The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-11
10, Russell | shelby l5, St. Clair l, Sun ter 24 and Taladega IS.
 The SlOss Company Contract

inc SlOSS SOupdhy SOi"S'
 The other big contract made by MT. Oakley was with the Sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron company. This contract at the present time is being investigated by Gov ernor O'Neal and he has given an un- mistakable intimation that it's terms will be changed.
 The contract was made January l, 19l2 and will run for three years. The com pany employs at Flat Top 25O convicts of the state, and pays for coal mined and free from slate, 421s cents per ton. The contract last year brought the state minimum price of 45 cents per ton, and an actual price of about 30 cents It is esti- mated that the old contract netted the sate per man per month s40,2l
 It was not the original intention of the state to make the contract on a flat basis of 42is cents. This is proved in the fact that contained in the contract and care fully marked out with pen, is the foi- lowing: But if at any time or times during the life of this contract the price paid to free miners in the Birmingham district is increased beyond f21a cents, ae- cordinS to what is known as the Pratt scale, then during the time any such in creased prices are paid to free miners, the party of the second part Ghe company) VIII pay lO lue party ol tue iit't PHi . (the state) corresponding increased price per ton for all coal mined and de- ivered hereunder during such time or times
 There has never been a definite expla- nation of the reason why the price in the present contract was reduced from that of the first. Governor O'Neal stated yesterday that when this contract was being considered, Col. J. c. Maben. presi- 1Ft Lo n that under the Conner regime he was forced to pay more for convict labor than any other company of the district. and that under the terms of the old contract he had operated under burden unde- served and unfair "Following this state ment," said the governor, "I left the mat ter entirely in the hands of MP. Oakley, The contract was drawn up and signed. I am now of the opinion that whereas the original contract might have worked a burden on the company, the new is based on a price too low
 There was recently considerable agi- tation in reference to the docking system as was agreed upon by the of ficials of the Sloss company and the state superintendent of mines There is nothing in the contract concerning docking" but there is a provision that the convicts shall deliver the coal "clean and free from slate" Uuder the terms of this contract, the state main tains the convicts. MT. Oakley is well pleased with the terms of the docu- ment, and states his belief unreserved- ly that as a result of the agreement. the state will reap a handsome profit.
 On the State Farms
 For the maintainance of the convicts of the state, 225 of the convicts are employed at Wetumpka in the culti- vation of 2000 acres of ground. These convicts at the present time are also constructing a state tuberculosis hos pital. The state grows and gins great number of bales of cotton at Wetump- ka, and the money obtained from the sale of this staple goes into the gen. general convict fund.
 The state maintains a large insti- tuition at Speigner. The cotton mill is there and 2000 acres of ground in cul- tivation., Three hundred and fifty con- victs, 75 of whom are women, are em- ployed at Speigner. and in addition to cotton and corn, the convicts make large quantity of the cheaper grades of cloth-ducks, stripes and osnaburg.
 No. is a state farm on the Tallapoosa river in Montgomery county, consisting of 25OO acres, 542 of which at price of $40 per acre were purchased last year. One hundred men are employed on this farm Corn is the chief crop, and the department states that on many of the acres of the farm as many as 100 bush els of corn per acre are produced.
 The convict bureau authorizes the infor- nation that the convicts on the farm are self supporting and furnish large pro- portion of the food and clothing fed and furnished the convicts employed in the mines and in the turpentine camps. The state reaps a neat profit each year from the work of the convicts employed in the cotton mill.
 As shown above, there are 750 county convicts employed in the state. The great bulk of these are working for the Pratt Consolidated Coal and Iron company. the number in January having been S4S. Of this number, Jefferson county furnished a total of 1s5. The Pratt ct1iA '1ss Ea''s