The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-02-23
CONVICTS FOR
ROAD BUILDING
TREND FOR PRISON SHOP EN-
PLoYMENT TO CONSTRUCTION
or PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGH
WAYS.

Washington. D. c.. Feb. %. A
steady decrease since 1885 in the pro-
portion OF convicts in the United
States employed in miscellaneous work
under lease and contract and q mark
ed increase in the proportion employ
ed for the benflt of the state on high
ways and other public works are
shown in statistics just published by
the Office Of public roads and rural
engineering Of the United States de-
partment of agriculture. These stats
tics are included in Department
Bulletin Ala, a professional paper
which reports one Of the first exhaus-
tive studies made in this country
covering the administrative, engineer
ing, economic, disciplinary, and health
conditions in convict road camps
Representatives of the United States
public health service co-operated with
the specialists Of the department OF
agriculture in making the studies. The
systems adopted by the several states
are discussed and recommendation
are made for the achievement OF
greater efficiency in operation of the
convict camps and conduct Of the road
work.
The systems of convict labor are
classified in the report as lease, con-
tract, and piece price systems, under
which the labor Of the convictS is for
the benefit of private individuals or
corporations, often in the manufacture
of commodities: the public-account
system, under which the convict-made
goods are sold by the state; the state
use system. under which goods are
manufactured only for use in state
ways system, under which the labor
of the convicts. is devoted to public
structure and roads. The latter sys-
tenn he's grown in popularity, It is
pointed out, because 1t makes use of
the convict labor with minimum of
competition with free labor, con-
tributes fairly lasting benefits to the
whole community, affords healthful
and even somewhat Informative en-
ployment to the convicts. and reduces
congestion in penal institutions. The
most satisfactory use of the system, In
the opinion of the departments road
specialists, is under state rather than
county administration. Since 1885, the
report shows, the percentage Of con-
victs in large number Of representa-
tive institutions working under the
public-account, state-use. and public
works and ways systems has increas-
ed from SO to SO per cent, while the
proportion engaged in road work alone
mas llCF6dSSu ITOI1 I.o per cent TO
nearly Is per cent.
Convicts should not be indiscrimin-
ately put to work on roads. it is point
ed out. Only those who are physical
ly fit for the work should be employ
ed. 1t may be even desirable and
practicable in many instances to re-
serve assignment to the open-air work
as / reward for good behavior
Physically and by former mode OF life,
statistics cited In the report show,
about three-fourths OF the average
male prison population is better fitted
for outdoor labor than for shop work.
In practice, when all considerations
are taken into account, it has been
found that from % to so per cent of
the male inmates Of prisons are avail
able for road work. a,.
The employment of state convicts in
road making, the report shows, first
became general In the south in the
early nineties. Suchstise Of state con-
victs has been made by northern and
western states, however. mostly dur
ing the last ten years.