The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-11-04
PROTEST AGAINST
CONVICT MADE
HANDKERCH|EFS
Manufacturers, Through Former
State Sen. Barrett, Make Seri-
Gus Charges to freehoIders.
COMPETITION STIFLED BY
CHEAP SELLING PRICE
Also Assert That Material Used
Is Dangerous to Eyes
of Users.

Formal protest has been made By
letter by former State Senator Michae.
T. Barrett, attorney for several manu-
facturers Of handkerchiefs In this city.
to Director Ougheltree, of the Board Of
Freehoiders. against the way the con-
tract for the handkerchiefs made II.
the Essex county penitentiary is being
carried out Senator Barrett delayed
sending the letter until after election
ir order that his action might not be
misconstrued in meaning that he
wished to bring up any discussion
which might be used by either side as
campaign material
In his letter Mr.. Barrett states that
the price at which the handkerchief.
ere sold makes IL impossible for ar
honest manufacturer employing honest
labor to compete. Where II costs from
three-quarters of cent to a cent 2
dozen to make the articles in the prison
the outside maker must pay in tbs
neighborhood OF four to fve cents.
In addition to that, Mr.. Barrett says
that he is informed that the material
used to make the handkerchiefs is OF
such a quality that working on It II
most injurious to the eyes. He de-
clares that his informant also stated
that the eyes of most Of the prison
workers have already been affected and
that further work might have perrna-
nently serious results to their eyesight
Another matter taken up is that Of
/ the label According to law each
article made by prison labor must be
stamped in such way that there can
be no nistaking it for the product ef
outside work Mr.. Barrett claims that
none of the articles are stamped and
that the only designation mark Is a
tcard placed in the boxes containing the
! finished ARTICLES, Even these, he states.
are removed as soon as the handker-
chiefs reach the hands Of the retailer
In response to the letter the director
wrote Mr. Barrett that he would take
the matter up at the next meeting OF
the Board of Freeholders. which will
take place on November II. There IS q
meeting of the penitentiary COMMITTEES
to be held this afternoon and it is prob
able that the matter will come up then
for preliminary discussion
| Legal steps to force the discontinue
ance of the manufacture Of the hand
be taken Immediately after the board
| irregularities of the work
Leo Weiner, for twelve years con-
nected with the I. Lehman Handker-
| chief Company. in speaking Of the way
the contract work was being done, said:
"An honest manufacturer cannot be-
gin to compete with prison labor work.
The Board of Freeholders should at once
take steps to see that the state law on
! Al. ccl md = ear
article made is stamped with the prison
stamp II the board does not act the
manufacturers will take the matter into
their own hands and see what the
courts can do to have the law obeyed-' =
The Freeholders' committee viii rs-
ceive the written opinion of County
Counsel Joseph L. Mum as to the tag
gipe of the handkerchiefs made by
| Jerome NJ. Schwerin. who has the
prison contract for the job. 1t is to the
effect that the tagging has been prop
erly done.
Another manufacturer H Bornemann.
of the Newark Embroidery Company
was equally urgent that the contractor
for the prison labor be compelled to oh
serve the law.
1T costs him probably from a quar-
ter to a third of what it does US to
manufacture handkerchiefs." he said.
I,'His factory expenses are practically
nothing. He has his room free and the
county looks after the people who
work for him.
4 "The same man has the contract for
the work at Trenton and in Essex
county, and the output is SO great that
it is impossible q compete with him
II he will have each handkerchief
stamped. as the law requires, it viii be
all right
i