Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1906-11-08
DEFENDS JUTE MILL
Ready Declares it Would make
Penitentiary Self.Sustaining

Penitentiary Self.Sustainfnr
? W. P. Ready, father Of tho jute mill
agitation and legislation. who Is 1t
present working upon the draft of iute
mill bill for presentation to tho leRisis.
turs. takes exception to tho attitude of
tho governor and Of tho members of the
legislature who recently visited Pendle.
ton and Walla Walla while inves "a ting
tho jute mill question.
Mr.. Kesdy is emphatic in his arRu
ment that tho jute mill is the true Q q
only settlement of the prison lab,r
question, alleging that it 10 the only
form Of employment which will take the
convict out OF competition with the free
labor OF the state. He also argues that
jute mill would do more toward max.
ing the state prison seIf.eupporting
than any other arrangement that could |
be made.
According to the figures quoted at
the investigation made at Walla
Walla," Mr.. Ready said this morning,
sit was shown that it was possible for
the Walla Walla prison to manufacture
bags for 40 cents, even after the price
Of raw material had been doubled by
the so-called trust in India. 1t would
be possible for Oregon to produce bags
at less cost than this on account of the
difference in freight between Portland
and Salem and Portland and Walla
Walla. Counting on the Washington
basis, however, and selling the bags at {
a profit OF l cent, an Oregon mill of 100
looms with capacity of 8 .0OO, 900 bags
would net the state $4,000 annually, q
which Is twice the income resultant :
rom the stove foundry.
"If again under the present condi- II
ions prison. made bags could be sold for U
or cents less than the market price it
8 safe to assume that any increase in
he price OF the raw material would still
the same ratio OF cost to the
not existing. so that no matter u
What the trust might do with the raw a.
Material the farmers ould be able to n
'uy prison bags cheaper than trust.
made bags, and this not taking into
consideration the regulation which the
rison bag output would exercise over q;
he market. In all the history of the Ii
tate the farmars have been paying u
lore for grain bags than the state -.
ould have sold them for. II is per.
nent fact that throughout the agitation ~
I people importing sacks have been w
cry active in their opposition 10 the dc
Establishment of jute mill at Salem. hi
Convict labor would come into oppo- n
ton to free labor whenever it is used
r any purpose whstever outside the VI
ison walls, whether on roads or what up
IT," continued MIR. Ready. "And an
en- in the manufacture of stoves it to
orks in opposition to the laboring
an. II the stove foundry at Salem
,s abolished then foundry would be .o
ofitable outside. but not while the ,,
nvicts mould stoves for cents an u.
ur to sell in the market in compete op
N with those made by free labor, Ha
e jute mill would absolutely destroy inc
competition and at the same time o,,
uld 60 futher toward making the
nitentiary self supporting. !"
The penitentiary is now running at A
annual loss of between 10000 and Ill
),OO0," said Mr.. Ready, turning to A
other phase of the subject. at has sd
income except that from it's foundry
1 its system of bookkeeping so pads =
the income account as not to show
very wide margin the real annual
icit OF the institution. All the work
lie by convicts in repairing walls, in
dening, dairy work, road work, in
departments, is credited to the earn
account while the prison gains
hing in income from the effort and ~
tinuallv has to expend money in =.
intenance. Ii is In reality deal labor
deal loss.
With the stove foundry not more Tr1
n l75 men are employed, while with
ON jute mill approximately 800 men
lid be given continual work, thus
ing into requsition practically al
he convicts in the prison. G
This, however. is not question of =
snue only. 1t is question of state
d." said the speaker. Even
uld the mill simply pay its way and
sacks at cost it would not run the
on further behind than it is now
ming, while at the same time it
Id greatly and directly benefit the
ners."
r. Ready is much interested in the ~
mill question and is preparing data
the consideration of the legislators S
r to the real discussion of the pro- ~
ID b;ll.-Oregon Journal. e