The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-24
Stowe Says They Are Too VaI- uabIe In Road Work Ia
 Be Let So Cheap|y FREE LABOR USED BECAUSE CONNECTS ARE TOO SCARCE We'll Known Road Engineer Answers Card Recently Submitted By
 McGeever in Favor of
 Present System.

St. Stowe, the well-known road engineer of Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, county famous for it's fine highways, has written to The Age-Herald in reply to the recent letter of Hugh McGeever, d member of the Jefferson county board of revenue, in which MT. McGeever argued in favor of leasing convicts at $2490 in- stead of putting them on the county roads. MT. Stowe points out that his county has had much higher offers for their convicts than this and would not be willing to lease them for $S5 per month net His letter in fine is as follows:
 To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 l read and noted carefully the article from Mr. McGeever in your issue of March relative to the working of con- vict labor on the public highways. I am not replying for the sake of any publicity, but as I have been referred to from some statements I made in a letter to some parties in your section, asking me for an expression and our experience here with convict labor for road construction pur- poses, and for fear some misconceptions seemingly have arisen from same, I re-
  ing more fully the idea intended to be conveyed.
 MT. McGeever says the whole question now before the public is which is better for road building, convict or free labor.
 Mr. McGeever says conditions may be somewhat different in Mecklenburg coun- ty, N. C., and Jefferson county, Ala, for inof In, f ty) decided to lease their convicts, could they do so to the same advantage that we can here in Jefferson county? Would Not Accept $35. I will say in answer to the above, our people have been offered more for our are getting from your coal corporations and they would not consider the propos- tion then, nor would they now.' Our con- victs in Mecklenburg and some other counties could not be hired at $35 per cap | ita per month net. While it is true our | cost to maintain a convict in toto will not exceed $1350 per month, this taken from $35 would leave 50 net per capita and some will naturally contend the hire
 
 It is a serious mistake.
 We knowsby experience that as a basis it would cost $35 per month for free labor to get the same result that we would by a convict at s13.50 and the result of the convict labor is the vital issue in road building. And what motive man who claims to have any knowledge of labor and its conditions would claim it is bet ter to hire free laborer that would cost $35 per month on even day basis, against a convict at s1350 to get an even result. must confess I cannot understand. Looking at the Dollar. Now, you take a man who is not fa- miliar with labor and it's conditions. I can see why he would naturally say it would be wise to hire our convict for the difference, and not experienced enough 10 know what 1t would cost him to get the same labor result A free laborer and a convict is not comparison of labor un- less you assume the proportions of 2 to l, and with some the proportions would not do justice to the convict There should be but one consideration and basis of any labor, and that Is the direct manual re- suit. Not the speculative result; this lat ter result never appeals to the masses, nor do they visibly see or feel the result from the same relief point of view. Work Both Systems.
 We have our convict force and we have our free labor force. both