Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-10-23
PRISON LABOR FOR
PRIVATE PROFITS
By KATE RICHARDS O'HARA

by MAIZE h1ChAHUO " HAMA
The convict made goods that went
into the markets during the last few
years not only robbed the law abid-
ing self-respecting workers of their
jobs, but they also cut the ground
from under the feet of legitimate
manufacturers and subjected them to
tax-sHbsidized competition which no
law respecting citizen could possibly
meet. All over the country there are
manufacturers who conduct their in
dustries within the written and un-
written laws and ethics of fair bust
ness. These men have interested mil
lions in buildings, equipment, wages
and advertising. They maintain union
conditions AN wages in the effort to
raise the common standards of Amer
lean working class life.
I interviewed one of these manu-
facturers recently and found that dur
ing the last few years prison made
work clothing had cut into his trade
until he was faced by choice of going
out of business, or putting his shop
on non-union basis, which would
possibly only save him for short
time. He could manage to put his
overall factory over, but he could not
make the grade with his work shirt
plant. It seems that union men and
intelligent farmers who would blush
with shame if some one caught them
in a pair Of scab overalls will wear
prison made shirt without qualm.
Prison Labor OutgrOwth of War.
The deadly grip of the prison labor
contractor on the work clothing in
dustry Of this country is to a certain
extent an outgrowth Of the World
War. When the legitimate manufac-
turers begin to produce supplies for
war purposes, first for the European
countries and later for our own, the
production of work garments for civ
ilian use largely passed into the hands
of prison labor contractors. No one
denies that the legitimate manufac-
turers were very short-sighted to per-
nit this condition to come about, but
almost every thing connected with the
war was short-sighted, and because
their hands were full producing the
necessary war supplies they made no
effective protest. And it was during
the stress and struggle Of wartime
production that the finishing touches
were put on the organization of the
Prison Labor trust, and the produc-
ton Of prison made garments brought
up to date.
In garment making as in all other
industries the machinery of produc-
ton was developed far beyond peace
time needs to meet wartime demands.
When the war ended both free and
prison plants had been developed to
a point where they could produce
far more goods than the normal trade
of the country could consume, and
the market for work clothing had
passed from the employer Of free lab
or to the prison labor contractor.
With his overhead paid by the tax
payers, and paying less than one
sixth of the ordinary labor cost of
free workers the prison labor con-
tractor has an advantage that no le-
Ultimate producer. can meet. One
great advantage that few ever con-
slider is advertising. The prison lab
or contractor can spend enormous
sums advertising in and substituting
INSCRIPTIONS and unethical publica.
tons. And because of the tremendous
power Of the prison labor contract
or's advertising budgets there has
been no widespread discussions Of
this great evil.
Contractors Protected.
Because the prison labor contract