The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-10-14

far as / can learn. they We're so emplsy Y
eik Such being the case. the seven con-
tracts operated last year paid to the
State respectively per day, eighty7six
and one-half cents, sixty-five cents. folty-
| eight cents, thirty cents, twenty-seyen
| cents. fourteen cents and seven cents.
| which makes net average of forty cents
per day of eight hours.
E'-When we consider that the State fur
nishes the workshops, the power, and the
supervision, as we'll as the labor, for an
average return of five cents per hour. it
seems clear that the States share in the
| profits is exceedingly small. If the av-
erage per day of eight hours was eighty
cents, and 800 persons employed the
| State would receive $4,000 per year.
/ OF STAT 600 over last year. and within
Even at the present average Of forty
cents per raj. the employment of 500
men would increase the receipts to $685.
| 600 or $4,000 more than last year.
.'In devising ways and means fer in
creasing the income of the prison Per
| hsps some change in the method of piac-
:
ing contracts would be helpful Instead
of inviting bids and accepting the high
est, would it not be feasible for the prison
authorities to fix minimum, and con-
slider only such bids as came up to it?
! If it should prove possible thus TO in
crease the States income from the prison
! it.would not only be a philanthIopic act,
worthy of our splendid commonwealth,
but a piece of sound political economy,
far reaching and beneficial in its results
/ to- the State to distribute under proper
rules and regulations a portion of this in
crease to the family of the criminal, or
| the unfortunate man. who earned it.
II am aware that the law limiting the
1 number of men on any one industry to
| 100 does not work the best results to the
State; that contractors would pay more
| PRO rata for a thousand men than hum
dred. but the law, IS wise one, calcu--
/ lated to protect the honest mechanic of
/ the State, and ought not be interfered
| with, unless something better for the
/ State, and equally protective to industry
could be devised. In the State of Iowa
I prison labor is concentrated upon one in
industry that might be agreed upon-one
! haps il would be possible in this State, if
from organized labor certainly entitled
to consideration in what so greatly con-
| Germs it, TO concentrate the entire work
| ing force of the prison upon some one
industry that might be agreel upon-one
that would likely be renumerative and
vet affect to a small degree only any in
dustry in the State. | do not favor a
selfish State policy. but we must remem-
ber that while New Jersey. by limiting
the number of workmen and requiring
every article to be stamped as prison
/ made seeks to restrict the output and
the sale of its prison work there are
/ other States where no such restrictions
/ exist, goods are manufactured freely in
| their prisons, put on market in the ordi-
nary methods of trade, anl are bought
! and sold by our merchants without ques-
/ tien. Our restrictions, therefore, are
/ practically premium upon convict
labor.
In these suggestions as to prison work
/ have carefully considered what has
/ been urged as to the percentage Of prs
oners able to work the unreliability of
such work, the want Of skill on the part
of convicts, etc. but | fail to zee any
| thing in tile objections which cannot be
Overcome here as in ether States am
stiM OF the opinion that with proper fa4
i cilities, at least three-fourths Of the pris-
/ on population can be put - On ceatract
1 work to the advantage of the State. Be
| cause proposition is new. contrary 70
i preconceived views. and departure from
! The usual methods. ii IS NOT necessarily
4 raeticable world methods are con-
Stilntly changing for tha better. and il
allsng tho lines cons 1ered. measures and
4 mtthods can be discovered which promise
better results to the State. | know they
VIII receive your Excellency's careful
A cohsideration.