The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-11-17
Conduct of Men Excellent and
Privileges Granted Them are
Appreciated, Resulting In
Increased Efficiency.

Tor the current expenses OF the lnsti-
tuition for a period of over six months,
during which time your board was
Obliged TO join with me in borrowing
money from the local banks on our
last legislature failed to make ade-
duate provisions for meeting the con-
dition that had existed for the past
two years In the state treasury, and
have not deemed IL wise to ask at
this time for the heavy appropriation
which would be required TO give us a
new cell block. While on this topic
| deem IL proper to call attention to
the fact that about two thirds of the
convicts sent to this prison for sew
eral years past have come from the
lower peninsula. OF the 326 men now
serving sentences here. 200 are from
the lower peninsula counties, these
coming from A. counties in that part
of the state. OF these, So are from
the county of Wayne, Is from Kent
from Saginaw. from Bay, 9 from
Muskegon, and from Genesee, a to-
tll VI llV llOiil SIN VI litSt III WHICH
the larger cities of the lower peninsula
are located. Almost without excep-
ton men sent from the lower PENN
sula counties are lifers or long term
men. In addition to this. we have
several men in the prison who have
been transferred from the Ionia and
Jackson prisons as incorrigibles, only
120 Of the present population of the
prison have been sent from the upper
peninsula counties.
In this connection IL may be we'll
to mention the singular fact that dur
ing the past six years not a single
convict has been received at this pri-
son from one of the judicial circuits
of the upper peninsula, that presided
over by Judge ]. ii. Steere, which is
composed of the counties of Chip
pewa, Schoolcraft, Alger and Luce,
During the first two years of my war
denship of the prison, from Sept 26,
1902, to oct. |, 1904, there was receiv-
ed from Judge Steere's circuit So pris-
oners, out of a total of 12S from the
entire fifteen counties OF the upper
peninsula, or nearly as many from the
four counties of his circuit (two Of
these. Alger and Luce, having a COM
bined population of but a little over
100000 as from the other eleven coun-
ties of the peninsula. II will readily
he seen. therefore, that but for the
wise foresight of Judge Steere in SEN
fencing men convicted of penal Of
lenses in his jurisdiction to the Jack
son and Ionia prisons the demand for
an additional cell block in this prison,
which we have thus far managed to
get along without would long since
have become imperative.
Prison Labor Problem.
At the last session of the legislature
an act was passed which was APP
proved by the governor and is now OPP
erative. providing for the abolition of
the contract system i'm the prisons of
the state. Under this law the con-
tract with Shauer Bros, in this pri-
son, for the manufacture of overalls,
on which 164 men are employed. will
expire May 1. 1913.
The contract for the manufacture
of box shocks contains a provision by
which the contractors have the privi-
lege of renewal for five years at the
expiration of the first five-year con-
tract entered into with them. which
would give them a continuance OF
their contract, should the option be
exercised, until July 81. 1916. There
are now employed on the latter con-
tract rs men. Two years from next
May. therefore one of these con-
tracts will expire and 164 men or
more will be thrown out of employ
ment in the prison unless some other
provision is made for keeping them at
work.
The law referred to contemplates
the employment of prison labor in
work best calculated to promote the
interest of the state and welfare of
the prisoners" but with this proviso
that the Industries to be established
i'm the prison shall be of such a ma
ture that their products will not con-
flict or compete with the products of
any of the established industries with
in the state" Michigan has come TO
be one of the great manufacturing
states of the Union. Capital abounds
in the state. and opportunities for its
profitable employment are being SC
eagerly and intelligently sought that
there is hardly an industry which car
be profitably conducted here that has
not already been established i'm the
state The law evidently intends that
those to be established in the prisons
shall not come into competition with
any of these. II inevitably follows
that in selecting industries for tn,
prisons those in charge OF them are
limited i'm their choice TO experiments
that private capital would not under
take. or a selection from venture.
which have been tried and proved
\ failures.
Restricted In this manner by thu
action of the legislature. IL is easy &
forsee that the time Is near at hand
when the prisons of Michigan will
| impose a greatly increased burden OF