The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-02
THE FARMER APRIL 2. 1910
NVICT MADE GOODS
 NEW YORK
C0MuLcT

|
 v1cts of Other States Flood the Mar
 ket-The Department of Labor
 tice to Free Labor.
 B. stagg whitin.
 Member Executive Committee of Ma l tional Committee on Prison Labor.
 Exclusive Service The Survey Press Bureau9
 The great markets of New York City ed by convicts in the penal institu- tions. While the system of selling goods made by convicts in New York Prisons only to State institutions pre- vailS in New York state, thus keep ing these goods from the open market, the influx of wares from prisons out
 side the State amounts yearly to 1nal- lions of dollars worth of goods with
 which the products of free labor can
 not compete. The Department of La
 Dor of New York state, of which John
 Williams is Commissioners, has striven
 to stop these inroads by the enforce
 ment Of the state licensing laws but
 has been restrained by decision of are unconstitutional.
 The Court of Appeals of New York
 mas mas nefore 1t at the @ present time tne
 This opinion will be watched for with
 interest in every state where prison SCOOS are nanufacCureQ. SnOuid the law prove constitutional it will be wig orously enforced by the State author tties, thus practically prohibiting the sale of these goods. If 1t proves un- probably be resorted to.
 The bearing of this decision upon the markets of New York State and incidentally the whole country, was brought out last week at a hearing l before the Labor Committee of the | House of Representatives, when it l rfciT 4Y1- dustr1es there have grown co1nbina- | ttons Or trusts of prison contractors 1 who control the markets in these com nodities because of their ability deriv- ed from the cheapness of the labor to undersel1 the goods made from free factories. Besides affecting the great markets of the country and making idle the working people in many com the conditions of nanufac- ture of these goods in many states were shown to be not only unfair to. the prisoners but denoralfzing to the prison authorities.
 The difficulty of regulating nanu- lecture by convicts is apparent and many attempts have been made in the Legislatures of different states to sat sfy first the Labor Union. then the authorities who are anxious to make heir prisons self supporting. To get hese several interested parties to orTn . National Connittee on Prison I labor has been organized in New York 1ty with Thomas R. slicer as Chair nan. It numbers among it's mem [ 'ers Prof. Charles R. Henderson, President Of the National Prison Con- erence, Hamilton Holt of the Inde- ;tates Commissioner of Labor; Warren I ,. Stone, Grand Chief of the Brother-1 ( lood of Locomotive Engineers; Clar- nee J. shearn of the New York Amer [ can, John S. Huyler and Congress- 8 nan William s. Bonnet. This commit c ee is organized to bring about in i -&1[ G lem that the manufacture of convict oods may be continued to pro ide developmental work for the con ict which will be profitable to the i tate and at the same time do away a yith the unfair competition and all e he demora1izing effects incident to it. 1ethod of employing convicts will t robably cause this subject to be 8 e natter Of discussion before the In- g emotional Prison Conference at Wash VI 1gton in October, and the attitude of II rance, Germany and England to this V ubject will be sure to attract the at O
 not generally realized here that for n yer a hundred years France has re- ognfzed under law the right of pri- u oners to the wages they earn over T nd above the amount needed for U laintenance. She also protects them W nder the General Labor Laws and se- Il ccident under the Employers Liabil- u y Law. The German and English 1 ystems upon which the American has risoner to wage or any other protec- on incident to the labor. In actual ractfce in many states of the Union onus some reward varying from a M tile tobacco to a fixed percentage P the earnings of the prison, but in fc ) case does this exceed 8 few cents VI
 day. These amounts are paid for al
 prescribed stint and are often used bt r the support of the prisoners fam CT IA, 1t the nrison contractors to enter in ds
 agreement with the prisoners for pl eir extra time, that is, the overtime tn ,ove and beyond the stint. These
 are supposed to be volun- m ry between the prisoner and the al and the pay is regulated fe ature is that they have not the ys of the law the prisoner on finds when he attempts to as- wi Tt his rights. The result is a na- be ral tendency on the part of the St many of whom are estin- 'le men, to exploit the prisoners to SC eless as 1aiborer. or the warden terferes for fear the interests Of the at ate to the prisoners work will be- DO 1ich exist in many of our prisons, Ia, e not only cruel to the prisoner and Be fair to free labor, but are unsatis- CT mplain of their failure to procure ell g best work of men who are confin- stl
 under these conditions. In several CO ateS attempts have been made to el1 1end the Pen0 Labor Law so as Ia1
 give a fairwage to the prisoner and otect 1t by law It has been point CO
 out that such a wage would take vay the taint from the prison made lis ods, would guarantee that they do gr t undersell goods manufactured in ? markets, or displace in an unjust ha " the free labor in the community fly ou1d the French system be adopted '
 this country, the prisoner would to Il remain a 1aborer with. his rights I
 such, but would simply be confined for thin a penal institution for the safe l of the community. tht The National Government has no I fo re0111afe f11a 011eSfion If