Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-02-18
PRISON-MADE WARES.
GOODS PRODUCES IN WlSCON-
SIN PENlTENTIARY.
Shoes, Made Under Contract for a
Chicago Firm, Are the Chief Product
Work Costs Fifty Cents Per Day
Not Particularly Profitable.
Conyicts at Trades.

State prison. The number employed in
the shoe shop is $50, the number in ne
knitting shop ASP men and q women -
and the number in the tailor shop Is.
These are the three productive industries
carried on in the prison. The other prs
oners able to work are employed in the
buildings and yards.
The knitting industry and the tailor
shop are the least important of the prison
industries Socks are made for the rope
Knitting Company of Chicago. The daily
output is about seventeen dozen pairs OF
coarse and thirteen dozen pairs of fine
socks. Knitting machinery is used, just
the same as fin the free labor shops of
Milwaukee, and quite a variety of socks
is made, from coarse, cheap goods to some
Of the higher grades. The knitting works
are on the second floor of a structure that
Is small compared with the other prison
buildings.
The tailor shop is in another small
building and the convicts are at work on
the second floor. Landauer & Co., of Mil
waukee, take the product of oyeralls and
jumpers. These are cut out by machinery
in large lots and sewed together after
wards on machines. In both the knitting
and tailor shops there is but little hand
work and in the knitting works there are
many machines which need but little at
tention, working automatically.
Shoes Made by Convicts.
In the boot and shoe department the
convict labor is leased to nj. ID. Wells u
Co., of Chicago, at so cents per man per
day, and at the present time the daily
output of shoes is nearly 5000 pairs.
Three hundred different kinds of boots
Ind shoes are made in the thirteen depart
ments. There is but slight difference
between some of the samples, but both
mems, women's and children's shoes are
manufactured. Many of the goods are
shipped to the South and West and are
Of the cheaper grades, yet there are some
quite good shoes, selling at So and 81
pair, which are made by the convicts.
Among the different varieties made are
heavy boots for log drivers, shoes with
hob nails all over the soles and heels for
miners, plowmen's shoes, button shoes,
CATERS, fancy shoes with patent leather
at the toes, and in fact nearly all the
kinds of shoes known to the trade. The
quantity of each made depends upon the
demand. Last year new shoe for gentle
men was gotten out and the travelling men
of the house reported that they could sell
all of that kind of shoes that the company
could turn out.
The State furnishes the building in
which the work is done and supplies the
steam power, besides heating the building
with steam and lighting the shops with
electricity. A vast amount of ingenious
machinery is used and this is the invest
ment of the company. The State is rep
resented by guards who sit on an eleya-
ton in each shop, where they can cb
serve all that is going on. Wells & Co.
are represented by superintendent and
numerous foremen.
Less Productive than Free Labor.
The machinery used is ingenious and
complicated, but it does not seem to be
particularly difficult to operate. Those in
charge say that accidents to the convicts
are not frequent. 1t is evident that the
men have to work to keep up with some
of the machines, but it is the unanimous
opinion among the superintendent that
convict labor is not as productive as free
labor, as there is no incentive to hustle
The men do about as little as they can
and yet not be under the ban of a bad
behavior charge and thus lose their privi-
lege cards.
The prison authorities consider the
showing for January good one, consid-
.ring that there were five Sundays and
one holiday in the month. The expenses
Of the prison were $4,000 last month, but
the income from prison labor was $1,000,
so that the institution cost the State for
that month but $4,000.
no
for the fiscal year ending Sept 80, 1895,
was $53,176.31. For the year ending
Sept. 80, 1896, the income from this source
was $5O542O6. The average number of
prisoners confined in 1895 was 625, while
in 1896 it was COG.
The percentage of lost time among con-
victs in 1896 was 24.37, the percentage
of labor not productive was 1862 and the
of productive labor was 5S.71.
In 1898 the percentage of productive la
Dor was GO.SG.
The conyicts work ten hours a day.
They commence at o'clock in the morn
ing and work until II o'clock noon, re-
Stunning at l o'clock and working until
o'clock in the evening. 1t is busy life
and they scarcely have time to think amid
the whirr of machinery. At O'Clock in
the evening the lights are out and there
is nothing to do but get to sleep, as they
must be up early in the morning to get
breakfast and go to the shops. The short
est sentence is six months and most of the
men are at the institution long enough to
learn how to operate a particular machine
But such thing as learning a trade is
out of the question. There is not n man
in the place who has an opportunity Of
making complete shoe.
What the Prison Costs.
The following interesting figures re-
garding the cost of maintenance AT tho
prison are furnished by the warden: In
1870 the average population was 500. tho
daily expenditure per capita $.45572, the
earning of productive labor $.24364. max
ing the net daily cost per capita S.222O9
In 1896 the average population was e0e
the daily expenditure per capita S.39567