The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-24

highway suggested by Engineer V. M. Peirce is the best thing yet, and 1t is | learned from good authority that work on the road will begin in about three weeks.
 Engineer Heidel, who will have direct charge of the work, is going back to De- catur, where he will remain two weeks to complete his work there, and by that I time it is expected that all property rights will have been granted. The lines on the proposed road will be run imme- diately. The board of revenue yesterday s....................."... ..................."..... county, and I know the result of both, and tell you positively we would not employ the free labor force if we could command convicts enough to take their places and meet the wishes of our people. Our demand for more work is increasing, and our only alternative is to use free labor when the convict labor is exhausted. Now, in short, you cannot hire a convict for his actua, worth to corpora tions or otherwise, for cash value, that will bring back the same result value that you would ob- tain by keeping him at home on the roads.
 MT. McGeever says again, Now let us compare those prices with MT. Stowes figures. Jefferson county Is getting $24.90 net per month for an ablebodied man over 16 years of age sentenced for one year or over. Mir | eto f to feed, clothe and guard a convict in North Carolina. I think 1t would cost more here, as we would have to pay more than $45 per month for white guards, which is the amount paid in North Carolina as per statement made by Mr. Stowe, but admitting that we could feed, clothe and guard our con victs at 45 cents per day, $13.50 per month; add that cost to the net price, ? s24.90 now received for convicts, and the convict on the Jefferson roads will cost $3S40 per month. Then you have | to go to the expense of building port , able cages to carry them from place to pace as progress is made over the roads, and it would necessitate some travelling, as we have over 1700 miles of public roads in this county"
 Will Not Move Very Fast.
 will answer the above by saying: l. Our total cost for feed clothes, medical attention, guard hire and camp quarters (portable) is included in the $13.5O per capita per month, and not extra and above as MT. McGeever states or thinks.
 g. You will not be necessitated to too frequent movings if you will remain long enough to put your grades in the original construction down to and 3 per cent as they should be- for per manency and future maintenance. Do . this and you will not move as often as you may imagine, and assure you this feature will not prove serious.
 3. According to your scale of prices per convict from corporations and my statement of $13.5O maintenance per capita per month would be as you state, $3S.40 per month. About s24.9O of this is speculation estimated cost while hired, but if worked by county only $13.50 cost and $24.90 profit to the tax payers per capita labor value. There Is no cost except maintenance cost of $13.50. All the labor value to county, above maintainence cost, is net profit to the county and not on. ac- crued cost, and your people will be the beneficiaries of the difference per capita in the same proportion wheth CT the basis of labor is five conyicts or 300.
 Is Purely Speculative Value.
 This speculative value proposition re- minds me of a farming estimate at home, where you can raise a bale of cotton per acre and say at a net profit of SIS per acre. or per hale. At an interest bearing rate of 6 per cent in North Carolina this acre at SIS net should bring $500 speculative value, but the market will not bring it, but by staying at home and keeping farming this acre. in about 1s1s years, I will have gotten my $500 net for my acre, and still own it. and the enhancement has doubled.
 Keep your convicts on your roads at home. Your return from their labor Twill soon convince you you are getting something tangible each year and after while you will have all your roads. improvement in construction and mod ern results and enhanced property values beyond your expectations. I think the attempted illustration a cor rect one, and leave it with your peo- pie to be their own judge.
 MT. McGeever further says, 9Th sv have honorable, industrious overseers on the roads for over 10 years, and tn ey should know something about the busi- ness, or building roads,"
 Give Them. What They Ask.
 do not reflect on your road builders or any other peoples roadbuilders' abll- ity-I know they must have ability or at least give them credit for same, and I believe further, if your honorable Board of Revenue would listen more to your road buiders-give them what they want in equipment and labor-they would tell you to bring your convicts- home, and let them have them and they could and would give quicker. more permanent and eco nomical results in road building. Ask them, please.t
 MT. McGeever says he does not think