The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1922-05-12
Texas Prisons Are
Hopelessly in Debt
Reports Say


II isa long time since we had one
Of those monthly reports that were
won't 10 set forth the fiscal affairs
Of the Prison System for such en-
lightenment and edfication as the
citizen might be able TO extract from
them. II memory is not at fault, the
last OF them appeared almost q year
ago. Maybe II was because they got
TO be so much more notifying than
edifying that some one. in a spirit
Of compassion for the citizen, had
them sequestered from the inquis-
tive eyes Of the reporters at Austin.
But II the monthly report Of the
Prison Systems affairs has disap-
peared from the menu Of hand
outs" that was offered to the report
ers at Austin. there has lately been
vouchesafed an annual report A lib
eral synopsis Of il was printed in The
News the other day.
II is not very gratifying recital.
For such as may have hardened TO
them, il sadly disappoints the hopes
and promises of such reforms of its
regimen as would relieve the Treas
ury and the taxpayer Of the heavy
demands il has been making on them
from a time to which the memory of
many Of us does not reach. Or, to
be specific. this report, which results
from an examination Of its books by
a former auditor, Mr. Arnold, shows
that the Prison System lost a million
and a quarter last years ,293, $50,
TO be exact. It's debts are shown TO
total 1878, exclusive of the
S750,000 lately borrowed in Kansas.
OF this Indebtedness, S41l.l53 is
owed on the purchase of land owned
presumably on open accounts, or to
the Treasury. Maybe some part of
this Indebtedness can be liquidated
out Of the money borrowed; but
much Of the greater likelihood is that
all Of il will be needed TO pay cur
rent operating expenses until the
next crop harvesting season, in which
case il will be in debt 90 the extent Of
million dollars or more By that
time. II the crops should not turn
out in the way hoped for, but in the
way they usually have, its indebted
ness by the time the next Legisla-
ture shall meet might easily be much
more.
Perhaps these heavy losses come
IN part of unwise management; but
only in small part, al most, undoubt-
| eddy. Il is questionable II even the
/ Lieutenant Governor could take the
| Prison System and make il pay under
the handicap that is put on its oper-
ations by their location. IL will be
seen, on examining the report, that
all of It's farming operations were
carried on az a loss, and that the on
/ ly activities which yielded a profit
we're industrial The cabinet shop,
for instance, yielded a revenue Of
! S3,202 above its expenses, while the
shoe shop achieved a profit Of $500.
/ These seem 20 be the only eXcep-
/ tions; everything else that was under
taken with convict labor cost more
than il yielded
II seems pretty clear 10 everyone
/ that there can be no hope Of perman
emit escape from such results 80 long
as our convict labor is used so nearly
exclusively for farming in circum-
stances which make the cost eyhOr-
bitant and the chance Of success neg
ligible. OF course 10 is not 90 be eX-
pected that convict labor will be as
productive as free labor, and IL is
equally obvious that the expense of
directing such labor must be heavy.
But after making liberal allowances
for those excuses, there is still a lack
Of justification for the failure 20 EN-
ploy the energies of more than g.
GOO men and women, most Of them
able-bodied, in ways that viii at least
defray the cost Of guarding and sus-
tenancing them Dallas News.