The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-01


 particular phase of the management, 1ut to a number of features. the mention of some of which may not be amiss.
 The very first step taken by the pres ident, looking to the betterment of the finances of the department, was ignoring a contract made the day before he came into office, without his knowledge, but fortunately not approved by the gover- nor, at $1O a month, for each convict which was reformed and made for SIP each per month.
 The next step was calling upon a num- Der of contractors. having contracts re- gently made for small sums. per man, per month, for an advance in prices. which call was finally yielded to, by the contractors, upon the insistanee of the board, thus saving many thousands of dollars during the last four years and no one hurt but on the contrary all these contractors have renewed contracts with the boar, at greatly advanced prices.
 Again, every contract made by the present board, outside the mines, except perhaps one or two. and they because of benefits to result to the conviets has been made at a higher price than was ever realized for conviets before.
 Mine Operators.
 It was believed by the Governor and the friends of the department. concurred in by the present management, that there should be a change in mine operations conducted by conviets, which change was affected under contracts going into op- eration on the first day of January 1903. The success of this new departure has gone beyond any expectation of it's most sanguine friends and will doubtless never be departed from, so long as convicts are worked in mining operations.
 Two or three of the marked features of the present administration. with re- spect to the convict as an individual may be mentioned. The Alabama Manufac- turing company has a contract for the working of eighty convicts. in connection with it's holding operations. This is an excellent contract for the individual, giving him. during his Imprisonment. a trade or vocatioa, by means of which. he can make q handsome living when he is released number of them operating with this company, make a good monthly salary in addition to their work for the company.
 The separation of the boys in prison and in labor, far as practicable. from the older convicts is another decided improvement, and will be of great bene- fit to the boys. as 1t may be improved in process of time.
 The Sick Convicts.
 The removal of the convicts from the mines and elsewhere, to the walls for treatment, as soon as 1t is discovered they are unable to do the labor to which they have been assigned. has resulted ir great benefit to the individual man.
 The farm located upon the Tallapoosa river. known as No. 1 was at the be- ginning of the present management, re- garded as an incubus upon the convict department never having in years pro- duced but one or two successful crops. The second year. after the beginning of the present management, a considerable portion of the farm was put in grass, which has resulted in a wonderful im- provement in the farn for what with the hay produced and the corn, the place is decidedly profitable. with a pros pect of continuing so. There has already been done considerable ditching, and dur ing the coming spring it is expected the leveeing will be done to a considerable extent and the plantations thereby pro- tected from all ordinary overfows in summer
 A good and useful telephone system connecting the office at the capitol with prisons Nos. 1 on the Tallapoosa river, l at Wetumpka. and 3 at Speigner has been constructed during the administra- ton, and maintained in useful condi- ton.
 The artesian well at Speigner has cost considerable money and labor, and water has never been reached. but the work has continued until the present day, and should be continued until it is unques- tionably demonstrated that no water can be reached
 Cotton Mill.
 Since my last report, the board has put the cotton mile at Speigner in operation, and 1t has been for the last two months in operation. The machinery had gone down considerably. and things were de- preciating in value very much and the expense of putting the mill in proper con- dition has been considerable, but the board trust all expenses may be met, and reasonably good amount in excess of all expenses incidental to the running of the mill be left over as a net profit to the departemnt. We have now upwards of seventy persons. women. boys and men at work in the mill. and everything considered the mill Is being run, as we think. with reasonable success.
 Soon after we began operations there, we ascertained that the roof was ut terly defective the machinery being in- jured by the downpour of rain, and we have encountered the expense of some- thing like upwards of a thousand dollars in putting a new roof upon II, which IS not completed. but will be in the course of a few days This expense must have been incurred in any event. or the build ing and machinery drowned out. We are spinning the cotton made from the farms by the department. and it will be possi- ble ito furnish at the cheapest possible rate large portion of the cloth neces- sary to the manufacture of clothing for the convicts. 1t has not yet been de- termined what course shall be pursued to manufacture stripes. but we feel reason ably certain that it can be done All the ducking and osnaburgs needed can be supplied by the mill.
 The present management found the mill idle at its inception. but succeeded finally in putting 1t into operation. ana kept 1t so at a reasonable profit Tor a period of two years. The high price or cotton two years ago put the contractor out of business. I may add, however, that we have secured the services ol l the same man. MT. Clark. who seems 10 | be an honorable man. and man or ex- perience in cotton mill business Whern- CT the undertaking will prove as pron.- l able as is hoped is. of course, propiefnai, J icaI but employment of the conVic's anu