The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-20
COMMITTEE BUYS
CALEDONIA FARMS
SOL, Cos for 1920 Acres the
Price Paid.
nnInr EA0TnnNE EACEn
SHIRT FACTORY LEASED
LEDERERAND BLOCK WILL GET
THE CONTRACT.
PRISON GETS so CENTS PER D ZEN SHIRTS
Under the HiIIabrant Contract il Got "a Cents
Committee VIII Visit Arson Farm
With View to its Posi-
BILE Purchase.

The Executive Committee of the
Board OF Directors of the State Prison
Yesterday completed the purchase of the
Caledonia farms Nos. | and > lying
in Halifax county. The number Of
acres i'm the farms is 1920 and the
price was SCI, 800. The purchase had
been practically agreed upon before and
was merely ratified and the deeds ac-
cepted yesterday.
The committee Will visit the Arson
farm next week with view 10 its pur-
ase il found satisfactory. The North
adnpton farm will not be purchased.
The committee also signed a contract
to be submitted to Lederer q Block,
sliirtmakers of New York, to operate
the shirt factory. Under the contract
tile prison is to give the use o. the
fifty machines of the factory and SUPP
ply the labor to operate them. Lederer
q Block are to supply all the material
used and pay 80 cents per dozen for the
making of the shirts. Under the COIL
tract by the Fusionists the prison re-
ceiyed but "A cents per dozen. 1t is
estimated that the present contract will
yield 80 cents day profit for each hand.
Under the Fusion contract Il shirt was
taken to include ONE pair of cuffs aud
two collars, and nothing was said rs 10
the style of shirt. Under the present
contract a shirt is made to include an
extra pain fcuffs only and
two sample shirts are required to
be deposited at the prison and there
is no privilege to change to one requiring
more work. The styles of shirts will
be negligee and stiff bosom colorcd
shirts, 70 per cent Of the former and
- of the latter.
The contract also STIMULATES tina!
Lederer and Block are to receive and
pay for all shirts made and no material
spoiled or destroyed can be charged up
to the prison. They furnish an insrrllc-
tor Under the old contract Hillabrant
refused TO pay for shirts spoiled in the
making, held the prison responsible for
all material and often allowed the ma
chimes to stand idle. The responsibility
Of the prison ends now with furnishing
a place to store material and the shirt
makers are allowed to shut down The
factory but fifteen days in the year.
1t is thus plain that under the new
contract the State gets more than twice
as much for making the shirts and has
much less responsibility and opportunity
for loss. The attorney Of I4ederer &
Block states that they will sign The
contract as drawn. They can, if they Ge-
sire put in 100 additional machines at
their own expense and require the iabGr
to operate them, but this will nard'y
he done.
The lease of the shirt factory fur
nisiling as it does work for so to GG
hands, and the purchase Of the Gale
donna farms is likely TO lead TO imp0r-
tant changes in prison management
As the lease on the Northampton farm
expires this year it will be abandoned
by the State, as will the other farms
in turn as the terms of lease expire. The
leases on the Castle Hayne, Arson ard
Cape Fear rice farms have several years
yet to run. The withdrawal OF the
conyicts from part of the farms TO con-
centrate them at the farm bought viii
necessitate the sale of part of the stock
and equipment belonging to the State.
That the committee win decide to pur-
chase the Arson farm is doubtful IN
view of the fact that it is SO widely
removed from the Caledonia Iarms tnat
the cost of transporting carload OF
convicts from one to the other would
be $500 or upwards.
The committee postponed action on
THE maltreatment of convicts on the
State farms for a few days. 1t is ex-
pected that definite action will be taken
within week, after which the evidence
before the committee viii be made pub
lie.
All members of the committee re.
turned to their homes yesterday after
moon and last might