New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-13
DR.. DAVIS'S DIET
SAVES CITY CASH
Scientific Food in Prisons
Cuts Price of Living
S66,500 a Year.
S244 ANNUAL COST
OF EACH PRISONER
Commissioners Report Tells of
Farm Work, Drug Evil Fight
and Guard Shortage.

For every prisoner confined in Gus
tody Of the Department Of Correction
the City Of New York has to pay S244.37
a year, according TO the annual report
Of Commissioner Katharine B. Davis,
to be filed with Mayor Mitchell to-day.
Il costs S10.1s year for the wearing
apparel of one prisoner, s7O.s5 to feed
him, $G5.s2 to guard him, s29.Os to fur
nish his cell with light and heat, SAG
for medical service, and S1.74 TO wash
his clothes. Other Incidental expenses
are not included in this catalogue Of
costs.
To Offset in some degree this drain
on the municipal treasury, Commits
sioner Davis has established an organ
lied utilization of inmate labor for
farm, repair and construction work
The first steps in showing inmates how
to make the soil productive were tried
at the New Hampton Farms branch Of
the New York City Reformatory
Speaking Of inmate labor, DR.. Davis
emphasizes that it will be utilized mot
in competition with or in opposition TO
paid and free labor, but along self
sustaining lines as applied to the de-
partment and the city"
Among the remedial steps taken by
Commissioner Davis to better main de-
ficiencies found existent when she
began her work as the only woman in
the Mitchell cabinet she mentions the
following:
A definite plan has been submitted
to the Board of Estimate providing for
the reorganization of all institutions
of the department, to remove build
ings of antiquated construction, faulty
in design for their purposes, unsani-
tary and overcrowded
A new law has been passed providing
for the extension of indeterminate SEN
tence and parole for both the work
house and penitentiary, making it pos
sible for the department to exercise its
main function, that of correction and
reformation.
Fight on Drug Evil.
Consecutive steps have been taken to
abolish the drug evil" which has af
fected from 80 to 40 per cent Of the in
mate population of the various depart
mental institutions. The free importa-
ton of cert4 1 articles in which it is
easily possible to secrete drugs has
been prohibited; a system of medical
inspection, segregation and definite
treatment of drug addicts have been in
stituted, and programme of investiga
tion has been adopted, in cooperation
with the police, so as to discover and
apprehend any employe engaged in the
Illicit smuggling of drugs.
A scientific dietary has been promul
gated to provide more variety and bet
ter nourishment TO the inmates than
ever before under the 16 cents daily
per capita allowance. A reduction of al
most 2 cents per inmate per day
amounts to a total saving to the city
of sec, 500 annually, despite the increase
in the price of food.
A medical survey has been made IN
dcating how the medical and surgical
facilities of the department may be
made adequate. The Commissioner
urges the appointment of chief medi-
cal officer for the proper formulation
and operation of a complete medical
programme in the city penal institu
tons. The fact that of 489 consecutive
new admissions to the workhouse some
S5S, or so per cent, were shown by spe-
cial study to be suffering from con-
tagious blood and local diseases, indi-
Gates the medical problem of the de-
partment.
For the "prison stripe" uniform for
men prisoners in the workhouse and
penitentiary a uniform of solid color
has been substituted, and for the wom
en- a uniform of checked seersucker In
place Of striped bed ticking material.
More Keepers Needed.
The number of keepers and other
employees is entirely inadequate, it is
said.
In the latter part of the year a re-
oIa 70 tha pnard ~ Eafi-
mate for special revenue bonds TO pro-
vide for the employment Of the addi-
tional keepers, which request was al
lowed. Private funds provided a super
intendent Of women, two nurses at the
workhouse and a farm superintendent
at New Hampton Farms. The number
Of keepers in the employ of the de-
partment on December 81, 1914, was
257. The inmate population on this
date was GAPS, which allowed proper
tionately one keeper to every twenty
one men, more than twice the number
cared for by one keeper in the state
prisons and reformatories. Commits
sioner Davis strongly urges financial
provision for a considerable increase
of force, in order that the department
can be safely and efficiently admins
tered.
On the question OF general policy,
Commissioner Davis concludes with
these remarks: "On taking charge Of
the department, January l, 1914, /
realized that many changes were de-
sirabe and set about at once to sur
vey the situation, to determine policy
ard TO plan our course. To this plan
we are steadfastly adhering. We are
willing TO experiment, but we believe
in experimenting slowly and without
mourning dangers which come from a
too great impotence with difficult CON
ditions, and too great anxiety for i'm
provement more rapid than Is war
ranted by the human and physical ma
chinery at our command. If new wine
is poured too rapidly into old bottles
we know the consequences. We believe
in progress toward the highest ideals
attainable, but we believe IN making
it in sane and safe fashion, which is
the surest road TO permanent success"
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