The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-13
The Tennessee Company Employs State COnyicts
 No Longer
CRAWFORD'S LETTER
 READ INTO RECORD
President of Company Said He Desired to Eventually Get Rid of Con yicts, But Notice Had
 Been Too Short
BY WALTER HARPER

Washington. tepfuafE lA-tcpeIiaa'i-% James c. Oakley. president of the Ala bsma convict board, was before the star1- ley steel Investigating committee for only a few minutes today.
 The feature of his testimony brought out by the chairman and other members of the committee was that the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company does not now employ state oonvicts In the operation of their mines or other plants.
 Crawford's Letter MT. Oakley read into the record let ter received from President Gordon craw- ford last November in which MT. Graw- ford had protested that his company mad not been given full opportunity to re- new It's lease for state oonVicts; that his company desired to eventually get rid of convict labor, but that it would have liked to have had another year in which to prepare for taking care of free labor. Tho Tennessee's contract expired January l, last, when the men at the Tennessee ' camps were transferred to the Banner mines of the Pratt Consolidated Coal and Iron company.
 MT Oakley stated that the Tennessee company still employs county convicts.s but said that he understood that the com- pany intended to drop these at the end of the existing contracts with nine couu- ties still in force. x
 Cancelling Contracts
 At this juncture Attorney Reed, rep resenting the Steel corporation, secured the insertion of a telegram from Presi- dent Crawford in which Mir. Crawford said that his company now has lS2 county convcts. but would get rid of those dur-
 ing this year. No new contracts for eouu- ty convicts had been made since Feb ruary of last year and no others will be made.
 Alr. Oakley was questioned as to the classhcation oc. county ana state cpff victs. He explained that all conviets sens tenced for any crime for less than two years were handled as county convicts and those for longer terms as state con- victs. Felones are often punished as county convicts. The committee seemed to be under tho impression that the dis tincton is made as between misdemean- ors and felons.
 Not Questioned as to Treatment
 MT. Oakley was not questioned as 10 Inc treatment of prisoners in the camps, though he was led to testify that men were sometimes sent to the mines for Sunday violations which might be play ing golf or cards and for other such minor offenses. When MT. Oakley in- cuded violation of the prohibition laws as one of the offenses punishable under the state statutes, Chairman Stanley wanted to know if people were sent to tho mines for taking drink railroad trains or on Sunday.
 Chairman Stanley brought out the in- formation that after the contract had been closed with the Pratt Consolidated company for the state convicts strong ef- forts were brought to bear to have the contract annulled and the contract with the Tennessee company renewed. He did not go into details, but concluded by saying that the Pratt Consolidated con- tract was continued in force after the company had guaranteed that the state would not lose in the operation.
 MT Oakley will leave for Alabama to- morrow.