The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1917-03-15

years for. the erection of an ortho-
peqic hospital-school to be located two
miles east OF Gastonia. The appro-
priation is contingent upon the people
Of the state raising similar amount
for building purposes.
The bill was passed by the House
by unanimous vote, but five Sena-
tors opposed it in the upper body.
It is not believed that there will be
any great difficulty in raising the
money for the building of the school.
CASTOR county has already pledged
$40, 900, leaving but an equal amount
for the other 90 counties to raise. The
Rotary Club of Charlotte has indicat-
ed that it will attempt to raise S., 900.
This is the only institution Of the
kind in the south, being an hospital
where crippled children are taken and
given free treatment at the hands Of
the most skilled surgeons in the state.
The report Of the legislative COM
mittee to investigate the conditions
and management of the State Farm
convict camps went into both branches
OF the Legislature with the full mem
bership Of five signing a lengthy re-
view Of the investigation that finds the
system antiquated and the conditions
bad, especially as to facilities for cac
ing for the convicts and with the
majority of the committee signing a
further report reading as follows:
This Clause Signed by Three.
"The committee further finds that
the superintendents and others in au-
thority over the convicts have not
acted in any wise inhumanly, but on
the contrary have been lenient and
cOnsiderate and humane and di1igent
in the performance and the discharge
of their duties and obligations placed
upon them by the present system"
This clause is signed by Senator Bur-
gwyn and Representatives w. H. JOY
ner and J. H. Darden. These mem
bers of the committee and the other
two, Senator Turner and Representa-
tive Beasley signed the full report,
which is a document of Is typewrit-
ten pages.
The document sets out the thor
oughness of the inv estigation and
finds that the housing and equipment
at the farm are entirely inadequate.
The sleeping quarters, especially for
the negroes, far too small and poorly
ventilated and the bedding bad. No
separation of youthful and hardened
criminals. The dining hall is poorly
heated in cold weather and VIII
and colored prisoners eat in the Same
hall with an alleyway between, them,
All prisoners have to wash from the
same spigots, the whites and blacks
crowding each other indiscrimately
at the trough.
The report gives the food served
and method of service and inatten-
ton to bathing are reviewed anu
failure to supply towels for the use
of the convicts until recently. There
is no recreation provided for the con-
victs beyond their daily work. The
quarters for the women are made
quate and lacking in necessary prl-
vacy and no woman in charge of the
department and evils resulting there
from are reviewed. No reading mat
ire supplied by the state and 10
chaplain engaged, although there is a
law authorizing such an official, are
among the facts brought out.
The practice of whipping in con-
nection with the discipline is review
ed and the methods described and
abuses in this respect are given.
The committee finds that little or
no effort has been made for moral
IF
oners, the largest possible results and
profits from their labors being the
paramount object ana tnat youthful
prisoners are often injured by their
associations in the prison life. or all
the whippings administered the past
few years, of which there have been
hundreds, none have met with tne
disapproval of the authorities so Tar
as the records show.
The Whitney or Baron camps is
found to be a dangerous and hazard
GUS place with poor equipment for
the care of the men. Convicts re-
turn from their service there pro
KEN" The committee says:
"In the judgment of the commit
tee the conditions at the camps are
more due to the system than to the
officials in charge. The system has
been handed down by administrations
for so years and no effort on the part
of the prison officials or of the state
authorities to make advancement In
this respect"
The committee finds that there has
been lacking any regard for the ref
ormation of the prisoner and his re-
turn to society a better and more
trustworthy man. The larger per
cent of the prisoners, the committee
finds to be young negro men from
16 to 2O-odd years old, who might be
treated in such manner as to I'M
-, - -.ooI-o than donand-