Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-02-22
PLANS FOR
PRISON LABOR
Commission Show How to
Employ Convicts.
STATE USE.
Scheme and Plan Will Provide a
Farm Population of
325.

trenton, FeD. zl.-COmplylng with
the request of the Edge State Prison
Inquiry Commission to submit a COM
prehensive plan for extending the
State use system to the prison, the
Prison Labor Commission today SUBJ
mitted blue prints and a carefully
worked out scheme for the manufac-
ture of school furniture to employ
zoo convicts at an approximate cost
| of machinery of $4,000 and a work.
ing capital of $4,000; auto license
tag workshop employing seventy-fve
convicts at an approximate cost of
$4,000 and working capital of $15,-
| 900; stamped tinware shop, employ
| ing twenty prisoners, at a cost of
| $4,000 and a working capital of $12,-
900, and mat weaving, employing $50
| prisoners, costing $4,000 and work.
ing capital of $4,000. This makes the
/
total appropriation desired $19O,5OO.
Under the plan proposed 325 con-
victs would be employed at the State
Prison farm at Leesburg, in South
| Jersey, and the report states that the
present available funds for the farm
q n6n ~ .e IL ,%1I
| that 225 convicts could be employed
| on roads at an approximate first cost
of $4,000 and $4,000 working capital.
Three hundred other prisoners, it is
stated could be employed for other
institutional purposes withr ut any ad-
ditional appropriation. This would
give employment to 1,345 convicts in
all, which would fully cover the aver
age population of the prison.
| The capacity of the school furniture
| plant would be 100 school desks a
day. Should this industry be installed
at the prison it is recommended that
| the work of making the cast iron
frames be assigned to the foundry at
the New Jersey Reformatory at Rah-
way, to take the place of the clothing
industry, which, the report states,
| should be carried on exclusively at
the State Prison. Clothing for about
1000 men is required by the State in
stitutions annually, the report says.
Investigation disc1oses that there is
no industry for the manufacture of
cocoa mats and mating in this State,
| and while the present mat factory at
| the prison would give employment to
$50 men, the product would be pro-
duced more rapidly than the State in
stitutions could use it. 1t is, there
| fore, recommended that the mats and
mating above the needs of these in
stitutions be disposed of in the open
market.
In the judgment of the commission,
325 men could be advantageously used
| at the prison farm at Leesburg in the
| work of clearing the land of trees and
| underbrush and preparing it for culti-
walton. There are approximately 1000
acres in the farm and cnly 1873 acres
| have been cleared. The State road
department is using only 1913 convicts
| on the road. With additional funds
250 men can be used. The present
| knitting mill at the prison could be
| more advantageously operated by fe-
male labor and the commission recon-
mends its removal to the Home for
Feeble Minded at Vineland.
1t is recommended that when pos
sible the inmate be given his prefer
ence as to the trade he desires to
learn, in order that he should become
not only willing worker, but would
be more apt to follow this line of
work When he is released or paroled.
The commission further recommends
that the State purchasing commission
shall cooperate with other State
agencies to standardize the various
articles to be manufactured at the di-
rection of the Prison Labor Commits