The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-06-22
STATE PRISON
CAMPS FOUND IN
GOOD CONDITION
Major Odum of Salvation Army
Has Good Word for Road
Board

Major l.. A. Odom. State Superinten
/ dent of the Volunteers OF America
and engaged exclusively in prison wei
| fare work throughout the state, whd
| is in Lakeland this week, says, that
there is no factor in Florida of more
Importance than that of the state road
department, which is now utilizing
the labor of practically all able bod
led prisoners in road construction
throughout the state.
This organization is headed by
Judge H. B. Phillips, of Tallahassee,
w. ]. Hillman. of Live Oak; J. d.
Smith of Mariana; w. w. Clark. of
Wall Springs. who recently died; /.
E. Schilling of Miami; and Charles
A. Brown of Tallahassee. These men
are giving their very best attention
to the work of this department and
it is useless to say that good results
are being accomplished in the way
of road construction, declares the
visitor.
Major Odom says that for several
years he has done general welfare
work among the prisoners in the var
ious camps over the stae. in the way
preaching the gospel, giving out
reading matter, furnishing Sunday
school SUPPLIES, etc. This work eX-
tends back for several years, embrac-
ing part of the time while the prison
ers were leased to contractors. For
the past two or three years several
hundred of the state prisoners have
been worked on the roads embracing
in every case. tho most important
highways. In this way he has been
obliged to travel over many miles of
the roads being constructed 10y the
department in going from camp to
camp to carry on his work of hui
manity.
The state road department. has
some seven or eight hundred pris-
oners under its jurisdiction who are
divided into squads of 80 to 40 men
and are being worked in approXim-
mately 90 camps which are located in
various parts of the state. The camps
where these men are housed are made
of portable buildings, so that they
can be moved from time to time.
They are, in every case he says, kept
remarkably clean and sanitary, and
the prisoners are given substantial
and wholesome food, and. in return,
good results are being accomplished
by the department.
Several hundred miles of import
ant highways are now under construc-
tion which has been graded and now
awaiting the hard surface.
These, when finished. with other
proposed and prospective roads, will
give Florida q system of highways
second to none other state in the
South. In the opinion of the writ
er there is no other Improvement that
can add to the material welfare and
advancement of the State like a sys-
TEN of good roads. When we perfect
this system of highways in keeping
with our needs and possibilities the
same will bring great wealth and
prosperity to the state of Florida
The wonderful resources of Florida
have not yet been penetrated. and
there is positively no other agency
that bids fair TO develop these resour
ces like a system of good roads. They
will develop the rural districts, also
farms and agriculture of every kind
let one airplane accident hap
centers. Hence there is no other
factor of more vital Importance today
than that of the State Road depart
ment.
Major Odom states that his organ
ization is giving the State Road De-
partment its best cooperation in the
way of encouraging and helping the
prisoners while incarcerated; they
are furnished with wholesome read
ing matter, Sunday school supplies
ETC., which improve the morals of
the prisoners and thus helps to return
the n n society as better citizens.
.dn.pr Cdr m says that his work
Is sh,l Griea by public su9srr .fsnf.
are Le Il IN Lakeland In beaaIf cf
his extensive labor Of humanity.
< AZ. MI ~ R |l| Ks. 81 s ~. "a rs vi,