Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-29
STATE BOARD OF CONTROL
FEARS WRONG IMPRESSION
FROM cossoN REPORT. :,
LABOR CONDITIONS BETTER
UNDER BOARDS MANAGEMENT
Members Strongly Favor Commissions
Recommendation For Penal Farm
Colony-State Retains Full Control
of Convicts on Contract Work-Oth-
er Iowa News.
to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, May 29.-Contract labor
in Iowa is quite a different thing from
that which it is in many places es-
pecially in the south, according to the
state board of control, which board
fears that wrong impression will get
GU, as to conditions in Iowa from the
Cosson report.
AT the FIT Madison prison labor con-
ditions have been wonderfully i'm
proved under the board of control. The
old shops had a second story and were
low, but the floor of the second story
was taken out and ventilation was
made possible. The southern system is
to give over the convicts to the con-
tractors and they furnish the guards
and do as they please; but in Iowa the
state never loses control of the con-
Wet for a minute. This fact was not
made clear il the prison report.
State Retains Control.
The fact is. said Judge G. S Rob-
inson yesterday. that the state Of
Iowa retains full control over the con-
victs at work on the contracts. on the
principal contract, the tool company,
the men are given each one a definite
amount OF work TO Go each day and
when they have finished they quit.
Many of them get thru early in the
afternoon and some even before noon.
In rush seasons the contractors pay
them for overtime and they get quite a
sum al such times When the warden
was engaged in grading the grounds
he got over 5000 hours of labor from
men on the contracts, given to the
warden voluntarily Of the time each
day beyond the hours required for the
contract work. The men volunteered
for this extra work in order to get out
in the open"
Judge Robinson is Of the opinion the
report OF the Cosson commission will
be of great good in stirring the legis-
lature up to the necessity OF making
appropriations needed.
Commends Farm Plan.
"The reforms suggested would cost
half million dollars or more said Judge
Robinson. Farm work for the con-
victs is good, and we have been beg
ging the legislature for money with
which to enlarge our farm. But of
course farm work can not be carried
on in Iowa the year round. The sug-
gestion that the convict should receive
some compensation for his labor or
that in some way there should be given
him some personal incentive to in
dustry is in line with all modern ideas
on the subject. AS for making profit
out Of the prisons for the state that Is
another question. But there is no
question that SO far as it is possible
to do so all convicts should be given
work and be given it under conditions
that will make them feel an interest"
AS for the Jail system, Judge Robin
son as head of the Iowa conference Of
charities and corrections, for several
years placed on each program some
thing to stir up interest in this in
fanny. and the bulletins Of the board
are flied with papers on the subject
Judge Robinson has recommended as
start that the board be given the duty
of inspecting all jais