The log cabin Democrat., 1921-01-31
BOARD IN DEFENSE OF PEN" CONTROL STATEFARhS PROFITABLE Commission. Abolished by McRae For
 ces, Defends Record-Facts
 About State C0nyicts.

Management of the Arkansas state penetentiary for the biennial period
 beginning October 1, 1918, and end ing October l, 1920, is covered in the
 report of the commissioners, W. A
 Coker, J. T. Burkett and J. r. McCuis- ton, which has just been printed by the 1 Conway Printing Company. The pre- liminary statement by Mir. Burkett, secretary of the commission, is a de- fense of the commission form of pen al government, and cites figures giv en by the state comptroller to prove that despite adverse crop and busi
 ness conditions. the state farms have been operated at a profit for the past seven years. Other figures gleaned from the report show that 380 pardons were issued during the two years, 176 convicts made their escape, II return ed voluntarily, 4 were racaptured, 40 died. 20 received the death sentence and 1S9 were paroleG.
 According to Mir. Burketts state ment, the total value of penitentiary property on January 1, 1913, was $520, ,854.30 with $25 ,80224 as the net cash on hand. On October i. 1920. the valuation had climbed to S1,301 .581 .oS, with a total indebtedness of S491.- 631.54, giving a total net value of $S09. .94954 These figures show net profit for seven years, over main tainence by the commission. of S263.- 292.98, or an average annual profit of &37,G13.28. The appraisement, Mir. Burkett says, does not include more than 2,000 bales of cotton ginned and stored from this years crop, and crops of hay and corn sufficient to maintain the farms for. the coming year. The addition of these items, he estimates, would bring the annual profit to nearly $50.000.
 Purchases of supplies for the peni- tentiary are made under a wrong sys- tenn, the secretary of the commission says. "The commission is not per mitted to negotiate loans to tide over unprofitable years,' his statement de- clares, "and peaitentiary warrants are used as club to advance prices for all kinds of maintainence and per manent improvements. The price of- fered by financial institutions for penltentlary warrants is so low that of a necessity those selling to the penitentiary add an exorbitant profit, making the entire system wrong. The remedy lies in financing the peniten- tiary as all other institutions are fin anced by the state, viz, from the gen. eral revenue fund, and then passing into this fund every penny received from every possible source, and hold Ing to strict accountability those ac- lively in charge of the producing end of the institution"
 Profits from the operation of the state farms at Cummins and Tucker during the past two years have been lowered by reason of reverses, the report says. More than one-third of the 1919 cotton crop could not be gathered on account of constant rains, and that picked was of low quality and the prices received were not com mensurate with the cost of produc- tion. The two farms in 1920 produc- ed their largest crops of cotton, now stored at Pine Bluff. As a result. the penitentiary is now in straitened cir cumstances financially, and MT. Bur- kett declares it's affairs should be considered from every possible angle.
 Road work by state convicts include the Camp Pike highway from Little Rock, stretch of road in Carroll coun- ty and the highway from the Craw- ford county line north through Wash ington county. Release of convicts for this work has not seriously in- terfered with farming, Mir Burkett says.
 Arkansas penitentiary system con sists of the farms at Tucker and Cummins and the main prison at Lit tie Rock, to which all convicts are first sent. Finances of the system are subdivided to show the net cost of operation and receipts for each of the three places, and then the combined totals given. From October l, 1918, to October 1. 1920, it cost a grand to- tai of S559, ,359l3 to maintain the three places, with the following sep arate totals: Main prison at Little Rock, 49,115.91, Tucker farm, $780, 329.23, Cummins farm, $3O1 ,264.56, administrative and overhead expense, SIP ,64943 The condensed general reorganization for the system shows the following items: Real estate $1,- 019.500, mills and gins 5000, elcc- tric plants $20.25o, live stock $121,- 140. equipment f96,127, total fixed as- sets $1, $1,266,o17.5o, supplies on hand $35, ,5G3,58, grand total $1,301 ,581.08. Appropriations authorized for the two years totaIad S6o0,O00 of which $532 ,667 .53 was expended. Cash re- l. l nf