The San Francisco call., 1907-01-06
FAVORS FACTORIES
At PRISONS
Board of Charities Urges
"the State Use System"
at Two Penitentiaries
ATTACKS TENEMENTs

Most important in the annual report
of the State Board of Charities Is the
recommendation to the Legislature that
an act be passed authorizing "the State
use system" for the employment of
prisoners in the two penitentiaries of
California. This system provides for
the manufacture by prisoners of articles
for use in other institutions of the
State, but not for sale In the market
in competition with either laborer or
manufacturer.
The greatest advantages of this sys-
tenn. the board points out lie in the
facts that while competition with free
laborer is not entirely avoided, it is
indirect and diversified and not too ap-
parent, and greater diversity of labor
is afforded prisoners and thereby a
better opportunity is offered for indus
trial training that will be Of value to
the prisoners on their release. Such a
system. says the board, would enable
the State to effect saving in the cost
of maintaining its institutions and thus
taxation would be reduced which would
benefit all the people
And this is not all the board asks
of the Legislature. 1t suggests the
immediate establishment of the sys-
tenn of grading prisoners into three
classes with distinguishing uniforms
VI QItSSr DaoCd 0pOll IHeTlIOTlOuS COH-
duct. An act authorizing the Warden
of each prison to appoint a parole
agent, to have the general care of
prisoners on parole and to find en-
ployment for them, is also asked, and
a special recommendation is made that
a State reformatory be established as
soon as possible for prisoners under
80 years of age who have never been
convicted before, such prisoners to be
committed tn Such for
an indeterminate sentence only.
COTTAGES FOR AGNEw
1t is further recommended that the
Agnew State Insane Hospital be re-
built upon the present location on the
cottage plan and that such enlarge
ments as may be necessary at other
insane hospitals be made by means of
cottages only. Additional cottages,
better school facilities and the estab-
lishment of a separate colony for adult
women are asked for the Home for
Feeble minded An additional dormi-
tory for the Home of Adult Blind is
recommended.
The Legislature is also asked to pro-
vide for the punishment of any child
under 16 years of age caught using to-
bacco in any form or drinking alcoholic
liquors in saloons and making 1T
miesdemeanor for any adult to con-
tribute to any child's delinquency.
Paid probation officers to enforce the
legislation are suggested. The Legis-
ture is further asked to interfere in
the management of the various child
placing" agencies in the State and to
bring them under the supervision of
some competent board. Other questions
of less Importance are also referred to
the Legislature but one, involving the
relation to the public health and
-s-NT
treated and the enactment of a bill
regulating their construction is asked.
Regarding this proposed legislation
the board says:
The tenement house conditions in
San Francisco before the fire on April
for legislative action They were near
ly as bad, though not so extensive, as
in New York and Chicago before the
recent regulation by law in both the
fire, of course, swept them away and
for the time rid the city of them.
But the tenement house will be re-
bad or worse than before. The time
to act is now, before 1t is rebuilt. The
evils found in the tenement houses of
Chicago and New York were as fol-
lows:
Insufficiency of light and air due to
narrow courts or air shafts, undue
height, and to the occupation by the
oulldlng or py ad1acent bulidlngs OF
too great a proportion of lot area:
danger from fire; lack of separate
toilets and washing facilities; over
crowding; foul cellars and courts and
other like evils, which may be classed
as bad housekeeping.
The civic bodies of San Francisco
have prepared a law, based on the
statutes of those States calculated to
prevent such conditions arising in this
State. We believe that such a law
should be passed as speedily as possi-
BILE. This is necessary, not only for
San Francisco but for other cities in
the State where the tenement
evil is growing.
The members of the State Board of
Charities and Correction are o. X.
Cushing, w. C. Patterson, Rev. Charles
A. Ramm Rev. ]. X. Mclean, Andrew
NJ. Davis and e. c. Moore.
of OrientaIs. fitted by birth and expert