Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-07-06
NEW OPPOSITION
FACES PRISON
LABOR TRUST

Washington, d. C.-The serious
ness of the pnson labor problem,
espe sially the rapidity with which the
pricon labor trust has extended its
operations during the last few
months, brought the directors of the
International Association of Garment
Manufacturers together in New York
on June 20 to lay plans for protecting
their industry from the rpinous COM
petition of the prison labor exploit
ers. The program discussed calls for
cancellation Of existing prison labor
contracts and the prevention of other
prison labor contracts with states.
Representatives of the National
Committee on Prisons and Prison La
Dor Informed the directors that they
believed not one Ct the five state gov
ernments which are now seriously
considering signing contracts with the
Sterling and Reliance companies
would consider entering into those
contracts if they could:
First, be shown how profitably
TO employ their prisoners in MAX
ing commodities for their own
needs and the needs of other
states; and
intelligent public opinion in their
own states demanded that the
vicious system of prison contract
labor in any guise be done away
with.
1t is believed that the garment
manufacturers evil act Immediately
along these lines.
Figures Show Great Menace of Old
System.
At the convention in Chicago re-
Gently of the international Associa-
ton of Garment Manufacturers, the
prison labor problem was one of the
principal topics of discussion. The
industry was told that of the approx
imately $1,000 prisoners in the vari-
GUS prisons and reformatories con-
Quoted by the different states, 18,439
were engaged in what are known as
shop trades" the balance of 1861
including those sick and those en-
ployed on state roads and farms and
in the maintenance of the institutions.
Of the 1S,439 prisoners engaged in
shop trades, 10,740 were employed
in industries under contract and pub
lie account systems, whereby the
product of the industries was dis
posed of in the open market in COM
petition with the product of free la
Dor, and 1863 were employed in in
dustries under the estate use" system,
whereby the product of the industries
was disposed of to meet the needs of
the states themselves
Off the 10,740 prisoners whose
product was controlled by the prison
labor trust, 5,749, or SO per cent, are
employed in the manufacture of work
shirts and overalls. This unfair COM
petition is drivin gfree manufacturers
of work shirts and overalls out of
business and making il impossible for
workmen employed to improve their
economic condition.
Women Urge State Bodies 10 Join
Fight.
OF even greater interest from the
public standpoint is the action of the
council of the Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs in passing resolution
against the contract prison labor sys-
tenn at its recent meeting at Atlanta,
Georgia. The General Federation of
Women's Club sand tsate declarations
affiliated include 2,500,0 900 members.
The adoption of the resolution is an
intimation to state declarations that
the principles embodied in the reso-
luton meet the best judgment of the
council, and intimates to state fedora
tons that the yshould work to bring
about the adoption of the principles
of the resolution in their state. The
resolution follows:
Whereas, after years of study, the
General Federation of Women's
Clubs is convinced that the evils of
the prison system can be traced to
profiteering on the prisoners b. bust
ness interests, and
Whereas, all returns from the la
Dor of prisoners belong by right to
the state and to the prisoner,
Be it resolved, That the General
Federation of Women's Clubs approve
the principle of employing prisoners
in the production of commodities for
consumption in state institutions and
departments and in public works I'M
der state control and insists on whole
some living and working conditions
for all prisoners.