Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-10

| A penal institution without pris-
oner in stripes. That is what tht
Essex county penitentiary at Cald'
well will be in a very short time. In.
stead the prisoners at the county in
stitution will be clothed in brown
trousers of khaki material. a few
shades darker than that worn by tht
United States regular army.
About so per cent. of the prisoners
at the institution now have the brown
trousers and caps, while all of them
have the blue shirts that will com
plete the uniform. The brown trousers
are being turned out as fast as the
women prisoners can make them, and
a couple of weeks more will see the
black and white striped suits, mark
ing a man as a convict, almost a
thing of the past.
Not entirely so, for the striped suits
are to be kept and used as a means
of furnishing prisoners for infractions
of the rules All prisoners who obey
the rules and regulations of the prison
win have the blue shirt and brown
trouser uniform and only the rule
breakers win be forced to wear the
hated striped uniforms.
Many Other Reforms.
This is one of the many reforms
that have been put in effect by War
den Ferdinand j. Hosp. following out
the advanced ideas for governing the
institution adopted by the Board of
in, or c1o1of q N
months.
Strange as 1t may seem, in an in
stitution that for several years past
has had many prisoners lying idle in
cells with nothing to do, there is right
at the present time less help than is
actually needed to do the work of the
institution. This Is due to the fact
that prisoners are now working on
the county roads and in the quarry
and stone-erushing plant at the
prison, as we'll as on the farm.
And that is some farm. One that
any up-to-date farmer might be
proud of On it is raised all of the
produce needed by the institution
during the summer time, as well as
big crop of potatoes and other veg
etables for use during the winter
months On a recent visit to the in
stitution the writer noticed gangs of
prisoners at work on five different
sections of the farm, besides a big
gang working in the quarry and at
the stone-crusher. On that day, last
Wednesday, there were 1872 male pris-
oners in the institution, and of that
number every single one, with the ex-
eeption of three who were i'll, were at
work some place around the prison.
At the present time the greatest in
terest in the prison work is In the
slowly plans for the work
ing of prisoners on the county roads
This plan was the original suggestion
of Director Walter A. Evans, of the
Board of Freeholders, and in carrying
it out he is having the earnest CO.
operation of Warden Hosp and c.
Richard Siday. the deputy warden.
The conception Of the plan included
first the installation of a stone-crush-
ing machine with a capacity of sew
enty-flve tons day. AS the prison.
ers work only eight hours a day. the
machine is not run to full capacity
the daily output being about fifty
tons.
With the erusher installed, Other
plans were suggested by Mr.. Evan;
and are already being carried out e
a great extent. The work Of quarry.
ing the stone, and operating thu
crusher of course, comes right undel
the prison committee, there being any
quantity of stone on the prison