Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-06-04
CoNvICTs TO BUILD ROADS
State Preparing Camps for Convicts
Who Will be Put to Work on
Highways

The work of establishing the con-
victs' camps for state road work has
already been commenced. Last week
thirty convicts, with guards, were
dispatched from the state peniten-
tiary to establish camp 20 miles up
the Methow river from Pateros in
Okanogan county, for work on state
road No. II. Two years ago convict
labor was used by High Commission
'er J. NJ. Snow to good advantage on
THIS road, the experiment proving so
highly satisfactory, in fact, that the
state board of control was led to
adopt the system of convict labor for
not only various state roads, but for
the tour big rock crushing plants
TO be established about the state
under authority and appropriation
of the state legislature. Bids for the
machinery for these plants, aggregat-
Ing about 100000, were opened Fri
day by the state board. Last year.
owing to the lack of funds for tkis
work, the conN lets camps were not
established.
Carefully Selected Men
The conyicts sent to No. II road
are'in charge of George Chariot, the
penitenuary guard who had charge of
the camp two years ago and also OF
he conyicts employed in the pre-
liminalg work in establishing the
state reformatory at Monroe, Snoho-
misn county. The guards have been
armed with new Remington automat-
ic peating .25 calibre rifles. But
the prisoners selected for the road
work are carefully selected men,
whose terms are nearly out or who
are working for parole and have an
excellent record, and no trouble is
anticipated from them. Good SER
vice on the roads greatly aids their
chances in obtaining an early parole
or discharge They all consider it a
privilege to get out of the prison
walls into the free air and sunlight
even though the work be hard.
Fifty Men for Lake keccnlus
Another bunch Of so conyicts will
start in week or ten days for Lake
Keechelus to work on state road No.
Z, generally known as the Snoqual-
ME pass road. The stockade and
camp have already been prepared
:. for their reception, erected on the
shore of the lake in a beautiful and
healthy location. Work on this i'm
portrait road will be pushed yigor-
ously this summer. 1t is possible that
eonyicts will be used on other state
roads before the season closes.
Benefits of Convict Road Labor
During the employment of con-
L4victs on TINS work, the cost of their
transportation, subsistence and neces-
: sary clothing is paid from the state
highway fund, which receives the
benefit of their labor, thereby reduc-
ING the expense to the penitentiary,
and giving the people good high
ways at the minimum cost, confer
ring a double benefit upon the tax
payers as we'll as permitting much
greater amoint of road work than
otherwise would be the case. The
plan of employing convict labor on
the roads meets with general favor
both from the state officials and road
EXPERTS, and from the people who
realize that in this manner convict
labor is brought into no harmful
opposition to free paid labor, but
ra.her confers a general benefit upon
the laboring element and producers
and extending good roads and aiding
Sc development of the state.