Evening times-Republican., 1914-02-18
soARo OF CONTROL WORKING
OUT SYSTEM TO sE ,NAue.
uRATEp.
VARIOUS SMALL lNpusTRlEs
PROBABLY WILL De INSTALLED
Board Soon 70 Make Visit 60 saltwater
in ordsr 70 Study Minnesota Plan
Binder Twins Department. Said 70
BE Payins-sems Of Present In.
dustries 70 % Continued.
special to Times-Republican.

SpeClaI TO I1meS-ttopuDl1can.
Des Moines, Feb. 1S.-There does
not seem to be any doubt that the plan
Of the state legislature and state Of
! ficials to effect change in the prison
labor system Of the state will be ac-
| complished within a reasonable time.
| Everything seems to be working to that
END.
The success of the working of men
on the highways, the success of the
i. warden in working men outside the
prison at Fort Madison, and the es-
tablishment in small way of in
| dustries in the prison and reformatory,
all point to adoption Of modern sys-
tenn. 1t is fortunate that there is now
In office a board of control in full SYM
pathy with the reform plans of the
best people of the state and that all
state officials are working in harmony.
To Visit saltwater.
Very soon the members Of the board
OF control will go to saltwater to make
personal investigation into the system
there and to see how far the methods
used there can be adopted. In this
Minnesota prison they have estab-
Ashed not only the famous twine plant
but good machine shop and factory.
The profit to the state from this big
business last year was about half
million dollars. But 1T would not be
fair to say this was real profit, for most
OF 1t was the result Of good guess in
speculation, namely, the purchase of
an immense quantity of sisal hemp at
very low price and subsequent rise
IN the price. But it is reported to the
Iowa board from Minnesota that the
prison at Saltwater made about $50, 900
on tbs agricultural implement factory.
They made $500 grain binders, 5000
mowers. and 1900 rakes. The state has
patents on its machinery and was
fortunate in getting the services Of
skilled inventor and designer.
Money in Binder Irvine.
The binding twine plant at Saltwater
continues to be valuable proposition
Tor the state. aside from the opportun-
lty Tor fine speculative profit on the
good Judgment Of the warden on pur-
chase of raw material, and continues to
make profit every year. But this 10
said to be hardly conclusive that the
making or binding twine IL a profitable
thing for any prisen industry, because
six other states have tried making
binding twine and have failed to get
satisfactory results. There was a bin
urged in the Iowa legislature for two
or three sessions to establish q binding
twine plant in Iowa but 1t always in
volved expenditure Of an immense sum
IN investment and working capital and
the legislature feared the result might
prove disastrous.
To Establish Small Industries.
1t is the thought Of the present board
OF control. and it has been working to-
ward this end somewhat gradually
from the first, that small industries can
be established without great expense at
both Anamcsa and Fort Madison and
these can easily be expanded with ex-
perience.
After the visit to the saltwater
prison the board probably will soon
take up the matter of starting some in
dustries In addition to those already
begun. The plan has been all along to
continue. if possible, some of the in
dustries at the prison and reformatory
until such time as the industries on
state account can be started. While the
work probably will not be any different
or any the less irksome where it is done
on state account it is supposed to be
less Objectionable to the convicts than
where there are private contractors
with the work done under state SUPER
vision. as is the case now.
II the present state administration
can have two or three years in Which to
work out the plans long ago laid there
Is no doubt whatever that wholesome
revolution will have been effected.