The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-08

ta1king and get back to work pros perity will come. And all but two or three are now working. When the oth- CTS start the wheels of prosperity will begin to revolve at high speed"
 -~ department under the two systems will show approximately the following re- suits:
 Two Systems Compared
 During the past four years the state leased out to the Pratt Consolidated Coal and Iron company. owners of Pratt and Banner mines, an average of 332 men, who operated the mines. The gross earnings for four
 years were ......... $905, 5,S9S.S7 Expenses 39S,124.6s
 Net earnings .............. $507,774.1S
 The average number of men leased to ,.lc Aeii.. ~ssee coal, Iron and Rail- road company for the previous four years was 450.
 ihe receipts for their hire were .................... .$S29, ,S53. 46 Disbursements for mainten- .4.1N ana salaries ........ 32,630. 05
 The above figures show that, under the old system, 450 men earned In foui
 5-5 in excess of 332 men in the same period, under the present system. Comparing these figures more closely. the convicts at Pratt and Ban ner mines during the past four years earned a net average of $31S7 per mon tn or s3S2.44 per year.
 On the basis of 450 men employed their earnings for one year would have amounted to $172,09S, or $6SS,392 in four years, showing an excess under the present system in earning capacity Of convicts over the old system of nearly $100, 900 for 450 men in four years. "The above comparison is made on the basis of an average of 450 men working for the Tennessee Coal and and Iron company as against an aver ] age of 332 conviets at the Pratt and i Banner mines during the present ad- ministration. The records of the con vict department show while the old contract with the Tenenssee Coal, Iror and Railroad company called for 45C men, this number was rarely, if ever actually supplied by the state" 1 Other figures show that the state had an average of 263 convicts at the Sloss- Sheffield mines at Flat Top during the past four years, whose net earning fo. that time were s435,745.30.
 The state maintained an average oi 250 convicts at that mine during the previous administration. whose nei earnings for four years were $402,- 4Io.35.
 The average net earnings per mar per month at Flat Top was $34.52 fol
 rsst four years, the largest at an. of the mines.
 1 Cemparsson of the profits from convict aDOr at other mines would show prac- ticaily the same results, pretty fail
 s-- sto.-n Tn the earnings o a~<~ ha nv Tae a4adrennial report of the depart saert will show some interesting figure: 6n the result of convict labor during the Dass four years. The net earnings of the r--<s'~-s %. Pratt and Banner mines and at Flat Top have been shown. The ne profits from convict labor at other mines
 Lucne. owned by Red Feather Coal com pany, ls5 men:
 Gross earnings in four years ....sia1, ,22o 8 Expenses lFs,S4a ,s'
 Belle Ellen. average men 2oo I Gross earnings t4o0, ils z Expenses .......................... 125,zgpsT 1
 Net profits ........................t2I .t2Ie, ,ssss ss l In addition to these four mines, th state seven months ago leased about ib men to the Aldrich mine. owned by m l Monteyallo Coal company. Their fs ea'rings for this period was SIG, s55svs
 The gross earnings, therefore. from tb labor Of convicts in the five mines fo the past four years were s2b12,y15,bi, ph' the expenses were sl,0l3,22 42, leaving ta ha totc far m faf of s1, ,499, ,Gi6 09.
 The earnings of the conyicts in tn mines during the Conner admnistratiol | were $1,11S11S GA. though the state did no have contracts with the several mine op orators during that entire period Tn ! connarisons made above. however, ar based on the four years employment 0 conyicts.
 Earnings of Convicts at Camps
 The profits to the state from the ieas of convicts to the various lumber and tuf pentine camps for the past four year were:
 Henderson Lumber Co.,, Sam
 ford .......................... .$1oS, lo4'' Horseshoe Lumber Co.,. River
 Falls ......................... oS,5oS' < Henderson-Boyd Lumber Co.,,
 Richburg .......................... oi.oo1't Alabama Turpentine Go. 30,566.s l Henderson Turpentine Co.,, | Shreve .......................... 5,lV.l Alabama Manufacturing Co. at
 Birmingham ..............,...... zS'VoS.' Theole-Philiips Mfg. Co. at Flor
 ence ......................... 73,0bI j Sellers & Bullard at Samson.... 51.914.!
 Some of the contracts with the sbov