Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-07
GOVERNOR URGES
PRISON REFORMS
In Message to Assembly He
Asks for Passage of Cor
receive Bills.
CALLS PENAL INSTITUTION
CONDITIONS DEPLORABLE
Declares They Will Grow Worse
Unless Remedied at
Once.
Especial to the Evening star

TRENTON, April 7.-Calling for
action on bills providing for the aboli-
tlon OF the prison contracts and other
important prison reforms, Governor
Fielder sent the following message
to the Assembly last night:
ITO the Assembly;
Permit me to direct your atten-
ton to the series of bills now in your
hands. designed to complete the abol-
ition of our prison contract system
and to bring some order out of the
chaos in which the emp oyment and
management of convicts in our State
Prison is involved. Although the
subject of prison reform has engaged
the attention OF members of the Leg
islature and others for several years,
but little progress has been made,
and while a law to abolish contract
labor was enacted two years ago,
nearly all contracts expiring since
the passage of that law have been
extended because the Legislature
made no adequate provision for the
employment of prisoners. If the bills
to which I shall refer are not passed,
the disgraceful condition of affairs
must continue until the attention of
some Legislature can be sufficiently
aroused to provide the necessary
remedy.
What Efficiency Board Said.
1.-The report of the Economy and
Efficiency Commission has this to asy
on the subject:
The result of all this Legislation
upon the State prison is that it is
very difficult to say that there is any
person, or body of persons. really
responsible for the management of
the prison and the prisoners. The
principal keeper has some authority
as has also the supervisor, the in
Prison Labor Commission and the
Board of Parole. Disputes have
arisen, and the attorney general on
several occasions has been appealed
to for advice as to the respective
rights and duties of the various Off
cials and boards. Towards the close
of the last session of the Legislature
the friction between the different
officers and boards became quite evil
dent. 1t also became evident that
there was a possibility that the
prisoners would suffer, that employ
ment would not be provided for all
and that many would spend their
time in idleness which, experience
has shown, leads to both physical and
moral deterioration
1.-The bills to which / refer are As
sembly bills 146, lat, 14S, 149, $50, 1888
and 642.
Relative to Prison Farm.
bill 146 reappropriates for the
prison farm the sum of $4,000 al
lowed by the Legislature of last year
so that stock, implements, provisions
and seeds can be purchased without
increasing the amount of the ap-
preparation.
bill 147, by committee substitute,
provides for a prison labor commits
sion to regulate and supervise the
labor of inmates of penal, correctional
and reformatory institutions, with
power to establish a wage system fol
such inmates.
"Bin 14S repeats the parole law of
| last year and will leave the power
of parole with a new board of prison
| inspectors created under one of the
other bills.
"Bin 149, by committee substitute,
reorganizes the prison management
and vests the control in new board
| Of inspectors, making the keeper of
| the prison the chief executive officer
of the board and placing the super
visor of the prison under its direc-
ton. This bill eliminates the many
different kinds of authority; cen.
tralizes and simplifies the whole
/ system.
"Bin $50, by committee substitute,
! authorizes convict labor on public
work through the commissioner OF
roads and other State departments
"Bi'l 2S3, by committee substitute,
permits the employment of county
prisoners on county work and pro-
Vides q wage system.
"Bill 642 amends the indeterminate
sentence act and provides for parole