The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-09
.CONvICIS LEASED
At BETTER PRICE
STATE PENITENTIARY HOARD
CLOSES CONTRACT WITH
OVERALL MANUFACTURERS.
is 70 E.GN {, NCEkN
RICHMOND WILL RE MADE HEAD
QUARTERS OF COMPANY
WHICH CONTROLS STRING
OF FACTORIES.

At practically double the price
per diem now paid Tor the labor
sf the conFicts- confined witnin tho
State prison. the penltentia4y board
yesterday closed contract with the
Star Clothing Manufacturing COM
yaDy OF jefferson City, Mo, for
fFe-ycar lease.
BY the terms of the contract the
Star company assumes control Of sath
convict labor as Is allotted by the
superintendent on October /, 1913,
pay ing for the privilege e!gnty-hve
cents for male convicLS and ht:y cents
for women. and cenN erting the shoe
Plant maintained by the present con-
tractors into an overall iacto1Y,
To Start Plant outside,
The lease of the Thacker Shoe ccin-
pany expires May st, ana tnat con-
Germ VIII shift The scene Of operations
to a big new plant conducted with
free labor, which it is now erecting
on Fast Franklin street Tnls con-
Germ paid The Ccmmonwe alth forty
two cents per di IN for the male pTis-
ouers and wentY-eight Genus day
for the women, So that the price per
diem to he received from the new
I lessces lacks only five cents Of doub-
ling the old contract price.
Under the statute enacted by the
last general assembly some of the
r0nVicts may he ased for woIA on
the public roads after May !, 1V13,
hut the superintendent Of the STATE
prison is permitted to reserve wIthin
the walls of the peniteutiary such
dangerous criminals ~ ne thinks 1t
. unwise To put on EcR2 work, to the
number of 500, and the labor Of this
latter class viii bc utilized by the
new contractors in their overall fac
/ tory.
Close he Contract,
The penitentiary board. which
opened the five bids submitted on
Saturday last and deferred action,
held the adjourned meeting behind
closed doors in the governors office
yesterday afternoon at $50 o'clock
continuing in session over two hours
All of the members of the board were
present, as were also Governor Mann
Or. Nastin. of the state board nf
charities and corrections. and Super
intendent wood, Of the State prison.
: the last named having been con-
stituted an adjunct advisory trio by
the last general assembly Present
also were Attorney General Samuel
w. Williams and the assistant artor-
ney- general Colonel Davis, who
passed upon the legal aspects Of the
BID and the contract submitted by the
Star Clothing Manufacturing com
pany
i James T. Houchin. manager of the
Star company. and .. II. Chairman,
/ the superintendent, appeared in per
SOFT before the board to plead the
( cause of their company d.dn
( require much pleading in view of the
.gures offered for the convict labor
t and signed the contract on be
| half of their concern in the presence
Of the board. both gentlemen re-
/ turning 10 Missouri on an early train
( last night.
j Forced 30 Sign Amhavit.
Before the deal was closed. how
ever, the representatives of the Star
( Manufact uring company We're requir-
ed to sign an affidavit to the effect
that their company had no connection
whatsoever with the Reliance Manu-
I featuring company Of Chicago. con-
Germ engaged in Il similar line 81
/ human endeav0r. which &eefns, for
/ some reason 70 have gotten into dls-
repute WITH rrrrrthers of the board.
/ Over ar hour was consumed by the
board in wrestling with this pnH se
! NJ the situation. two af1iday1ts hay
! ing been drawn before the one sat
! isfact0ry 10 the attorney genera. Eas
secured and then the represe natives
| were called into the inner sancfuT
| TO sign it.
There were five bids submitted to
the board at the meeting last Satur
! day-lhe one from the Star Manu-
| featuring company, one from ThackeI
| Shoe company, which holds the pres
ent contract; the I4ulsin company
| Virginia; May Hosiery company,
| Nashville. Tenn. and the Shauei
| COMPANY Chicago,
Nnk,, Richmond Headquarters.
II is significant fact that the
| company which has secured the con-
tract Was attracted 10 Richmond b3
| reason of it's water transportation IA
! c1ttieS and convenience to the
I Panama canal Mr. FTouchin stated
Yesterday that his com any proposed
TO establish a plant outside the prison
maintained with free labor in add
/ ticn TO the prison plant, and Rich
/ mond will be made headquarters OF
/ the company which operates string
Of factories They were attracted tc
! Richmond. he said, by reason of the
| fact that they could ship their pro
ducts by water through the Panama
canal via the James river and the
Atlantic ocean, TO Pacific coast
I poiirrs: etf1eafe tFan lneS% ctfi3s *nf(
frc,Yln Missouri factories Is the same
! points IN fact. he said. the rates
| by this aIl-water route from Rich
| mond would be cheaper even to In
terror points from the Pacific coast
than trcm jefferson City.
He declared that the policy Of the
company was to pay good prices for
it's labor and to treat the conyicts
like men. teaching them valuable
trades and uplifting them mentally
! and morally The company employs
, a bonus system for the benefit Of its
( convict laborcrs based on meritortous
work instead OF overtime work and
/ distributed the past Christmas $1,000
I in cash gifts among its workmeu In