The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-30
CORRECTION or MIR. ELLINGTON
Mr.. w. q. Allen Takes Issue as To
Figures and Statements.

To the Editor:-Tn Mr.. Ellington S
article appearing in The News and
| Observer of August 24th, there are
| some figures that are not correct. In
| fact, Mr.. Ellington seems to know so
| little about the conduct of the coun-
| tvs business that it seems impossible
| for him to keep from making mistakes.
| The mistakes he made are either due
to the want OF knowledge on his part
or they are plain misrepresentation.
/ | have no reply to make to Mr.. Elling-
! ten, but / do care that the cost of the
| institution over which / have charge.
and it's management, should not be
made to appear in a false light.
In the first place it is to be born
| in mind that for many years the Coun-
| ty Home and the Convict Camp have
| been managed by me as one institution
and this was done by order of the
board at the time the convict camp
| was established. Now from Mr..
Green's article it was shown that the
costs OF the Home, the expense of
which has been kept separate by order
of the board since January 1st, 1904,
are about $3.50 per month. But from
the annual cost Of the County Home
to which the farm is attached, is ie-
Quoted the cotton and all produce
that is converted into money. The ex-
DenSe is also further reduced at the
Home by the fact that about twelve
to fifteen thousand pounds of meat and
| large quantities of vegetables, mix
and butter, are annually produced.
| These items reduce very greatly the
cost of the Home but do not at all
reduce the cost Of the convict camp,
or work-house. Mr.. Ellington treats
the two institutions as if they should
cost about the same, but this is not at
all true.
| 1. The ration for a prisoner who is
| doing work on the road is "a of q
pound of meat per day, IA pound for
| each meal; that of an inmate of the
| County Home Is pound per day. a.
they have the advantages of milk, but
| ter and vegetables, all of which are
produced on the farm.
z. The clothing and shoes of the
convict upon the road is both very
much more costly at the start and is
much sooner worn out. than the sim
pie clothing required for the inmates
of the Home, who perform little work
and sit around fires in the winter.
3. The guards ana their maintain
ance cost the county about $4,000 per
year at the convict camp-nothing al
the Home.
4. The COMETS produce nothing -
the camps that is sold to reduce the
cost Of their Support-they producN
roads.
1t will be seen at a glance that the
convictS must cost much more than the
| inmates OF the Home. And would any
one suppose that Mr.. Ellington knew
so little as to think they cost the
same? In his article he says there arc
''but three items of cost" connected
with the County Home: ID Cost of
| Home and farm, CD convict camp,
| (3.) cost OF superintendent and family
Now, Mr.. Green having shown that
the annual cost of the Home to be
about $4,000, Mr.. Ellington deducting
$4,000 more for cost of convict camp,
charges that L and my family cost the
county the difference between the tota,
annual cost of both institutions and
this $6,400--about $3.50. Does any
one think Mr.. Ellington really believes
this. Or do you think he is deliberate,
/ ~ incorporating the facts, by a
supposing from his figures, the items
of cost that I have above referred to ?
Or do you think he is so ignorant that
he does not know these facts? Whicl,
do you think? II Mr.. Ellington had
been axious to give the people all the
| information. he could have furnished
the public with an itemized account
of the cost of each Institution. IT
would not be hard to make up from
the record and will be given out at tho
end of the year But to do this he
would have had to tell of the cost OF
the guards and other items, | have