Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
CONVICT LABOR GOODS
Result of Investigation by Com
missioner NELL.
EXTENT OF THE INQUIRY
Included Convict Camps as Well as
Permanent Buildings.
GROUPED INTO SIX CLASSES
Which is the Least Harmful of
Methods-Value Of Product
The Leading Industry.

Owing to the great interest of working
people, especially OF the labor unions all
over the country, In the question of convict
labor. the report of the commissioner of
labor, Charles p. Neill, is of particular i'm
portance. The bureau of labor has just
gotten out extensive volume on the sub
ject the result of investigation that has
been in progress since. 1904. The report
covers the whole field of convict labor and
the conclusion drawn from the sta tement
of manufacturers whose wares come into
competition with convict-made goods is
that the competition engendered is "un-
fair, ruinous and unjust" and that not
only are wages forced down, but that the
quality OF the goods made is often actually
lowered
The extent to which convict labor is en-
pioyed in the United States is not a neg
ligfble quantity by any means.a There are
over $4,000 convicts employed. and the
value of prison-made products amounts to
over So 1000 annually.
Those who are interested In the output
of specific trades will find in the report
detailed tables covering all the branches OF
convict industry in competition with free
labor. and will be able to ascertain by
states and institutions just what Is its
effect.
Extent of Investigation.
The investigation covered 296 institu-
lions, the word institution being used to
cover convict camps as well as permanent
buildings. These institutions were spread
over 400 different localities, 257 of them
were penal institutions and 80 juvenile re-
formatortes. The average of convicts In
these places was S6.096 for the year OF
these $50 per cent were males and the
engaged In productive. that is to say COM
petitive, labor was only 52.172, the
others being engaged in prison duties that
would otherwise have had to be performed
by hired workers, such as cooking, washing
and cleaning. or else were kept In unproduc-
tive confinement either because there was
no work for them or because they were
sick or otherwise purposely kept without
labor.
The report says that there are six classes
under which prison labor may be grouped
according to the method under which
1t Is employed. The convict may be
leased by the state to man who feeds,
clothes and guards him and keeps him at
work and pays the state something besides
for his labor. This system is being ADAM
doned by the most states, and the com
missioner says that there Is no excuse for 1t
except where the state is very poor and
unable to maintain institutions.
In other cases the convicts are con-
tracted for. This system is radically diff
ferent from the lease system. 1t insures
better treatment for the convicts and sur
IOuHuS lHetu with TESS UeprdVinR and de-
moralizing Influences. for the state feeds.
clothes and houses the eonvicts and sells
their labor to a contractor, the work being
performed either in or near the institution
The contractor furnishes his own raw ma
terial and superintends the work
There is still another system, the piece
price system in which the contractor fur
nishes the raw material. but the state de-
termines the speed at which. the seonvicts
shall work and the contractor pays speci-
fed price for each article turned out.
The point where the state enters the man.
ufacturing field Is In what is called the
public account system. Here the state buys
its own material and does the manufaetur-
ing and marketing and assumes all the risk
of profit or loss. The state has entire control
OF the convicts and runs an ordinary fac
tory. The state use system is the same as
the foregoing except that the state does
not go into the market with its goods. but
limits their use to state institutions.
Least Harmful Of Methods.
Possibly the least harmful of all the
methods according to the report, IL that Of
the public ways and works system. Here
the convict IL not employed In the produc-
ton OF marketable goods but II employed
ON the repalr and erection Of tails and
other public bti1dings and In the constrIc-
ti0n and main4ena1ce Of roads. parks,
braakWotoEy and oth6r public WorkA One
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