Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-02

you know we were talking about
automobiles the other day" said Bal
dy and about the splendid roads
about the city. as we'll as the paved
streets, and it has since occurred to
me those country roads, or rather
unpaved streets Of the suburbs tand
: there are miles Of them) could be put
! In the best possible condition at 4
very little cost"
Nov, want to tell you something"
laid Fatty, I've been getting infor-
nation about the work on thaastreets
nd how 1t is done and the cost OF
and you'll be surprised just as y
= when you know what l learned.
Dofing certain month, when the city
was working on an average 20 pris-
pners, their food and the provender
of the city stock cost this town just
$1O5S.6O. Taking out the sick list
FOR each day and averaging the whole
thing up the city got the services
of 20 men for rs days-and it cost
over thousand dollars!"
THAT is fraction over So per day
for the work of some trffiing negro
prisoners who don't do one thing more.
than they can possibly help said the
Man from the East, ''why, that is
outrageousi A contractor could do
four times the work at $3.50 a day
and make money--and he could get
able-bodied men, not afraid of work
to labor steadily at that price,"
s'You people are not figuring right"
said Badly. you should figure that
the man is being allowed so much per
diem and his keep. We know that It
has cost. say $1,000 to keep the 20
men, SO we'll set the mans wages at
~ per day in addition to his keep
you couldn't get lapor any cheaper
that will make him $500, or total of
$1,520 for the work that was done,
or close on to So day for the work.
Pretty good pay for the services of
a city prisoner who don't work."
n Then, to make it real plain, SO
! that anybody can understand it," said
Fatty, "the 20 men working 26 days
equal $40 men, and if they were al
lowed 81 per day, that would be $500
Their food cost, say $1,000, which
makes the work they have done In the
s-;.26 days cost the city $3.50, of within
ia fraction Of SO per man per day
isn't that the proper proposition ~
THAT is perfectly plain" said the
Man from the East, "and it proves
that the city can have more and
better work at a less cost by giving
1t out by contract to some reliable
person 1t would be good idea to
! give some contractor the city prison
ers, along with the contract to do the
work. and let him give bond to
make them work and keep them safe
until the expiration of their terms
He would pay the city say SO cents a
day for the labor of the prisoners,
and furnish them with food. using the
city prison as their lodging place. At
THAT he would be getting the cheapest
kind of labor and he would have the
power to MAKE them work-and its
hundred to one shot that he'd get
a days work out of them"
'sYour idea is splendid one" SAL
Badly, land IT 1t is possible it ought
ito be put into effect. Why, the city
would have an actual income from
its prisoners. under that plan. instead
Of being constantly at an expense
The prisoners must be sheltered any
way, SO all that would be required u
the city would be to give them plac=
to sleep The contractor would feed
them and pay the city fifty cents a
& day for their services"
"Of course the contractor would not
be dependent on the city prisoners
for all his laborers, said Fatty, FOL
! their number is too uncertain. Hs
would have as many regular free
laborers as he wished to work, bu
his contract would make 1t obligator,
for him to work the city prisoners
feed them and pay the city a stipulat
ed price for their services, good, bas
or Indifferent, as it may be. TIL,
contractor would make money, th'
city would make money and the pris
oner would pa the penalty for hi