The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-16
RENT OF CONVICTS
WILL BRING STATE INCOME OF
$24O,OOO A YEAR.
AWARDS MADE YESTERDAY
DISPOSED OF 1900 CoNVICTS AT
AVERAGE PRICE OF $225.14.

This Income VIII Go to Augment
school Fund of IO6 Counties-Other
Counties to Work ON Roadside
mand for COnvicts Out of All Pro-
portion to Number to Be Let.
4,376 Were Bid FOr-Maximum
Price offered Was 1882 for Fifty
Men.
Atlanta, Oct. Edwards of the la
Dor of 1900 felony convicts made to-
day by the Prison Commission shows
that Georgia will receive net for that
number of convicts during the five
years beginning April l, 1904, at least
$4,000 a year, possibly good deal
more, as against 100000 net for 2,1O0
convicts under the present lease.
The maximum bid was 1852 a year for
fifty men, while 1920 was the lowest fig
ure at which the labor of any of the
convicts will go at this time. For the
1900 convicts the state will receive a
total of 1898, 119 an average price of
$225.14 a year each.
The expense of conducting the sys-
tenn will be much less than at present,
and will fall considerably below $780,
900. 1t is evident, therefore, that the
net results will be nearly, if not quite,
$500 With thirty-one counties TAX
ing their convicts to work on the public
works, this $25O,0OO will be divided
among the remaining 106 counties in
proportion to school population.
There were many long faces around
the Office of the Prison Commission
when the result become known. The
prices bid were indeed surprising. 1t
was generally agreed that they would
go over $500, but it was not believed 1t
would be above $210 or $2l5 at the out
side. The number of convicts bid for
was 4,376, which shows how active was
the competition to secure the labor of
the 800 available men.
Following is a list of the successful
bidders, with the number of men bid
for, the price, the location of the camp
and the employment at which they
will be put: Durham Coal and Coke
Company, c. z. James Of Chattanooga
president; coal mining at Pittsburg
Walker county, so men at 1852, 80 at $24O
and so at 1928. This company also
bid so men at $216. but did not get
them; L. T. McKinnon, Lumber Camp,
| Wayne county, new contractor, so men
at $241 Flowers Bros. Lumber Com
pany, sawmilling, Early county, 100
men at $240; Lookout Mountain Coal
| and Coke Company, ]. w. English, Jr.,
| president, coal mining, 100 men at
| $223.25;- Chattahoochee Brick Company,
| Chattahoochee, Ga. j, w. English,
| president, It's men at $223.25.
Cruger & Pace, Albany, brickmakers,
! IS men at $221.50; North Georgia Iron
! and Coal Company, coal mining, Walk
err county new contractors, so men at
| $225; Z. j. McRee, Lowndes county,
! general farming and sawmilling, new
| contractor, 100 men at $220.75; w. E.
| James, sawmilling, Berrien county, new
| contractor, so men at 1920; ]. L. Ensign
Lumber Camp, Worth county, so men
at $22050; w. B. Handy and William
| Toomer Lumber Camp, Ware county,
new contractors, 500 men at $221.25; e.
E Foy Lumber Company, bingham
county so men at $221; DR.. ]. B. S.
| Holmes, farming and sawmilling
| LoWndes county, new contractor, so
men at S220.75.
There were eight of the old con-
| tractors. some of whom have been
working convicts for years, who did
not participate in the awards. OF these
the largest was G. S. Baxter & Co.,
who employ 400 convicts at Fargo, in
Clinch county, in lumber and turpen-
tine camps. They put in bid for 400
men at $500 each. 1t is generally
thought the men bid for by w. B. Han
by and William Toomer will go to this
company.
The lowest bid was made by T. J.
James of Adrian, who employed con-
victs under the old lease system and
has employed them under the present
system. Mr.. James bid for fifty men
at $175, the minimum price fixed by
the LEGISLATURE.