Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-11-10
.BoGGS DOESN'T FAVOR
CONVICT ROAD WORK
Maaisen's State Road Engineer
Gives A. p. Ssme Interesting
Facts On Proposition
Ry .,asoelatea I.raesl


Frankfort: Nov. 9-The use oi
convict iaber on the highways oi
Kentucky is not advisable during
normal times, Joe s. Boggs. State
Highway Engineer. said here to-
day, When the camps now out
are brought in. no more will be
employed until such times rs
there IS again a shortage OF labor
and prices go up again. he said.
Free manual labor can now be
obtained in some parts OF kon-
tuel:y Tor As low as $50 a day,
the price the Department IS pay-
ing the State Board OF Charities
and Corrections for each convict
worked on the roads. Mr.. Boggs
said,
= In the future. Mr. Boegs said.
Kentucky roads Will be built bs'
contract. at least as long Is CON
TRAITORS bid - low aS They 10
now In recent lettings. he said.
prices for both earth and rock
excavation BY free labor have
been less than 1914 priceS.
2 Convicts have been worked al
the roads OF Kentucky undo. lhc
Fourth Amendment To the State
Constitution which provide, that
persons convicted al fcioh4 can
be used outside the prison walls
for work OH roads and un state
farm or farms. he amendment
provides that the legislature shall
iiN the term ut employment and
by law the rate To be- paid To the
State Board Of Charities aud
Corrections was fixed at $50 Il
day. The law provides that Ger
tain classes OF prisoners shall not
be sent outside the walls.
Convict labor Is never as eff
cicnt n free labor. Mr.. Bo""s
said. in caSsing the situation
aud under the present Kentucky
system it is cheaper and more
satisfactory. III normal times 10
build roads by contract with free
labor. For this reason, Mr.. Boees.
said, Il deem il inadvisable TO
work eonvlets on the highways
during normal times"
There are several convict
camps still out, but these will be
brought in as soon as they eon-
plete short stretches Of work on
which they were engaged when 1t
was decided to discontinue them
II was hoped 10 bring in The
camps ON November /, but this
was found 10 be impossible.
The State Highway Commits.
sion has virtually completed its
program for the present road sea
SON. II Is expected, however.
that four more contracts will Ire
let before the first of the year
Two OF these are federal aid pro-
jeets on the Midland Trail. one
being stretch OF three and one
hall miles OF concrete on the
Lexingt tom Winchester pike and
the other a stretch OF about four
and one half miles near Mt Stcr-
ling. The latter project probably
will he finished with rock asphalt
as this type 81 surfacing already
has hec1l used on portion OF
the highway there.
The other two projects arc IN
Eastern Kentucky. The first Is
a ten mile stretch on the Ashland
Grccnnp road The type OF fin
ishine material To be used has
not. been determined The sec
onl is a >trctc'i OF about II mile
on. thc Mayu trail Tor which the
counties along the eastern burocr
have contributed large sums. be
tween the Lawrence county lire
and & atlettsburg in Boyd county.
Part of this has been graded and
the contract VIII be let for finish
ing this section and grading the
remainder .ihe type OF finish
ing material has not been select
ed. No date las been set Tor let
ting the contract.