United labor bulletin., 1912-08-29
SOLVING THE CONVICT LABOR
PROBLEM IN MISSOURI.
How That State Has Dealt With This
Subject-Interesting Facts Fur
nished by RED Book"

An interesting and timely article on
the convict labor question in Missouri
is found in the 1911 Red Book issued
by Commissioner Austin w. Biggs, of
the State Bureau of Labor Statistics. An
entire chapter is devoted to this import
ant subject, which covers the year 1910
and from which the following extracts
have been taken
The Jefferson City prison shops in
1910 manufactured $3,S1S,4OS worth of
goods, consisting of boots and shoes,
brooms, mems work clothes, harness,
leather goods and saddle-trees There
were 1,635 male and Al female convicts
employed, the state receiving $374,303
for their services.
THE number of establishments and
the value of the output of each class is
as follows:
54S Clothing. 1, $1,730,O00. Harness, /,
$4,000 Leather goods, /, $31, ,0S9. Sad
dletrees, l, s132,S64.
THE total expenses of operating these
eight factories, including value of raw
material, amount paid to state for con-
vict labor, rent, taxes, insurance and
miscellaneous expenses, was $3,OS3,991,
which, being deducted from the total out
put of ,S1s,417. leaves profit to the
operators of s734,417.
'Ine output OIL tneSe prlSOn ldClOileS
has grown from $2,S17, ,432 in 1907 to the
present figures, although the year 1903
exceeded 1910 by few thousand dollars.
and it is expected that from now on each
year will see decrease in the amount
of goods manufactured in the prison
shops.
I'm addition to the eight factories
mentioned above there are three other
plants in the penitentiary owned and op-
Grated by the state. In these factories
are produced twine, ice and electricity.
Each of these plants has an Outside
man. as superintendent, while the
manual labor is done by convicts.
"The twine plant employed IA convicts
in 1910 and produced $22,075 worth OF
twine; the ice plant employed con-
victs, who produced 1,S00 tons of ice,
which took only one-third of the capac-
| ity of the plant, the balance being de-
voted to refrigeration purposes. Eleven
conyicts worked in the electric light
plant, which furnishes light to all the
state departments, the value of the cleo
tricity produced being estimated at
$4,000.
1.-The year 1911 saw partial solution
of the troublesome convict labor prob
lem, when the Legislature enacted law
which is to eventually abolish the let
ner by contract the convict labor in the
penitentiary in the state of Missouri, or
in any other penal or reform institution
in the state of Missouri
while this bill in a measure solves
the convict labor problem and will have
tendency to prevent the convictmade
goods from coming in competition with
commodities produced by free, honest,
higher paid and more skilled workers.
which is a condition greatly to be de-
sired, yet there still remains unsolved
grave questions which must be met and
which are now being given deep study
and close attention by the leading men
and women of the state.
The most important question yet to
be solved is that of the disposition to be
made of the convicts after they shall
have ceased to be employed by the varf
GUS contractors, as is done now True.
the law provides tina. the warden shall
employ conyicts in manufacturing arti-
cles for use of state institutions.