The Sentinel=record., 1911-10-19
LABOR fOR
 PRISONERS
MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE PUT AT FARM WORK EVERY
 WHERE-civEN WORK.
Simple Confinement is Not Sufficient to Ends Of Correction, Declares Speaker Before the Prison
 Congress at Omaha.


 Omaha, Oct. 1S.--"Fa rm work flor Misdemeanants" was dlscusseJ l before the American Prinson Con- gross here today by l.. A.. Halbert, general superintendent Of the Board of Public Welfare of Kansas City, Mo.
 Society" said Mir Halbert mas no right to deprive any man of the opportunity to engage in wholesome land interesting labor, even though he be a prisoner. If we have any human sympathy for, or interest in, prisoners, we will see to it that they have 8 chance to work. If any jail. Ter is indifferent to whether his prls- oners have work or not, he is not a fit person to be a iailer.
 The labor of prisoners shoura stand the same tests as that of any other person not prisoners. Any factory labor or mining or any oth- er kind of labor carried on in prison must be done under healthful condi- tions, and with reasonable hours ana no improper strain. do not be- lieve we should use the idea or give the idea to prisoners that work is punishment. We do not want to teach them to hate work. To try to make their work distasteful is crue, and senseless.,
 Breaking rock or making little |ones out of big ones, the speaker Idecried as undesirable and uncono- mical. This method he described as |antlquated.
 MT. Halbert attacked contract pri- son labor and, he said, judging from experience, he had found outdoor work the best kind for prisoners.
 "A prison farm might be just about as bad an institution as any prison If it were not properly managed" :" said MT. Halbert. T say this mere- ly to suggest that the establishment of farm for misaemeanants cos- not do away with the usual problem of prison management.
 There are. however, crtain ad- vantages of farm labor over other kinds of labor for prisoners. In the frs place the nature of farm work does away with all problems of light and ventilation. Second. there is a great variety of motions and some locomotion required in all farm work and thus all the sets of muscles in a mans body get some exercise.
 Tn the third place. farm work can be done with less previous knowledge and skill than almost any other form of productive labor. It Is espe clally necessary to have work suited Ito unskilId labor where you employ misdemenants because the police can not be depended upon to furn- ish workers trained in any particu- lar industries you may establish and because the sentences of misdemean- ants are too short for them to learn any trade while they are in custody
 q am quite well aware of the fact that it requires considerable |amount of skill and knowledge to be Ia good agriculturist- but 1t does not take long to teach man the differ |ence between an onion and a sun flower or any other weed. When you have taught him that, he Is qual- ifiei to weed tho onion patch z
 Prison camps In New zeaIand in connection with government affor- lestatlon plan were described today Iby James A. Kayll, advisory visitor of the Prison Department of Justice lof New Zcland These camps he de- lsiaie'i' nave q Teiy Important pari the prison system of that country
 The objects of the plan. he de seribed as two fold, to provile heal thy and useful occupation for prls. oners amidst surroundings which arc quite unrelated to their former hab. il of life, and to accomplish usefu labor for the state without coming into competition with free labor.
 Both of these objects have ser. tainly been gained, said Mir. Kayll
 The sites chosen for the camps ars
 a considerable distance from close population ani in districts noted fol their ineigorating climate. The prIs ,oners are out all day working a' lhard mapnaI labor either on the Asiilll