The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-09
TUESDAY, JANUARY ., 1906.
Leisure Is time for doing something
useful. A life Of leisure and a life
OF lazlness are two things.
Ben Franklin.

Ben Franklin.
Conviets On Public Roads.
Mr.. John Reichle, a citizen of Amherst,
took the trouble to study the state
inent of the board of supervisors of that
county, as published in the Progress, and
dcduced interesting and valuable conclu-
sions from that part of the statement
relating 10 the hire OF convicts for work
on public roads in the county. The state
inent for the months of February, March,
April and May is as follows:
TABLE i.
Keeping and managing convict force.
(F'rom under the heading, For Roads and
Bridges
n. L. Phillips IL days service
Win force ..................-......s 800
Hudson and Watts. m'd's'e, for
force ....................:...... 1886
i. Il. Tyler, 1 IL days service
with force ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 80
Wood, repair convict jail .,....... 800
w. j. Hudson, merChandise....... 1860
j. j. Cunningham, expenses of road
force Observation-Disclosures. 1sl.i7
j. =. Beard, feeding mules. eco
j. r. Hudson 81 Bro, bed-slieeting
for conyicts OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 6t0
j. j. Cunningham, expenses of road
force Observation-Disclosures. 1870
Conveying convicts from peniten-
tiary ......................... 1880
+. s. Tyler, two days service with
the convict force ................... 400
Wood, pot for convict foree.,...... 400
Gillian Il Co, mattresses for con-
Wet force ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 100
X. l.. Phillips road scrvice.....,.. 7.c0
y. FL. Moore, committee on roads. 1850
$ 7as.ss
Convict road force 1................ s45.5S
(See also Table ID.
Convict road force 2.,..........,...., 1,221.27
(see also Table, I'D
Fine for escape of convict.......... 5000
Total ....t.,.,....,............ ,sIo73
TABLE III.
Mules, wagons, lumber, hardware,
etc, used by convict force
G'rom under the heading For Roads and
Bridges.'D
Three pistols for convict guards..s 1925
Guns for't CONVICT guards. ......... A.20'
i. Il. Wood. road car for convcts. 22oOO
Cox Hardware Co., merchandise
for convict force .................. 1000
Ainsie & Martin, merchandise for
convict force Observation-Disclosures. $3.50
Wagon for convict force ........... 600
Two portable houses ................ $500
Four mules for roads ............... 5000
s1,s99so
Convict road force 1.................. g 1870
Convict road force a................... 47.i4
Total s2,os4.Sa
Estimating now" says Mr.. Reichlc,
that on an average 20 conyicts were
actually at work for % 1-2 days in each
month for four months, which would be
more days per month than can be gen
orally made, 1t would give the number
of days worked. namely, 20x22 1-2x4-1 500
days. These 1,so days cost s2,9l0.73 (see
Table u, or per days work per man,
si.6l 20
Mr.. Reichle then makes n calculation
on his own account to show what the
work would have cost il it had been done
by free labor instead OF by conWcts, and
putting the hire OF the men so employed
at SIPS per day, lie figures out that the
cost would have been Sl,s2 IL per man per
day, as against si.sl 2-3 per man for cons
virt labor.
In its editorial comment, the Progress
says that in comparing the two systems
of labor, 1t is 10 be remembered that some
of the items OF expense contained in Mr..
Reichle's table No. l, such as trauspor-
tation OF convicts from the penitentiary,
bcd-sheeting and mattresses. were larger
at first than they would be afterwards.
and that during the months referred to
The convicts were divided into two forces
with foreman over each, whereas in Mr..
Reiches statement of the cost of free
labor but one foreman was provided for.
But this would nitke9oBly slight differ
cacc in the cost, and if the figures are
correct FIR. Relchle has demonstrated
that the SAVING 10 the county by employ
ing convict labor instead Of free labor
is slight.
Two points. Does il pay the county of
Amherst to employ convicts for work
ing the roads? Has it cost the county of
Amherst, more thar IT should have cost
10 employ eonvicts IN this, work?
II III not for us 10 Say. but II is fact
apparent that the iax-peyers OF Amherst,
through means OF tiris publication have
been led 10 mako an inyestigat on. and it
.ssis only Through Investigation that the
4 truth can be ;lscerthlned. 1t IS therefore
~ enormous consequence 20 the tax-pay-
ots mat ;il surii aespunts should be pub
licIs stated in lteinlzed form. ihNt they
~ ,,.,vs * n,t,a lixunyylcdx., Of them. and tina