The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-25

free labor would be done by DlbDle,s
amendment than by letting the law
alone; that the number of laborers en-
ployed by the use of the product OF the
crusher in improvements in cities was
far greater than those employed by the
few corporations in Quarrying.
Anderson defended his bill as origin
ely introduced. He said the original
irtention Of the rock crushing plant at
Folsom was to provide a cheap product
for the building OF State and county
roads, and that was legitimate. But
instead of that it had been sold at
low price to contractors in cities, ana
they had reaped all the profit, while
neither State nor cities has pro1ted
dollar. He challenged any one 70
show him one mile of country road
that had been built with Folsom rock,
while quarries had been closed in his
own county Of Solano and elsewhere,
and hundreds thrown out of employ
ment.
Anderson's challenge brought Brooke
of Sacramento to his feet. He said he
had no figures at hand, but he would
venture to say that twenty five miles
of road had been built with Folsom
lock in Sacramento County alone. The
rcck-crusher had proved beneht
rather than a blow to labor. and had
been the means of employing thou
sands of men where only hundreds
would have been employed, with the
rock at the prices charged by the quar-
ries.
Dibble had claimed that the price of
the rock from the private quarries was
for- hoY n
product of the crusher.
Dunlap of Stockton had facts and
figures to offer. He knew, he said.
something about this matter, and he
knew that in the city of Stockton alone
there had been 100000 worth of street
Improvements which would never have
been made except for the Folsom crush
ing plant. Under the old conditions
street improvements meant virtual con-
fiscation of property, but with the low,
fixed price of Folsom rock, which
everybody knew, there had been such
saving in the price of material that
LOCO men had been employed for every
100 that had been thrown out at the
quarries. He claimed, too, that there
was still much rock used from the pri-
vate, quarries where the quality was
more suited to special work, and that
even this was made possible by the
use of the Folsom product. Dunlap
said that the closing of the Folsom
plant, which would be the result of the
bill, would reduce the chances for la
Dor in Stockton alone one-half.
Dibble fought hard. He denied the
statement that more men were en-
ployed under existing circumstances
than would have been had the Folsom
rock not been sold in cities. He denied
that it is sold for a cent less than the
quarry price, and declared that plant
had been ready to go into operation
which would have given employment
to thousands, but the Folsom compete
ton closed it out.
Knights spoke in support of his
amendment for city streets, etc, to be
built of the rock, and declared that the
500 convicts must be kept at work. The
State might as we'll profit by the work.
Melick believed it an advantage to
use the cheaper rock for city streets.
Anderson, like Dibble, denied that
Folsom rock was cheaper than that
from private quarries, but Dunlap
came at them again with his sledge-
hammer facts, and said that his own
experience had been that Folsom rock
was about one-half the price of the
other.
At this point Brooke made a motion
which seemed, under the circumstances,
the wisest thing to be done. He moved
that the whole matter be referred to a
joint Committee of Labor and Capital
and State Prisons and Reformatories.
A N N q Init ho
motion carried, and it was so ordered.
Later in the day a resolution by
Muenter that the joint committee
should visit Folsom prison. see the
plant. and Incidentally look after
prison matters in general was adopted.
RECESS.
After the daily joint session the AS
sembly took a recess until 2 o'clock.