Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1915-11-04
PRISON FART
SHOWS Profit
Experiment Of Board OF Prison
Commissioners Solves
Problem
MEANS S1VIAG TO TAXPAYERS
Interesting Statement Issued by War
den A. ]. C. Wells, OF the Kentucky
State ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Farm
Shows Proft Of s4,s26st During
Fourteen Months.

fSAiASSu WSbAhat
Frankfort, KY Specially Tho ox.
pertinent OF employing the prisoners Of
the state on the State Farm seems 70
BE- decided success. After a thor
ough trial OF the plan OF the Boarl %
Prison Commissioners and Warden
Wells the,e Is a net profit to III state
OF $i,S26.Gl IN fourteen months.
At the request OF r. c. Terrell, COM
missioner Of Roads. A. JG.W Wells. War
den Of the Kentucky state Ret3rma.
tory, has prepared a statement cover
ing the period the plan has been IN OPP
Grafton. Warden Wells covers his ,wo
years experience with a limited num-.
Der OF prisoners on the State Farm.
Mr. Wells said in part
The Legislature OF 1914 authorized
by law the lease OF a farm, with an
option OF purchase at the end OF the
lease. In accordance herewith. the
Board OF Prison Commissioners. on
recommendation OF myself as Warden.
end with the approval OF the Sinking
Fund Commissioners, OF which the
Governor Is a member, leased the Mas
Tin farm, consisting OF i62 acres. about
pa miles from tho priron. and 90 ts'
BERT G. ts "ert1efy
nosite the new capitol. for an annual
rental OF $4,000 por year. The Logs.
lature adjourned on March 10. 1914,
Negotiations were carried on with sew
oral landowners and contract con.
cluded, and prisoners were quito vor.
en- the farm April 10. 1914 YhI. az
course, was too late to get tho best
results the drst year This late
start. which was unavoidable. and tie
severe drouth which followed. made Il
O trying test Tor the first year. but IN
spite Of both OF these serious handi.
caps. even ihl1 year made most sat.
is'actory showing.
"a summary OF expenditures and re-
celpts or the farm. from april. 1919. 20
July l, 1915, shows q net gain on July
/. 1915, Of siS25Sl. after charging tho
farm with all labor at the same ay.
eraee price paid inside the prison.
Moreover, this net gain does not n G
into account many orons that he'd not
developed sufficiently for accurate In.
voice on said date These crops are
Rs follows: 10 acres OF tobacco. Is
acres Of late irish potatoes. acre OF
fweet potatoes. S acres sugar cane. Z
acres urnips % acres cabbage. 10
acres beans, acres greens. = acre
cucumbers. aero carrots. 6 acres
mo'ons.
'ne season since July has CON
timed good, and the products above
named have added very materially 10
the balance above stated We have.
since July ! mt mp for use In the
prison 1900 gallon cans Of beans. d.
matoes. corn and apples. All the cattle
and hogs arc slaughtered at the farm.
and sold 10 the prison at less p...e
than The packing houses furnish other
state institutions similarly s.Nl. "a.
The meats, vcs- tables and other prod.
ucta are served fresh. and are alto.
goiher more wholesome and pa,atalle
than ff1m the packers cold storage.
The better health OF the prison popu.
lation resulting is within itself a large
asset
"The farm, on account OF is prox.
Unity 10 The prison and &c splendid
Isolation. Is ideally ,ccsted There are
on the farm inexhaustiblc lodges OF
limcstone. and within o 'ew feet OF a
railroad and the kentucky river. A
rock crusher Of Sufficient cana ~ ct
TIL. point, operated by prison labor
could easily supply a large demand Cor
road material throughout the st e.
"The railroad anil river fscilil for
shipment should Insure reasonable
transportation rates. In nay ogml1n.
there is no place In the market which
furnishes so many attractive features
as this one for farming on a small
scale. and for the production and trans.
roriatlon OF road material. by the use
OF prison labor.
1T might be interesting in this con.
rect!on to state that out Of 10 prls.
uners sent to the farm at dlroront
tines. only I have escaped. and 9 OF
them returned These prisoners re.
w'.n 40 the farm 90 nlght. alt. vhllo
they are under the direction and guard
OF Capt ]. p Schnorbus. they lave.
necessarily, many opportunities q es.
cape, II they were so inclirod. do
not mean by this statement, however
TO indicate that prisoners, 'ldlscyim.
| inatoly, can be trusted on the outside.
We have attempted. as far as surround.
Ing circumstances would permit to ex
erclse good Judgment In thor sn.ce.
ton for this work. My estimate Is
that possibly % per cent Of the prison
population could be worked on the out
side In farming and the production oil
road material, with reasonable safety
under proper careful and humane al
rection. A great deal will depend
upon the plan adopted and selection Of
the agent, or agents, who shall exc
cute the plan.
III such venture Is to be made b,
the state, a bill should be CAREFUL,
darwin. after mature consultation witt
those who have had actual and sue
cessful experience In the handling O
prisoners. and before the meeting o
the Legislature, No haifbaked. haetI