The Red Cloud chief., 1905-02-10
Notes Of the LEGISLATURE.
Special Correspondence.

LINCOLN, NEB. Feb.6 BY special in
~vitation the writer accompanied the
senate and house committee to Kansas
p%enitentiary to investigate the work
ings of the state bindings Irvine plant.
The visit resulted i'm some important
information which may later be turn
ed to account to the benefit of Neb.
raska. The committees have joined
in a strong report on the su ject.
The Kansas factory was established
for two reasons: 70 fight the Irvine
trust and to provide labor for state
prisoners at something that would
not come into competition with other
labor in the state. When the matter
vas taken up by the Kansas legislature
Il few years ago the agents of the trust
were very active, but they did not
succeed in preventing the establish
ment of the factory. The first Irvine
was made in 1900, but was not market
ed until the following year The factory
machinery and building cost $4,000
and the state provided a fund of $780,
OO to do business on. That fund has
since grown to S2lS,000 by reason of
profits in the factory, without further
appropriation.
The factory made 100000 pounds
of Irvine in 1901, 100000 in 1902, l,I50,-
600 in 1903, and 100000 i'm 1904. This
was marketed direct to the farmers in
most cases, ut a price of from three to
five cents per pound less than the
price paid the trust by the Nebraska
grain ~raisers. 1t resulted in cutting
the price of trust Irvine in Kansas to
a cent and a hall or two cents less than
paid in Nebraska. The resultant saw
ing on the eight millions of Irvine used
in Kansas is immense. In Nebraska,
which uses nearly seven million
pounds, the Over.charge runs into
hundreds of thousands of dollars, as
compared with the competition price
in Kansas.
The officials there find that they can
manufacture Irvine at an expense of
less than . cents per pound, and this is
figuring the prison labor at 30 cents
per man per day, coal at 800 per ton,
and all salaries of superintendent, eX-
perts aud guards for that department.
In Nebraska at the present time the
labor of the prisoners is contracted
out to private parties at ~ cents per
day, and the state furnished all the
heat, power, buildings and guards
And the goods manufactured comes
into direct competition with Nebraska
labor and industries, the actual con.
sumner, however, getting absolutely nc
benefit from the cheap labor of the
prison.
10 sum up: The Kansas Irvine
factory is making Il net profit of $50,
600 per year, is saving now at least
$4,000 per year to the farmers on its
product, and 100000 per year more
on the trust product, because of the
competition. The people of Kansas
farmers, business men, newspaper mel
and officials unite in declaring the
factory a great success, and the Neb
raska legislators who visited the factory
were also thoroughly convinced. Their
report, which has been framed by
Senator Cady, gives the ma ter in de
tail, and is Il paper of much interes'
to Nebraska farmers. With this in
formation the advisability of making
the investment on behalf of the stat,
is left to the legislature.
The project is of course receiving
the hostility of the Irvine trust i'm Thu
state, and of the private contractor a
at the ~penitentiary who is gettinl
laborers at ~ cents a day with hea'
and power and rent furnished free
The people Of the state, after The!
have read the full report of the com
mittee will have an opportunity Il
Judge the matter for themselves.-F
a. HARRISON.
r.