The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-27
ENTHUSIASTIC
MEETING HELD.
Chief Justice c. B. Lore and
Others Speak on
Prison Reform.

| Resolved, That ut a-public meeting
held IN Wilmington In the interest Of pri.
son rrform. that the bill prepared BY the
Delaware, Union for Public Good to t1e
| S4ato Legislature for the establishment 4
New Castle coun workhouse be hearth
| ~ endorsed: aud
| Z. Resolved, That We believe that the pro-
visions Of the bill will be found to be wiso
In conception, prac ical in execution and
reformntive In results, and that the pas
sage Of such an act will increase in great
measure the moral and economic welfare
of our county, and
Resolved, Tint the senators and repre-
sentatives from New Castle county he ss-
pecially requested to fur her earnestly the
passage OF the above meu Toned bill"
The above set Of resolutions were adopt
cd at meeting in the New Century Club
last evening.
Thomas Mercer, prison Inspector of
Chester, Pa. said in part.
I'm the Jail iast year there was an average
Of about titty-nine prisoners. 1t took
about t5iOO TO pay all the expsnses Of the
jail. or this amount u little over $500
was used to purchase food, thus making
the cost VI subsistence for each prisoner
about ~ cents per day, while In Delaware,
here, You pay more. When wardens and
sheriff had charge OF the Ches er county
Jail the charge Tor keeping prisoners was
much larger than 1t is now. The last time
the jail was under such rule it cost 10 cents
day for each prisoner, while the first
year the inspect Ors had charge Of II the
cost was reduced to9 cents, and 1t had
gone as low ut about 81 cents. 4.
This $540O does not repre- ,ent tho total
cost OF Keeping all the prisoners Of Cho,-
ter county. We have forty-nino in the
Eastern Pcnitentiary at Philadelphia for
which we are charged p cents per day. but
fromthi' amount tho value Of their labor
Is deducted. The cost OF keeping the for
ty-nino prisoners there last year was about
ta6ol We also have twenty persons in
tho Huntingdon Refornatory ut cost of
% cents per day. We get credit for their
work and the cost of Keeping them last
year was about $500 Tho total cost for
keeping The l2s prisoners in all these places
was -, U4637 A: The West Chester jail
VIC realized about $4!OO for the goods man.
,ufac ured, the raw materials costing us
s2l0othus showing hat the labor OF con-
yicts renlizeda profit Of about $1,000
Chief Justice Lore spoke upon the work
house bill before the Legislature.
The bill provides that five trustees, two
OF whom shall be women, shall be appoint.
eddy all he judges resident IN The county.
The Levy Court is authorised to borrow
$3.50. zoo to pay for building county work.
house. Tho women will be kept In sspa-
rate part of the Jail away from the men
and all shall work eight hours day, or be
given tasks to perform within certain
time.
For good behavior Communication is al |
lowed for the first year five days being de- !
Quoted for each month OF good behavior; |
for the second year seven days from each
month; for the third year, nine days from !!
each month; for tho fourth year. ter days |
from each month, ana II n prisoner contin-
ues his good behavior TO within five days
Of the complexion Of his sentence he shall .
Ia recommended for n norlon and rsstor
alton to citizepshio.
For apv extra work a prisoner NAV do
be will ba a,lowed tho vaipa of b;s labor
therefore when man come, ont Of ;a,l he
ha, an opuortunitv Of l.ving n little
money on which to startlif, again. At the
rate Chester comfy maintains her nrison-
ers the cost for 1870 prisoners. Tho number
that is usually in New Castle county !
would he "a 5)t, ' at New Castle countv pavs
sl5 600 or more
WHAT THE TRUSTEES ASK
In poiutire on "a. economic features of
the hill Cbief Jus, IL, Lors said that MI
TINT the trustees Of the proposed work.
house ask is that the Levy Court pay to
than Al, ,orts n ,,.v IN cs,,s ,aos tbo, 10
now mai, for ,be ,,,in,.nanc, NJ prisrn
avs M, ,ho ,,.t,o, ,,,,, nav ,,. ,n,.r..,
on tho money bOrrOWcd tn buill the iail