Licking Valley courier., 1915-11-11
PRISON FARM
Shows PROFIT
Experiment cf Board Of Prison
Commissioners Solves
Problem
MEANS SAVING TO TAXPAYERS
Interesting Statement Issued by War.
den "A. j. G. Wells, Of the Kentucky
State Reformatory--State Farm
Shows Profit Of $4,s26.S1 During
Fourteen Months.

State Reformatory--State Farm
Shows Profit Of S4926.81 During
Fourteen Months.
Frankfort, Xy.-(Special) al)-The ex
pertinent Of employing the prisoners OF
the state on the State Farm seems to-
be decided success After thor.
ough trial Of the plan of the Board OF
Prison Commissioners and Warden
Wells, there is a net profit to the state
of $4,S26.S1 in fourteen months.
At the request Of r. c. Terrell, Com
missioner Of Roads, A. J. G. Wells, War
den Of the Kentucky State Reforma
tory, has prepared statement cover
ing the period the plan has been in op
Grafton Warden Wells covers his two
years experience with limited mum
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,
and with the approval of the Sinking
Fund Commissioners, Of which the
Governor is member, leased the Mas
tin farm, consisting of 462 acres, about
IL miles from the prison, and in the
bend of the Kentucky. river, just op.
posite the new capitol, for an annual
rental OF $4,000 per year The Legis-
lature adjourned on March 19, 1914,
negotiations were carried on with sew
eral landowners and a contract con.
cluded, and prisoners were put to work
on the farm April 10, 1914 This, of
course, was too late to get the best
results the first year This late
start, Which was unavoidable, and the
severe drouth which followed, made it
a trying test for the first year, but in
spite of both of these serious handi-
caps, even this year made a most sat.
isfactory showing,
"a summary of expenditures and re.
ceipts of the farm, from April, 1914, to
July |, 1915, shows a net gain on July
/, 1915, of $4,S26.S1, after charging the
farm with all labor at the same av.
erage price paid inside the prison
Moreover, this net gain does not take
into account many crops that had not
developed sufficiently for accurate in.
voice ON said date These crops are
as follows; To- acres of tobacco, %
acres Of late Irish potatoes, 1 acre oi
sweet potatoes, acres sugar cane, Z
] acres turnips, 2h aeres. cabbage, 15
acres teans, acres gresnss 1k acre
Y ass5vIt; acre sJJaradts, IS acres
meloDs
i "The season since July / has con
tinued good and the products above
named have added very materially tc
the balance above stated. We have
since July 1, put up for use in the
prison 10000 gallon cans 'of beans, to
matoes, corn and apples. All the cattle
and hogs are slaughtered at the farm
and sold to the prison at less price
than the packing houses furnish other
state institutions similarly situated
The meats, vegetables and other prod
ucts are served fresh, and are alto
gether more wholesome and palatablC
than from the packers cold storage
The better health of the prison popu
lation resulting is within itself larg,
! asset. g.
"The farm on account Of it's prox
unity to. the prison and its splendid
isolation, is ideally located. There ar,
on the farm inexhaustible ledges o
limestone, and within few feet of
railroad and the Kentucky river. 4
rock crusher of sufficient capacity a
this point, operated by prison labor
could easily supply large demand fol
, road material throughout the state.
"The railroad and river facilities foi
shipment should insure reasonabl,
transportation rates. In my opinion
| there is no place In the market whicl
: furnishes so many attractive feature,
as this one for farming on small
scale, and for the production and trans
: portation of road material, by the us,
of prison labor,
1T might be interesting in this con
nectlomtto state that out Of 40 pris
oners sent to the farm ut diHeren
| times, only 4 have escaped and 2 o
them returned These prisoners re
main atthe farm at night, and, whil
they are under the direction and guar,
of Capt. J. p Schnorbus, they have
necessarily, many opportunities to es
cape, II they We're so inclined d.
5 not mean by this statement. however
/, to Indicate that prisoners, indiscrim
inately can be trusted on the outside
) We have attempted, as far as surround
4 Ing circumstances would permit to eN
q erclse good judgment in their se!et
ton for this work My estimate I
. that possibly % per cent of the prlsor
S population could be worked on the out
q side in farming and the production O
road material, with reasonable safety
under proper, careful and humane d
e rection, A great deal will depen
upon the plan adopted aud selection Q
the agent, or agents, who shall ext
cute the plan.
: III such venture is to be made b
the state, bill should be CAREFUL
darwn, after mature consultation wit
d those who have had actual and su,
cessful eXpaBence in the handling {
: prisoners, and before the meeting c
n the Legislature. No halrbaked, hast
ly.oonsidered legislation should b
passed in this connection"