The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-11-04

quantities and prepare this material
cred by rail or motor truck to roads
under construction, and these camps
could be maintained practically the
entire season.
I'm Edmonson County, Kentucky,
there exists an unlimitable deposit Of
rock asphalt, which is a hard sand
stone-the finest road making mater
ial known-containing from seven to
nine per cent of bitumen or asphalt
base. This material has an overbur-
den of from ten to twenty feet of soil,
sand or rock, and lies in a horizontal
strata OF from six to twenty feet in
thickness. Would IL not be a fine
thing to establish here a permanent
convict camp, where they could be
used in the stripping of this material,
quarrying and pulverizing and loading
1t ready for shipment to the counties
of the Commonwealth? The actual
cost of production. or even a reason
able per cent of profit could be
charged by the State for the material,
and at the same time very materially
reduce the cost for use in road con-
struction, and insuring to the counties
for their limestone, macadam, or 9TH
er hard surfaced roads, splendid,
long lifed surfacing material, that is
dustless, noiseless, durable and at the
same time waterproof. Other camps
might be established for the purpose
of preparing limestone as stated
above, and still others for the manu-
facture of brick to be used in the sur
facing of roads. and a very efficient
organization might be had for the
placing OF concrete roads as is now
being used in Illinois, Georgia, and
other States where that type of road
is being constructed
The men become skilled in the per-
Torrance of their duties, and this,
while preparing them for a better ex-
istence when they have completed
their term. also reduces the possibility
Of breaking up the organization by
men quitting. Another important fac
tor to be considered is the reduction
of the cost, the reducing of the cost
making IL possible for all the counties
in the state-not merely the rich coun-
ties-but practically all of them, to
construct permanent roads. When one
stops to consider that there are one
hundred and twenty counties in Ken
lucky, most Of them having a road
fund ranging from $500 to $1,000, while
less than ten have a road fund of more
than $4,000, IL is quite an easy matter
to understand the advantage that con-
vict labor would furnish these coun-
ties, where. funds are limited, in the
securing OF permanent types of road.
The convict labor would not come
in competition with free labor, for
without 1t the counties would be COM
PEELED to build cheaper type of road,
and in many instances would not be
able to build at all. while. with the
convict labor. better and more durable
types of road could be constructed, as
well as a more durable type OF bridges.
Even in the fabrication of steel mate
rial for the longer span bridges these
could be obtained at a much cheaper
figure, with the convict labor. than
they could be done by contract.
in summing up the advantages to
the counties and to the state. one
should not overlook the big advantage
to the convict himself-the wholesome
out-ofdoor labor-bettering him, men
tally, morally and physically-a much
more healthy occupation than that
which he would find inside the prison
walls"