committee does not
think it will be doing too much work
for Sacramento County, he thought
the bill would pass and the road would
be a valuable object lesson to the State.
The reason more has not been done
with the rock is that the farmers for
the past two years have been hard up
on account of unremunerative crops
and have had hard work to meet their
taxes and have not had means with
which to build roads. He hoped the
committee would not jeopardize the
plant just when there is a chance that
it viii accomplish great good. The CON
tractors will have enough to do if State
roads are built. He hoped they would
not adopt the amendment at present
Sacramento County has spent hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars on its roads
and they are very little better for il
The press ana the people are in favor of
this work. to show how much can be
done
WOULD DESTROY THE PLANT.
Warden Aull thought the amend
ment would destroy the crusher at
present. Rather than see it passed. he
would prefer u see the plant turned
over To the prison authorities and
allow them to charge what they chose
for the rock. There is a demand for
cheap rock from the people 1t will
take two or three years to educate the
people of Sacram INTO and san joaquin
up TO the necessity of good roads. but
il VIII be done. The Folsom road will
take considerable rock and keep the
orusher goiag Tor several months.