The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-02-04
THE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
WOULD KEEP CHAIN GANG
Petition Legislature Not to Abolish 1t, Claiming
That AS A "Hard, Cold Business Proposis
ton, 1t Pays to Keep Them

Approaching the question from
what they call 'a hard, cold, bus
mess standpoint and leaving the
question of the humanity. of the
thing entirely out of it, the Pas
quotank Highway Commission is
opposed to the abolition Of the
convict system of road working
in Pasquotank county and will
resist the efforts Of the Board of
County Commissioners to have
the system abolished by legisla-
ton.
The Pasquotank chain gang has been
twice condemned by grand juries and
the members of the Board of County
Commissioners have petitioned the Gen
era Assembly now in session at Ra-
leigh to abolish it. The Commissioners
claim that it is costly, inefficient and
makes for criminality by populating the
county with criminals. 1t is claimed
many convicts sent here from other
counties to work on the chain gang make
their. home here after their terms of i'm
prisonment expire. But the Highway
Commission, with the records before it,
declares that convict labor is cheaper,
more efficient and more dependable than
free labor and claims it can show that
convict labor costs the county only $1.53
a day, against 1925 to $3.50 a day for
free labor.
The petition of the Highay Commis-
sion, addressed to our senator's and re-
preventative in the General Assembly
this week goes into the cost of the con-
vict system. The petitioners set forth
their claims as follows:-
The Petition
eve understand a petition is being
circulated among our citizens reque sting
our representatives to abolish by legis-
alton our present method of road main
tenance by convict labor on the argu-
snent that the roads can be maintained
cheaper with free labor.
''This argument is not borne out by
the facts as shown by careful exam
ination of our County Auditors records
and before abolishing the present sys-
tenn we most earnestly request that you
take such steps as you desire to thor
.oughly convince yourself of the actual
facts of the cost of convict labor to our
county.
owe have a number of times had our
Auditor compute the actual cost per day
of our convict labor, as a business pre-
caution, to see if we really were obtain
ing labor at lower cost with our present
convict system than could be obtained
by free labor, and his reports have al
ways shown a saving in favor of the
convict system. --., ..---. .---.
Relative Cost of Convict and Free
Labor
I'VE attach statement from the
County Auditor for the entire year of
1920 which shows the total cost for
guards and foremen, provisions, clothing,
fuel. conveying prisoners, capture
awards. drugs. etc for the entire year
S7O45.S3.
We have had an average of II con-
victs during the year and on the basis
of 23 days per~nonth actual work done,
this. figures daily wage rate of S2.l4
per man.
During this same period the average
daily wage of free labor has been in this
section 1925 to $3.50 per day.
The apparent saving therefore is
S1.13 to S1.36 per day per man.
However, in the gross amount of
S7045.S3 there is included the yearly
age of 3 men who act both as guards and
foremen.
Under the plan of free labor it would
ac&
men. for with about 400 miles of road to
maintain it would be Impractical to at
tempt the maintenance of this mileage |
without two foremen. |
Therefore the gross amount charge |
able to the convict labor should be re
duced about 100000 making the proper
charge against gang of 12 conVicts $5,= |
045.S3 bringing the daily cost per day
tor the county $1.53.
'"This therefore means a real saving |
of SLIP to S1.97 per day per man in |
favor of convict labor.
These figures are not estimates but
taken from the actual records OF the
past year as shown by our Auditors re- |
cords.
ON the matter of cost of labor there J
fore, we feel our county would SuIIef
sreatly to change our present system.
Relative Efficiency
The difficulty of obtaining a fair day S
work from ordinary labor is well known
~ anyone having had experience in hand
ling labor for the last few years.
1T has been next to impossible to Sc
.nre even fair results. y
1T is matter of record that the daily
output of all classes of labor has steadily
decreased until it has become apparent
70 everyone whether an employer or not.
We are sure you must have observed
This and know it is fact.
1t is equally evident that in working
ronvicts, conditions are such. as natu-
rally result in a fairer days output do
not now obtain, yet even casual OBJ
server can note that man for man the
convicts are today doing more work than
the average man on free labor.
That the work of our convict gang is
really efficient is abundantly proven by
Che statement of State Highway Inspec-
Concluded on Page 81