Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-24
APPROVES CALL
FOR PRISONERS
OUT ON PAROLE
Colonel Leroy T. Hillman, Arsenal
Commandment Endorses Request
for More Workers.
TAKEN FROM STATE PRISON
Work Done by 420 Now With Con-
structionNompany Causes sat
isfactory Reports =

The work Of 42O paroled prison
ers on government contracts al
Rock Island has proven so success
ful that Colonel l. T. Hillman, com
mandaut AT the Rock Island ar
senaI has approved a request Just
madef upon the Illinois division OF
pardons and paroles Tor go more
parOled prisoners to work upon the
island
The request for this additional
number OF men comes from j. l.
Brown, superintendent of construc-
tion for the Stone & Webster com
pany, and ia part says:
Il might add that all of our work
here is for the United States gov
eminent: some of 1t is of a very
pressing nature and we need con-
siderable common labor We have
been asked. today, to construct, in
the quickest time possible, high
pressure fire system which is very
much needed at the arsenal. We
would like TO secure $50 men i'm
mediaJely-
I'VE believe the conditions exist
ing here are very favorable for the
use Of paroled men and we will take
particular pains to see that the men
are treated reasonably and looked
after in a manner satisfactory 10
your board
In approving the request made by
the stone d Webster company, Col
tneI Hiilman, commandment at the
arsenal. said.
1T has been brought to my atten-
- non that Stone & Webster are en-
deayCriug 10 obtain IabOrers
through your board and l would ap-
preciate any cooperation that you
can extend TO their representative,
as Stone d Webster have some i'm
purtan- work to construct at this
|. arsenal, which work should be ex-
u pedited as much as possible"
Illinois was the pioneer of all the
states in the sO-called industrial
parole plan, the details of which
have been carefully worked out
through q period Of several months
by the division Of pardons and pa
roles The scheme which is being
so successfully operated in Illinois
now is attracting widespread at
telIiOn throughout other states
which are seeking means to EN-
plOy their prisoners along similar
lines.
In its work up to this time the
Illinois division Of pardons and pa
roles has made its selections for the
industrial parole" only from men
lnCarcerated for the lesser crimes
To Be Sent Here.
Thirty COlOred men selected for
the industrial parole at Chester are
now completing the construction Of
a street car line from the city of
Alton TO the new state hospital
there, q distance Of two and one
half miles. The state will bear 80
per cent OF the cost of doing this
work Owing to the scarcity Of la
bOT il was impossible to build the
line by contract Under orders made
by the division of paTdons and pa
roles, working in conjunction with
the state department of labor
through its free employment bu-
Teaus, 30 COlOTed men from Chester
now working on the construction of
the street car line at Alton will be
transferred into the large industrial
plants at Rock Island when their
work at Alton is completed.
Thirty parOled men from Joliet
now are engaged in the construc-
tion of a large sewer at the Dixon
state hospital Owing to the scar
city of labor il also was impossible
70 do this construction work by
contract. The sewer is being built
by the paroled prisoners in record
breaking time and at a great saw
ing in the cost to the state Plans
also have been perfected for the
transfer of these men into the in
dustriaI plants at Rock Island when
The sewar Is cnrnnleted at Dixon. .