Palisadian., 1916-02-12

On June 7th, 1915, the Board OF
Chosen Freeholders formally turned
over entire control Of the kitchen of
the county Jail to Robert N. Heath,
Sheriff Of the County of Bergen. Of
fetal records show that during the
first 15S days Of 1915, under the
Freeholders control, with daily
Jail population Of 924 prisoners and
3 witnesses, the county paid $6,254.49
for food and $500 for labor, making
a total of $6,914.49. AS compared
with this the records show that dur
ing the last 207 days of 1915, a
period of 49 days more Tor 81 per
cent. longer time) under the Sheriff s
control, with daily Jail population
of 1928 prisoners and 3 witnesses,
$2,483.16 was spent for food and no
cost incurred for labor, the inspec-
ton and weighing of the food being
done by the Jail warden, and the in
mates of the institution performing
all the work in connection with this
department.
During the Freeholders control
the daily cost per person per day for
food ranged from 35.2 cents to 50.2
cents for prisoners and from 70.4
cents to 81 for witnesses. AS COM
pared with this, under the Sheriff s
control, the cost per person per day
for food amounted to 1871 cents to
14.1 cents for prisoners and from
25.4 cents to 1912 cents for wit
nesses.
Official records show that during
the year 1914, under the control of
the Board of Freeholders, with q
daily Jail population of only 68.S
prisoners and 2.5 witnesses, it cost
the county a total of $10,S62.16, not
including the 5000 per annum paid
the Custodian of Buildings for weigh
ing the food. They also show thai
during the first 1853 days of 1915,
with a daily jail population of s2.4
prisoners and witnesses, it cost the
county for food and labor, under the
Freeholders control, $6,91449, or a
total daily cost of $43.76 for prison
ers and witnesses together. At which
rate, if carried on for the remainder
Of the year of 1915, would amount
to a total of $15,972.40. As against
this it will be noted that during the
last 207 days of 1915, with a daily
Jail population Of 1928 prisoners and
3 witnesses, the cost amounted to
$2,483.16, or $11.996 per day for
prisoners and witnesses together,
which if carried on for 365 days lin
stead of 2O7 days. would amount to
total annual cost Of $4,378.54, and
show an annual saving under the
Sheriff's control of $11, ,593.S6, and a
daily saving Of $31.764.
1t will be recalled that the Sheriff
promised to save the county $4,000
per annum in the feeding of prison
ers with an average daily Jail popu-
lation of 100 inmates.
1t might be stated that the Board
Of Freeholders assumed control of
the kitchen on January 1st, 1911.
shortly after Sheriff Robert Conklin
took office, and replaced Mr.. and
Mrs. Rice with Mr.. and Mrs. Beutel-
spacher, and from that period con-
trolled this department up to June
z, 1915, a period Of four and one-half
years.
When Robert N. Heath assumed
the Office of Sheriff on November 13,
1913, in addition to economy exer-
cised in various branches of his de-
partment, he was convinced that a
great saving could be effected in the
feeding of the inmates of the institu.
ton, changing the menu, giving the
prisoners food more suitable to their
needs, taking into consideration that
some worked while others could not
be requested to do so by virtue of
their being held for trial. The
Sheriff, at mis- personal expense,
visited all the county jails in the
State of New Jersey, one in West
chester county, and also those in
Toronto, Kingston and Montreal,
Canada. After thoroughly convinc-
ing himself that he could effectively
put his plan into operation, and not
ing that the law distinctly states
that prisoners in the county jail
must be fed at cost not exceeding
15 cents per person per day, he took
the matter up with the Board Of
Freeholders and requested that they
turn over to him the control Of the
kitchen. His request was refused
The Committee on Public Buildings
and Grounds, however, together with
the Director, took the matter up with
their counsel, who after quoting con-
siderable law on the subject, advised
that, the Board of Freeholders could
retain control Of the kitchen if they
so desired and that the Sheriff could
not force them to turn over that de-