Arizona republican., 1914-08-21
PLAN WORK FOR
 UNEMPL0YEO0N STATE HIGHWAYS
Gov. Hunts Suggestion to Return COnvicts to Peni- tentiary Meets With Hearty Endorsement of Bisbee Men

In order to afford means of livelihood to a part of AriZona's un- employed citizens, convict labor on the Tombstone -Bisbee highway is likely to be abolished, following a suggestion of Governor Hunt to the board of supervisors of Cochise county. The governors plan has met with the hearty endorsement of the business men of Bisbee- Warren dis trict
 At present between seventy and eighty convicts are being employed between Tombstone and Bisbee. The governors plan is to return these men to the penitentiary, and to SUD- plant them with workingmen who are at. present out of employment owing to the curtailment of operations in the mining industry. In proposing this arrangement he wrote the board Of supervisors in part as follows:
 August F. 1914. Gentlemen:
 In view of the serious situation created by the curtailment of opera tions in the different mines of this state, and particularly of Cochise county, on account of the effect of the European wars upon the copper market, I desire to offer a suggestion in the execution of which the state government will cooperate, should it meet with your approval.
 AS you are aware, prison labor is at this tune being employed al most exclusively on highway con- struction carried on jointly by the state and county in the vicinity of Risbee While no considerable num- Der of men are being employed on this project, the fact remains that through the temporary withdrawal of prisoners from the Cochise county road camp some seventy or eighty workingmen, who have recently been thrown out of employment, could be afforded a means of livelihood during the present stringency.
 While such a change in the work ing force of the road camp would. doubtless, result in an increased cost of road construction, nevertheless. under the unusual circumstances now
 
 this arrangement would eventually inure to the best interests of Cochise county and of the state of Arizona.
 T would, therefore, greatly appre- ciate any immediate consideration which you might give to the proposal contained in this letter, and should we be agreed upon the plan to be adopted affecting the road construc- ton in your county. I would gladly. at your instance. take prompt steps to have the prisoners returned to the penitentiary, thus extending employ ment to part of the workingmen of COchise county, who are now without positions.
 Trusting that the proposition out lined in this letter may have your approval and support, I am, Sincerely yours, GEO. W. P. HUNT, Governor of Arizona Board of Supervisors. 'Cochise County.
 Tombstone, Arizona" In reply to the above letter, tele- gram was received yesterday from the Warren District Commercial club expressing the unqualified endorse ] ment of that organization of the proposal to return convicts from state highway work and supplement- ing them with as many men as possible from among the American unemployed. The telegram also stat cd that the club had been steadily oiscouraging the coming to that dis trict of those seeking employment | and that this policy would be adhered l to in the future.
 No answer as yet has been re- ceived from the Cochise county board Of supervisors. and as the road work l is being done in cooperation between the county and the state. it is not likely that any action will be taken | by the state engineer until the ap- proval of the county authorities has | been given.
 Governor Hunt also has written to l the board of supervisors of Greenlee county asking that the new road work which is about to be com l meHced there be done by day labor. in order to afford employment to | miners who are temporarily out of l work
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