River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-10-21
BOARD OF CONTROL
WILL BUILD ROADS
Prison Labor TO Be Used in High
way Building.
PROPOSED BY ]. O. DAVIDSON
Head of Wisconsin Body Notifies
County Supervisors That Services
May BE Obtained at Rate
of $3.50 a Day.

had1sOn.-President James o. Dav.
,dsOn OF the state board of control
sent a letter to chairmen of county
boards OF supervisors of the state an
nouncing that experiments of the
board had shown the employment Of
convict labor on public highway con-
5tructi0n work was entirely practic-
able and the board intended to lease
such labor to counties for road build
Ing work or take contracts for such
work during the coming year
The board will furnish cOnvicts for
$3.50 per day each, and look after
heir maintenance and control, the
county furnishing the building mate
gials and engineering work. If coun-
~ does not want to hire the convicts
by the day, the board will undertake
10 furnish the labor by the job, the
county supplying the materials and en-
gineering skill, as under the former
proposal
President Davidson urges the vari-
Gus boards to consider the matter at
their meetings next month. The pres
dents letter TO chairmen of county
boards includes the following:
The legislature Of 1913 enacted a
Saw authorizing this board to make
IN experiment of constructing high
ways by convict labor During the
year 1914 the board did considerable
experimenting and constructed road
with convict labor from the city of
Waupun TO the station at Chester, a
distance OF about three miles. An
lS-foOt macadam road was construct
ed and we are advised by the high
way commission that it is one of the
best pieces of macadam road ever
built in the state.
The experiments have proven sat
factory to the board and 1t is believed
5hat convicts can be successfully en-
plOyed in the construction of high
ways. The legislature of 1915 enacted
law authorizing this board to con-
tinue the work of constructing high
ways by convict labor.
We are considering the advisable
1tv of employing a large number of
aOnVicts in the construction of high
ways when the new road construction
period commences in 1916. This
board will at the commencement of
Ehe new road construction period be
in a position to either furnish to the
counties cOnvicts at price per day or
,O take contracts for doing the entire
construction work of roads for the
Counties or towns. If the cOnvicts are
leased at price per day, this board
will furnish the supervision, the hous-
ing, the feeding, and take entire
charge of the cOnvicts, and the only
hing that the counties will have to
40 will be to furnish the employment,
material and engineering
The board believes that it can with
advantage to the state and with adj
vantage to the counties and towns
furnish such labor at $3.50 day, ten
hours to constitute a days labor. If
ibis is not satisfactory to the counties
The board will take contracts for con-
struction Of highways at a price per
ard, and we believe that we can take
at a price less per yard than any
ontractOr.
If this board can interest the diff
rent county boards of the state in
lis proposition it will see to it that
onvicts, who are thus employed, are
properly safeguarded and that no com
munity into which they are sent will
be i'll any peril OH account OF their
presence in such community The
convicts who will be placed out will
he dressed in khaki suits and they
sill not have the appearance of con
victs.